Stay up to date with the latest Port Adelaide news ahead of the preliminary final
The key pieces of the puzzle have returned so it’s time to stop underestimating the Power, writes premiership captain Warren Tredrea. Here’s why they could be unstoppable.
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Only now are we seeing the real Port Adelaide.
After weeks of finding a way to win, the Power’s best form has emerged at just the right time and it’s no coincidence.
Season 2021 has been a hard slog for all at Alberton. Smashed with 15 surgeries to key players, Ken Hinkley and his coaches have been robbed of fielding their best 22 for most of the year.
But that’s now a thing of the past.
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It wasn’t so long ago players of the ilk of Zak Butters, Connor Rozee, Steven Motlop, Robbie Gray, Orazio Fantasia and Xavier Duursma were unavailable and facing weeks on the sidelines.
But instead of dropping its bundle, Port did what good teams do, the Power stayed focused and used it as an opportunity, rather than an excuse.
Players like Riley Bonner, Sam Mayes, Boyd Woodcock and Willem Drew found themselves regularly in the team and, in Bonner and Drew’s case, their form has been so good they held their spot.
As Port kept chalking up wins, players gained valuable AFL experience, all the while keeping the team in touch of the top-four.
Winning ugly was their way, and it’s hard to believe Hinkley’s side had won six straight games heading into last week’s home final against Geelong.
But as any premiership player will tell you, premiership-winning team’s seasons are littered with ugly wins.
No one remembers how you win, as long as you do – like Port did against St Kilda (13 points), Adelaide (4) and Western Bulldogs (2) in the minor round.
Over the past month, we have seen the elusive, talented, and dynamic special six of Butters, Duursma, Motlop, Gray, Fantasia and Rozee slowly return to the team.
And while their impact wasn’t immediate, in last Friday night’s 43-point qualifying final win over Geelong, the football world was quickly reminded how lethal they really are - combining for eight of Port’s first ten goals.
It’s the best I have seen Port play since marching to within a kick of the 2014 Grand Final.
We can’t underestimate how strong Port have been behind the ball with Tom Jonas leading the AFL’s third most miserly defence, nor their on-ball brigade, led by All Australian bull Ollie Wines and Travis Boak.
We also can’t ignore the most underrated return of the year by on-baller-tagger Willem Drew who has been nothing short of outstanding after failing to register a single game in 2020.
Topping it off is the hunger for the contest. One word describes last Friday’s win - brutal.
The Power attacked the contest like men possessed and when they didn’t have the ball, they used their bodies as tackling battering rams to win it back, smashing the Cats in tackles 66-49, while still dominating possession.
Some say it was one out of the box, but I disagree.
Port have been finding a way to win for the past few months while key players rested up, rehabbed, and finally returned to the team to gain vitally important match fitness.
Last Friday night it clicked, and now that’s the standard.
They now know that if they can bring the heat no-one can stand in their way.
The key pieces of the player puzzle have returned.
To the players, it’s over to you.
Trade temptation: Wines’ sliding doors moment
- Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines has revealed his “one motivation” in the Power’s quest for a premiership.
The Power have won their way through to a preliminary final for the second-year in a row after another qualifying final win over Geelong.
Wines, who has had a career-best season, says he is determined to go one better this year and get to a grand final, and a possible premiership, to reward the efforts of veteran teammates Travis Boak and Robbie Gray.
“That is probably my one motivation at the moment,” he said on SEN SA.
“Those guys and Tommy Rockliff, who has retired this year, the amount of work those guys have put in their career to not just improve themselves as individuals but the club itself, and to get the club to this point, is off their back.
“So to reward them with a premiership is what I’m chasing at the moment, and I know all the other boys are on that with me.”
A second tilt at a premiership for Wines at Port Adelaide comes after he briefly flirted with a move back to Victoria in 2019.
He agreed it was a sliding doors moment for him.
“Certainly I think throughout a footballer’s career there’s always opportunities elsewhere and they always have a think of what better opportunities there could be out there,” he said.
“I’m not too dissimilar to that, I did think about it at some stages, but I’m really proud of the decision I made to stick with this footy club that gave me my first opportunity.
“We’ve got a list that I think is a little bit underrated ... but we have a really good core so I think it will be a good rest of my career at this footy club.”
Wines was named as an All-Australian for the first time in his career last week.
The 26-year-old’s stunning 2021 could yet yield even more personal glory, with Wines now the favourite with bookmakers for the Brownlow.
“I didn’t realise, but you know what locker room banter is. The boys have let me know a few times, but I haven’t looked too much into it,” he said.
Power players are having a couple of days off after getting out of isolation following the win over the Cats on Friday night.
They will play the winner of the Brisbane vs Western Bulldogs semi-final at Adelaide Oval next Saturday.
Sign Port leaders know Fantasia’s fate
Orazio Fantasia won’t be sent in for scans on the knee he injured against Geelong, in a sign Port Adelaide is supremely confident he will play in the preliminary final.
The former Essendon livewire shone for the Power on Friday night, kicking four goals to set up a dominant win over the Cats.
But Fantasia was substituted late on in the match after he heard a “click” in the knee that he recently had surgery on.
On Monday Port general manager of football Chris Davies said it was looking good for Fantasia’s chances to play in under two weeks time.
“Raz we are confident he is going to play,” he said.
“We won’t bother with scans in the short term.
“We will rest him over the next two or three days, he had a bit of work done yesterday at the club and we expect him to be available.”
Mitch Georgiades will also be fine for the game next week, and could play in the SANFL this weekend.
The young key forward missed the Geelong match after injuring his hamstring against the Western Bulldogs.
This meant the Power went with a three tall attack, rather than the four they have deployed in numerous games this year.
Davies said the Power coaches were getting closer to having an idea of what the best side was.
“I don’t think it is getting easier (picking a side) I just think what we’ve had so far this year we’ve had a challenging year when it comes to selection because we have had players out at times so far,” he said.
“So I think we are getting closer to feeling what our best 23 is, but that will be shaped by our opponent and how our players are feeling.”
He said the four-tall attack wasn’t necessarily on the shelf if the opponent in the prelim required it.
“I think the first question that the coaches would be asking would be around the taller forward line and whether there is room for Mitch to come back into the team,” he said.
“The situation was taken out of our hands on the weekend but that’s not to say that is off the table.”
The Power have won their way into a second-straight preliminary final but are considered by many to be better placed than in 2020.
Davies said the Power had to deal with more challenges in the home and away season in 2021.
“I think we’ve had more challenges thrown at us in the minor rounds this year, which should suggest that we are better placed,” he said.
“Time will tell and this whole concept or if we are or we aren’t, I just think we are better prepared now.
“Last year we spent a lot of the year trying to win every week, but I think this year and credit to the coaches and the players they have been increasingly focused on playing the right way and doing the right thing towards the end of the year and hopefully we see the fruits of that over a period of time.”
More fans could watch Adelaide prelims
Adelaide Oval’s capacity could be lifted further for Port Adelaide’s preliminary final next week.
The Power will have home ground advantage next Saturday night as they try and win their way into the grand final.
A late increase meant there was 20,000 in the house for the Power’s big win over Geelong on Friday night, and Port general manager of football Chris Davies said the club
“I think our only say will be to suggest that we want as many as we possibly can within what SA Health think is reasonable,” he said.
“We will continue to push for that which will be as much as SA Health think is appropriate.
“Let’s hope it’s a heap.”
SA Premier Steven Marshall said an increase could be on the cards.
“We are very keen to lift the numbers at the Adelaide Oval for future games,” he said.
“But we’ve got to do it in a safe way so we will review the information from the final that was held on Friday night (Port v Geelong) and on Saturday night (Melbourne v Brisbane).
“And we will look at ways that we can increase that crowd but we are only going to do that if we can do it safely.”
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