Port Adelaide further condemned Essendon's AFL season into the mire with a 10-goal thumping that left Bombers boss Kevin Sheedy with a sour after-taste in his 600th game as coach.

Staying competitive has been Essendon's only beacon this season, but there was nothing honourable in its round nine defeat at Telstra Dome as the Power grew in confidence and recorded 13 goalkickers in its 20.9 (129) to 9.15 (69) win.

Port's win broke a four-game losing streak, but extended Essendon's run of defeats to eight, the club's worst stretch since it lost 10 games spanning 1978-79, and with flag fancy Adelaide its round 10 opponent.

The Power's self-esteem - the club's trademark through its magnificent stretch from 2001-04 - was evident in a fine second half.

Challenged early in the third term, the visitors silenced Essendon through some telling ball use and a big input from captain Warren Tredrea, who marked strongly and booted three goals for the term in a quiet season to date.

Tredrea booted another in the last term to finish with four, Damon White kicked three, midfielders Shaun Burgoyne and Danyle Pearce were classy throughout and Darryl Wakelin was strong at centre half-back.

Port began the game knowing defeat would send it to the bottom, but was positive from the outset and created a buffer through seven first-quarter goals, including three in two minutes midway through the term.

The Bombers stemmed the flow in the second quarter, but were unable to get any closer, especially when Joel Reynolds and Jobe Watson squandered easy chances and both booted out on the full.

With the Dons at its mercy in the third term, Port showed more and more glimpses of its best football, notably when Brett Ebert floated across a pack to mark Pearce's long kick after a string of nice touches along the wing.

Port's initial break came through its quick three goals, the first of which came through a 50-metre penalty against Reynolds, who knocked the ball from Michael Wilson after he marked on the wing.

Ebert's goal two minutes later, for being held by Mark Johnson, then gave the Power a decisive break.

Mark McVeigh and Jason Winderlich battled hard for the Bombers, but the side's current lack of resistance was reflected in a paltry crowd of 29,232.

Port is yet to regain key players Chad Cornes, Peter Burgoyne, Gavin Wanganeen and Josh Francou from injury, but coach Mark Williams said reaching the finals was still a longshot.

"The numbers would say you can but the odds are still stacked against us," he said.

"Sometime they (the injured players) will come back into the side and we'll be a whole lot better than what we are right now, but who knows when that happens."

Williams said he and his players enjoyed the return to form, but could not explain where the resurgence came from.

"One week you've got it the next week not, it's like putting in golf," he said.

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