Inside the Port Adelaide season launch and Hall of Fame night

There was no catch cry from Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley at this year’s season launch. But the club’s only AFL premiership side had a message. Go inside the Power’s Hall of Fame night.

Port Adelaide’s flag heroes have urged the present-day squad to overcome their finals disappointments and break the club’s 20-year drought.

On a night the Power’s premiership team was inducted into the club’s hall of fame and Port’s 2024 leaders avoided making bold statements, it was 2004 captain Matthew Primus and grand final star Peter Burgoyne who set the tone for the campaign ahead.

Just as the 2004 side fell short in the finals in 2001, 2002 and 2003, Ken Hinkley’s side had missed major-round opportunities in three of the past four years: 2020, 2021 and 2023.

Primus, who missed the grand final win over Brisbane because of a knee reconstruction and later coached the Power from 2010-2012, had a heartfelt message for the 2024 squad as Thursday night’s gala event wrapped up: “keep knocking on the door”.

Port Adelaide hall of fame inductees Peter Burgoyne, Kym Kretschmer, David Brown and Brendon Lade. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“They’re bloody hard to win – premierships,” said Primus, who took to the microphone a few minutes after formalities had ended.

“I know everyone’s keen to win one and wants to win one, and every year there’s a reason why you haven’t won one.

“As we showed, you’ve got to keep knocking on the door, otherwise you don’t get the opportunity to try to win a flag.

“They’ve done some great stuff with recruiting, a terrific list, a great pre-season, so I just want to wish them all the best for this year.

“Keep trying to play the Port Adelaide way, play finals and then hopefully it all comes together at the end of the year (with) the team-first attitude.

“And hopefully we can celebrate another premiership at the end of the year.”

Primus echoed similar sentiments to Burgoyne, who earlier in the night challenged the Power to play its best football when it mattered most.

Port Adelaide's 2004 AFL premiership side. Picture: Michael Sullivan/Port Adelaide FC

Peter Burgoyne, right, with brother Shaun after the 2004 grand final win. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

“We finished top I think two or three times (in the early 2000s), but at the end of the day, that doesn’t mean anything,” said Burgoyne, the father of Port Adelaide wingman Jase Burgoyne.

“The business end starts in the finals.

“That’s the big message for the team and squad now.

“You can win as many (minor round) games as you want and be top of the world, but it means nothing if you don’t win finals.”

Burgoyne was among 16 premiership players who were recognised on stage at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, along with Primus and senior coach Mark Williams.

Williams, the Power’s longest serving mentor (1999-2010), and acting 2004 captain Warren Tredrea compared the few years before the flag to what the 2024 crop was going through.

“It’s a little bit like Port now, just getting over that hurdle to get into that grand final took a lot of belief,” said Williams, now head of development at Melbourne.

Tredrea, who was elected to the Power’s board last week, added: “We were very, very close, probably similar to the squad now – close but hadn’t quite got there”.

Mark Williams with the Premiership Cup.

“We lost Matty early in the year and Josh Francou – two superstar players – but the resolve of the group was to dust ourselves off and keep going,” the Power’s all-time leading goalkicker said.

Over the past few pre-seasons, Hinkley made catch cries from “look out, we’re coming” to “we’re ready to win” to “we’re still here”, but his address on Thursday night was very measured.

So too was chairman David Koch’s speech.

For now at least, the Power looks to be more focused on letting its results do the talking – and it has the 2004 squad right behind them.

Originally published as Inside the Port Adelaide season launch and Hall of Fame night