Port Adelaide coasted to a comfortable 42-point AFL win over an undermanned St Kilda at York Park.

Power consolidated its push toward the top of the AFL ladder with a 15.9 (99) to 7.15 (57) victory.

The lack of a direct flight into Launceston had ensured Port's playing and coaching staff spent more than five hours at Tullamarine on their way to York Park on Friday.

But the Power showed no ill effects and hit the ground running, asserting their superiority with four goals inside the first 12 minutes in a burst that set the tone for the remainder of the match.

"We were in control of the game for all but about 10 minutes of the second quarter," said Port coach Mark Williams.

"It's a great result to be 9-3 at the break, and we're really pleased with that given that we lost our first two matches."

Port moved the ball with precision and won in most positions on the ground, but nowhere was its dominance more evident than in the ruck where Dean Brogan consistently gave his team first use.

Josh Carr and Peter Burgoyne were prominent in the midfield, while Brett Montgomery turned back many of St Kilda's forward thrusts with an outstanding marking exhibition across half back.

Also among their team's best were defenders Stephen Paxman and Shaun Burgoyne.

Paxman's close checking ensured Nick Riewoldt exerted little influence over the match and Burgoyne's surprise switch to the back line negated the impact of livewire Stephen Milne.

Williams expected to regain some of his injured players after next week's mid-season break, but the news was not so good for the Saints.

Defender Xavier Clarke became another injury casualty after experiencing hamstring tightness in the first minute, and his teammates were badly outpointed in the air in the absence of Aaron Hamill, Justin Koschitzke, Luke Penny, Trent Knobel, Barry Brooks and the delisted Matthew Capuano.

"Our poor use of the footy and poor decision-making constantly allowed them to win possession," said St Kilda coach Grant Thomas.

"We had enough of the footy and we had enough scoring opportunities.

"It should have been a lot closer than what it was."

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