Port Adelaide's mercurial forward Daniel Motlop faces scrutiny for a spear tackle in his side's 56-point thumping of Adelaide in their season-opening AFL NAB Cup match.

Motlop's misguided moment is certain to be investigated in the aftermath of Port's comprehensive 2.15.15 (123) to 1.8.10 (67) win at AAMI Stadium on Saturday.

Motlop lifted Crow Michael Doughty by a leg and dumped him in a questionable second-quarter tackle which earnt a 50-metre penalty.

The gifted goalsneak immediately protested his innocence to field umpires in a match cracked open by the Power in a devastating 15-minute burst.

Port led their hometown rivals by just nine points early in the third term but then slammed on seven goals in a match-turning quarter of an hour which laid the foundation of a deserved triumph.

Classy midfielder Travis Boak (21 disposals) and sweeping defender Nathan Krakouer (20 touches) were massive influences and Port unearthed two snappy small men in Cameron Hitchcock and Mitch Banner.

Rookie-listed Hitchcock and Banner, whose first season with Port last year was cruelled by injury, each snared two goals in impressive displays while Justin Westhoff kicked three - all in his side's third-term purple patch.

Hitchcock's productivity prematurely ceased with a third-quarter shoulder injury from which he tried to return, but couldn't, while captain Dom Cassisi converted two nine-point supergoals.

On the flip side, a disjointed Adelaide showed none of the form which hoisted them to a semi-final berth in last year's premiership season.

In pre-season matches usually notable for the emergence of younger players, the Crows relied heavily on their prolific captain Simon Goodwin (22 possessions and one supergoal), veteran Brett Burton and regulars Bernie Vince and Chris Knights, who both kicked two goals.

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams described the triumph against Adelaide as a "new beginning" after a lousy 2009 when his club missed the finals and experienced dwindling home crowds and membership numbers.

"This is a new beginning for Port Adelaide, this is like when we first started," Williams said.

"This is exciting, there is going to be some ups and downs, but there is going to be some excitement.

"People who actually came today and actually saw it (would think) 'wow, if they could do that all the time, how good would that be'.

"That is the journey that you go on when you are redeveloping a side."

Adelaide coach Neil Craig blasted the attitude of his players, dismissing the fact it was a February preseason match as a reason.

"You wouldn't want to serve that up when you are playing for keeps, when you are playing for a legitimate prize," Craig said.

"And we won't accept that as a reason.

"It was a great reminder for us - it was disappointing that we needed one - but it's a great reminder of the value of competition in footy.

"We certainly didn't have a thirst for the competition at any stage of the game."

Port's win booked them a second-round, away match against West Coast in a fortnight, while Adelaide are sent to the regional circuit and will next play the loser of St Kilda's clash with Collingwood in Alice Springs.

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