Port Adelaide wants vengeance for last year’s elimination final pain against West Coast

Port Adelaide Dan Houston believes the Power needs to use the pain of five defeats in the past six occasions to the West Coast as motivation to rise back up in the premiership race.

Dan Houston with backline teammates Jasper Pittard and Dan Houston at Alberton Oval. Picture SARAH REED

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Smarting from a controversial Showdown loss and its extra-time 2017 elimination final failure, Port Adelaide has West Coast in the gun on Saturday.

Port defender Dan Houston, who as at “ground zero” for Josh Jenkins’ controversial Showdown goal and watched Luke Shuey kick the elimination final winner at Adelaide Oval last September, wants to turn the tables.

Port let a top four slot slip with a three-point Showdown loss decided by a Jenkins’ goal that everybody guessing.

“It obviously hurt a lot going from fourth to seventh but in saying that being a tight competition we can go up the ladder if we play our next games really strongly,” Houston said.

“Watching it back, it would have been good to have a clear decision. I think with the goal review it would be good to have the goal technology at every ground and have a clear view of it.

“Adelaide did beat us in the midfield, contested key areas, inside 50s and deserved to win the game.

Houston’s only final’s game came against the Eagles, when Shuey’s after-the-siren goal sealed a two-point win last September.

Houston said white-washing history is pointless for Port and Ken Hinkley’s unit must delve back onto the lessons and pain of five defeats in six previous starts against Adam Simpson’s Eagles.

“Being the only finals game I have played, it was high pressure and we will reference off that but once we are out there we will be looking to win and play our sort of footy,” said Houston, citing a -40, -12 and -7 differential in contested possession, stoppages and inside 50s in Port’s round 7 loss at OPTUS Stadium.

“The last couple of times they have beaten us in key areas, contested ball and inside 50s.”

Port Adelaide won’t get a better chance to take down an Eagles side without superstar trio Andrew Gaff, Nick Naitanui and Josh Kennedy.

“There is no better opportunity this time of year than to play a strong side like West Coast, really prove ourselves and set ourselves up for later on in the year,” said Houston.

“If you look at other teams that have played them well, beat them, they have stop their uncontested marks and kicking game and in offence really run at them and take it through the corridor.”

Houston cites GWS’s Toby Greene and Crow Eddie Betts as his toughest opponents in a 36-game journey but notes any side with Jack Darling (38 goals), Mark LeCras (27) and Jamie Cripps (26) remains a challenge for Port’s young defence.

“We can all play tall and small, help each other out so I think that will be the best way to combat their really good forward line,” said Houston, who has played every game this season and improved his intercept marking.

Port can still acquire a top-four berth with games against the Eagles, Collingwood and fading Essendon to close the home-and-away season. Losing to the Eagles could eject Port from the top eight but Houston backed the quality of Port’s 2018 list to prevail.

“Showdown was the closest pressure we had to a finals game and will only get harder from here,” said Houston.

“I think from last year to this year we have a few more experienced heads that have come to the club and want to play finals.

“We are really driven with success and winning, have high standards.”