Essendon’s dream of meeting Collingwood in the Preliminary final came crashing down tonight when Port Adelaide ran the Bombers ragged at AAMI Stadium. After a lapse against Sydney, Port was back to its brilliant best and defeated the Bombers by 39-points. Essendon persisted all match but was outclassed by a switched on and aggressive Port Adelaide outfit. Warren Tredrea had no sign of the flu that kept him bedridden all week. He was unstoppable and finished with three goals. Scott Lucas was Essendon’s best performer and worked tirelessly all night.