‘We don’t want that feeling again’: The AFL heartbreak motivating Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide ruckman Scott Lycett says his side is hoping to prove the doubters wrong by improving on last year’s finals campaign.

The Power finished the 2020 regular season as minor premiers but did not make it to the grand final. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Port Adelaide ruckman Scott Lycett says the memories of last year’s preliminary final heartbreak will motivate his side this time around.

Like this year’s team, the Power of 2020 defeated Geelong in the first week of the play-offs, only to be eliminated in the prelim by eventual premiers Richmond.

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Lycett says he hopes the lessons learned from that painful loss can help the Power flip the script in next week’s grand final qualifier.

“Everyone understands the pressure and the importance of a prelim final and what it means to the club and the fans. We’re looking to go out there and deliver,” he told reporters on Friday.

“I feel like that resilience has grown from that loss. We don’t want that feeling again.

“We’ve put ourselves in the best position to get there again and hopefully can prove some doubters wrong.”

Port Adelaide is hoping to win its first grand final since 2004. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Last Friday’s win earned the Power a weekend off to prepare for the preliminary final, where they will meet either the Western Bulldogs or the Brisbane Lions.

Lycett said he did not have a preference as to who Port Adelaide plays next week, but only hoped his side’s prospective rivals “belt the crap out of each other” ahead of the preliminary final.

Port Adelaide is 2-1 in its clashes with Brisbane and the Bulldogs this season but Lycett appeared not to be fazed by prior results.

“If finals are anything to go by, anyone can make it (to the grand final),” he said.

“I’m expecting anything can happen.”

Lycett knows the bumpy road to the grand final better than most – he is the only member of the side that defeated Geelong last week to have already tasted grand final glory.

Lycett was part of the Eagles side that defeated Collingwood in the 2018 decider. (Photo by Michael Dodge/AFL Media/Getty Images)

While he said it was difficult to compare the current season with previous years, he did note one major point of difference between Port Adelaide’s current campaign and that of his 2018 premiership-winning Eagles.

“It’s always different, every group you’re a part of, every year it changes,” he said.

“In terms of 2018 to this year, probably everyone at West Coast was married and had kids. Probably only a handful of guys at Port are in that boat. (It’s) a lot younger group.

“In saying that, it’s a lot more vibrant, a lot more energy within the young guys, driving the older guys.

“It’s different, but finals are always a special feeling.”

Originally published as ‘We don’t want that feeling again’: The AFL heartbreak motivating Port Adelaide