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AAP
AAP
Sport
Steve Barrett

Gold Coast defeat Port Adelaide in AFLW

Charlie Rowbottom was one of Gold Coast's best players as the Suns beat Port Adelaide in the AFLW. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Gold Coast are on the cusp of the AFLW top eight after seeing off a late Port Adelaide fightback to win by 14 points at Bond University Oval.

The Suns held sway by 32 points at three-quarter-time after dominating the middle two terms on Sunday before prevailing 7.4 (46) to 5.2 (32) after the Power threw everything at them in the fourth.

Charlie Rowbottom (26 disposals, 15 contested possessions, eight clearances) led an ascendant Gold Coast engine room, captain Tara Bohanna booted three goals and Lauren Ahrens had Erin Phillips' measure.

Port defender Alex Ballard's intercept marking was a feature, particularly early.

She single-handedly thwarted the Suns' repeated endeavours to capitalise on their territory dominance with the breeze in the first quarter, at the end of which neither team could register a goal.

The dam wall busted late in the second stanza, the Suns forging a 19-point half-time lead after a burst of three quick goals into the wind.

Rowbottom won a contested groundball, fended off Cheyenne Hammond and fed Ellie Hampson, who bounced through the opening major.

Bohanna slotted her first after snared a powerful mark before Courtney Jones got on the board a minute later.

Jac Dupuy nailed back-to-back goals to start the third before Britt Perry finally got the Power on the board with her first touch shortly before three-quarter-time.

Gold Coast's discipline dipped in the fourth and Port received a lift from Ange Foley.

Foley converted a free kick, Sachi Syme did likewise and Indy Tahau's soccered goal off the deck made it three goals in two minutes.

The Suns responded when Hampson's barging centre clearance finished in the hands of Bohanna, who saw off Port's rearguard with her match-sealing third.

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