Scott Lycett, Sam Gray back Port resurgence against Hawthorn and Payneham Norwood Union
Two former Power stars have backed their old team to respond against Hawthorn on Friday as their Port District side also prepares for a highly anticipated win or go home final.
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Two former Port Adelaide players have backed their old teammates to respond in style against Hawthorn this week as they also prepare for a do or die final for Port District in the Adelaide Footy League.
Port District stars Scott Lycett and Sam Gray, who played junior football and a combined 167 AFL games for Port Adelaide, believed their old club could overcome the pressure which has mounted after its 84-point home qualifying final loss to Geelong and book a preliminary final spot with a win over the Hawks on Friday.
Both players have been busy preparing for Port District’s Saturday div one prelim final clash with an in-form Payneham Norwood Union at Campbelltown Memorial Oval but said they would be keeping a close eye on the Power the night before.
“We’re still close to a few of the guys and keep tabs all the time,” Lycett said.
“I definitely expect them to bounce back - it would be great to see them go all the way and experience a premiership.
“I really enjoyed my time with the club and they have a great bunch of guys,” Gray added.
“I’d love to see them take it out this year and I think they can.
“You don’t finish second on the ladder for no reason so hopefully they can turn things around on Friday night.”
Gray, a premiership player with Port District in 2022, has now been out of the AFL system for three years, while Lycett joined close mates Gray and Matt Rose at Ditters for season 2024 after retiring from the AFL last year.
Both players have been dominant for their local club but find themselves in a similar situation to the Power after a 74-point second semi final loss to top side Glenunga last weekend.
Lycett, who joined the club to “enjoy playing footy with mates and take some of the pressure off”, said there was still pressure to perform in finals but that it was not comparable to the AFL level.
“The club has been great for me,” he said.
“We still want to win and we prepare the best we can every week but you can still have a beer after each game and not have to worry – it’s just easier to relax overall.
“You’re not under pressure to perform in front of crowds of 50 or 60,000 every week and you’re not getting messages on social media telling you how bad you’ve played.”
Gray has also enjoyed his time at the local level, relishing the opportunity to develop the Ditters youth.
“The club is like a country footy club, everyone is really welcoming and it’s a great family club too,” he said.
“It’s more about enjoying my footy now and helping to develop some of the younger players coming through.”
Much like the Power, Port District produced a strong 2024 season to earna double chance in finals but will need to recover from a disappointing week if it wants to survive and make the big dance.
Both Lycett and Gray were confident their side could get back to top form against PNU.
“They (Payneham Norwood Union) are a good side and if we play like we did last week we’re going to struggle,” Lycett said.
“We’re not looking ahead of this week yet, we know we can play a lot better and we’re confident.
“We’ve really enjoyed this year and we’ve now got all three grades through to the prelim so it’s an exciting time for the club,” Gray added.
“We’re heading in the right direction and it would be a great feeling if we were to win.”
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