With only a four-day turnaround before Wednesday's ANZAC Day clash at the MCG, Collingwood had their plans for the big match derailed with a string of injuries in their 18-point loss to Port Adelaide. The Magpies fell away badly in the second half in a rain-soaked Melbourne Cricket Ground, not kicking a goal after the five-minute mark of the third quarter as the Power landed the last five goals of the match.

Port Adelaide's Cornes brothers, Chad and Kane, starred in the second half with 42 possessions between them. But they had plenty of support, with the Power adapting to the conditions better than the Magpies over the full match.

What will concern Collingwood ahead of Wednesday's fixture, one of the biggest on the calendar, was the physical bruising the Magpies copped during the match with Simon Prestigiacomo (groin), Paul Licuria (hamstring), Dale Thomas (ankle) and Scott Burns (knee) all doubtful for the ANZAC Day clash with Essendon.

Essendon themselves fared much better. Playing only kilometres away from the MCG, the Bombers avoided the rain by playing under the roof at the Telstra Dome and claimed their third win of the season witha 31-point win over St Kilda.

With two of the best forward lines in the competition, the match was surprisingly low scoring early on with only three goals between them in the first quarter. But from there, the Bombers took charge with their superior leg speed. Their younger players impressed once again, Paddy Ryder in his second season showing that he has potential to fill a key defensive post. The highlight of the round came from this game as well, Essendon's Dustin Fletcher making his nomination for goal of the year with a massive roost from over 70-metres out that sailed through the goals.

Adelaide proved once again that they are one of the best in the competition at choking their opponents' game, cutting off the Swans' supply in their 17-point win at AAMI Stadium. The Crows controlled the tempo of the game and were happy to chip the ball around and hold up play and wait for opportunities to present themselves.

Andrew McLeod continued his great start to the season with another best-on-ground performance and All-Australian Ben Rutten played a magnificent game on Sydney co-captain Barry Hall. The Swans were uncharacteristically poor in their disposal of the football and their on-field discipline, missing many simple shots at goal and giving away too many silly free-kicks.

In the final match of round four, West Coast showed they are a class above Carlton with a 61-point win. The Eagles set a new AFL record for most team disposals in a match with 469 (compared to the Blues' 293) and had nine players who collected 25 or more individual possessions.

West Coast got the jump on the Blues at the start of the match with the first two goals before heavy rain began to fall and from there on the Blues found it difficult to score, only kicking four goals in the entire match.

AFL Round 4 Results: Western Bulldogs 20.12.132 defeated Richmond Tigers 14.16.100; Essendon Bombers 15.9.99 defeated St. Kilda Saints 9.14.68; Port Adelaide 12.12.84 defeated Collingwood Magpies 9.12.66; Kangaroos 12.15.87 defeated Brisbane Lions 8.15.63; Adelaide Crows 9.7.61 defeated Sydney Swans 5.14.44
Hawthorn Hawks 10.16.76 defeated Geelong Cats 9.18.72; Fremantle Dockers 21.11.137 defeated Melbourne 13.14.92; West Coast Eagles 14.16.100 defeated Carlton Blues 4.15.39