Port Adelaide slumps to five losses in a row Port's Jake Neade attempts to tackle Western Bulldogs speedster Luke Dahlhaus during the match at TIO Stadium, Darwin. Picture: Michael Klein. PORT Adelaide is officially in a major slump. And its hopes of ending a five-year finals drought seem shot after it was last night upset by a desperate Western Bulldogs outfit in Darwin. The Power coughed up a 17-point lead to lose by nine points to crash to its fifth consecutive defeat after a brilliant 5-0 start to the season. And this one hurts the most. After losing to North Melbourne, Richmond, Carlton and Geelong, Port's credibility went on the line against the Dogs, who had won just two of their past 20 matches. And it failed the test dismally. The Bulldogs - brilliantly led by Ryan Griffen (40 disposals) and Robert Murphy - won without injured veteran stars Matthew Boyd and Adam Cooney. Power forward John Butcher gets pulled of his kick by Bulldog Michael Talia during the second quarter. Port, wearing a one-off "Emus" jumper designed by inidgenous rookie forward Jake Neade, contolled the first half but failed to put the Dogs away. And they paid the ultimate price. Trailing by 11 points at half-time, the Bulldogs kicked five unanswered goals in the third quarter to turn the game on its head. The Power managed a paltry 3.5 after half-time, with two of the goals coming in the final five minutes after it had fallen 22 points behind. Angus Monfries had the chance to close the margin to four points with 104 seconds left but his missed shot from 40m consigned Port to another defeat. The Dogs have the Power's number. They have now won their past seven matches against Port dating back to 2006. The Power won an opening quarter for just the third time this year but visibly tired and was found wanting when the game was up for grabs in the third term. The Bulldogs were brilliantly served by Griffen, Murphy, ruckman Will Minson (57 hit-outs), young midfielder Tom Liberatore (35 disposals) and defender Brett Goodes while Jordan Roughead kept the Power's best forward, Jay Schulz, goalless. Chad Wingard stood out early for the Power, Brad Ebert worked hard in the middle and defenders Jack Hombsch - in his first game for the club - and Tom Logan were solid but for the fifth consecutive week Ken Hinkley's outfit carried too many players. Captain Travis Boak and playmaker Hamish Hartlett, so important to the team, were ineffective. Port steeled itself for a good start after losing seven of its opening nine first quarters this year. Overall it had been outscored by a massive 146 points in the first term. With Kane Mitchell back in the green vest for the sixth time this season and Dogs master tagger Nick Lower immediately running to Boak, the Power conceded an early goal to Liam Jones. But John Butcher quickly put last week's horror performance against Geelong behind him and got the confidence boost he was looking for. The tall forward took a brilliant diving mark and goaled from a tight angle from 25m to get the ball rolling for Port just a week after he failed to score. Small forward Cameron Hitchcock - in his first AFL game of the season - then put his name on the scoresheet with a brilliant snap from 35m as the Power seized control. With Wingard dominating at ground level and Ebert relishing being back in his customary midfield role, Port controlled the first quarter. Griffen was doing his best to keep the Dogs in the contest and had 13 disposals for the term as Hinkley's side grabbed an early nine-point advantage. Power defender Campbell Heath was helped from the field after copping a heavy knock early in the second quarter but quickly returned. Williams wasn't so lucky for the Bulldogs. The talented but injury-prone key position player suffered another shoulder injury and was helped from the field by two trainers. He was subbed out and replaced by veteran Daniel Giansiracusa. Port continued to control play but failed to put its dominance on the scoreboard with star rookie Ollie Wines missing a set shot from 25m. Ebert continued to be prolific in the middle and he broke the shackles and extended the Power's lead to 17 points when he kicked a long bomb from 50m. The Bulldogs went 34 minutes without scoring before Griffen produced a moment of magic to brilliantly kick his side's third goal. The Dogs were lucky to be so close at half-time, with the 11-point margin not reflective of Port's dominance. It led by less than two goals despite having 10 scoring shots to four and leading the inside-50 count 26-15. The Power's two best key forwards, Schulz and Justin Westhoff, were both goalless at the long break, having been well held by Roughead and Dale Morris. Port was made to pay for its wastefulness when the Bulldogs came out firing in the third quarter, hitting the front through a Murphy goal 16 minutes into the term. Things then went from bad to worse for the Power. Goals: Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa 2, Addison, Johannissen, Dahlhaus, Jones, Griffen, Murphy, Williams, Minson. Port Adelaide: Wingard 2, Brad Ebert, Hitchcock, Butcher, Westhoff, Boak, Logan. Best: Western Bulldogs: Griffen, Liberatore, Giansiracusa, Minson, Murphy, Morris. Port Adelaide: Wingard, Brad Ebert, Cornes, Hartlett, O'Shea, Monfries. Official crowd: 7850 at TIO Stadium.