Grand final loss gives Port added Anzac Day motivation

IF playing football on Anzac Day wasn’t motivation enough, Port Adelaide has last year’s one-point grand final loss against Sturt also spurring them on at Unley on Wednesday with Tom Rockliff among the ins, but no Sam Powell-Pepper.

Port coach Matthew Lokan and Sturt coach Marty Mattner at the Adelaide War Memorial with Squadron Leader Peter Nelson who will toss the coin at Wednesday's Anzac Day match. Picture: Dylan Coker

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IF playing football on Anzac Day wasn’t motivation enough, Port Adelaide has last year’s one-point grand final loss against Sturt also spurring them on at Unley on Wednesday.

Matthew Lokan played on Anzac Day at the MCG twice in his 46-game career with Collingwood and is now coaching the Port Magpies in the SANFL.

“The boys will talk about it (grand final rematch) a little bit but Anzac Day is special enough and to be able to play Sturt in the grand final re-match adds that bit of motivation,” he said.

“It’s a really special day both from a nation point of view and the football club, the boys are really excited and so am I.

“We’ll touch on it pre-game and I think we’ve had over 130 people who have served our country from our football club.”

Sturt coach Martin Mattner is a regular at the Anzac Day dawn service and said his team would also speak about what it means to be playing on the occasion.

“We talk about the sacrifice that everyone has made in the past for this,” Mattner said.

“Last year we didn’t get the win but it was a good day and we still enjoy it.

“We try to treat the week as enjoying it and on game day it focuses more on being there to win.”

The Magpies will gain former Brisbane star Tom Rockliff for the clash.

Rockliff injured his calf in the Round 4 clash against Essendon at Etihad Stadium after an interrupted preseason.

The Magpies also regain Trent McKenzie and Jarrod Lienert from Power duties, but the club has opted against playing Sam Powell-Pepper in protest to the league’s findings on the midfielder’s off-field behaviour..