YOU'LL never walk alone at Port Adelaide.

Orazio Fantasia on Saturday becomes the 11th player to shed the sash of the Essendon Football Club to represent Port Adelaide in the AFL.

And the opportunist half-forward can walk into the colosseum of Adelaide Oval knowing he is like an ancient Roman citizen - not to be touched without consequence from a legion of fans and 21 men marching by his side.

Port Adelaide ruckman Scott Lycett - who was given the silent treatment by his West Coast premiership team-mates when he became their opponent two years ago - already has assured Fantasia he will not stand alone on Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon.

"If Orazio needs me to be there, I will," said Lycett. "I told him at training (on Thursday) I've got your back. So, if they come at him, see what happens."

Lycett broached the issue of facing former team-mates during last weekend's season-opening trip to Melbourne.

"I compared it to my own experiences a couple of years ago against West Coast (in Perth)," said Lycett. "I said to Orazio, 'You're probably lucky you are playing at home at least'.

"I said, 'If you need me, just yell out. And if I see something, I've got your back'. I'm sure everyone will say the same thing."

You never walk alone ...

Fantasia joins inaugural Port Adelaide AFL captain Gavin Wanganeen, 1997 club champion Adam Kingsley, Che Cockatoo-Collins, Patrick Ryder, Angus Monfries, Damien Hardwick, Scott Cummings, Jay Nash, James Ezard and Robert Forster-Knight in casting aside their Essendon backgrounds to seek glory with Port Adelaide, two decades after Geof Blethyn laid the path at Alberton to be an SANFL premiership hero in black-and-white.

But with Essendon turned into one of the punching bags of the week - after its one-point loss to Hawthorn in Round 1 - it will be more than Fantasia facing some heat on Adelaide Oval from 4.05pm Saturday.

Port Adelaide also has to deal with correcting its poor start against North Melbourne, so there is a full agenda for this Round 2 clash.

Both Port Adelaide and Essendon had stunning eight-goal second terms in their season openers - Port Adelaide blitzing North Melbourne to set up the 52-point win; Essendon firing to lead by 39 points at half-time before conceding eight goals to Hawthorn in the third term and losing by one point.

"The speed of the game is clear; teams are playing the new rules harder than they need to at times - they are enjoying the freedom to attack," Hinkley said. "We know we can cause some problems with our offence. But you have to get your balance right - good balance in defence, good balance at the contest and our offence will then take over. 

"We are a complete team - not a part team.

"And the team we are playing have as many wheels as anyone when it comes to speed."

Putting the brakes on opposition momentum is now tougher for the coaches to engineer, particularly with interchange rotations cut from 90 to 75 and limited use of team runners.

"It's the players' challenge; they are out on the grass," Hinkley said. "As coaches, we guide. Gameday, we have most of our stuff done. Hopefully, the team is well well armed from what we have done Monday to Friday to execute when they get out there.

"When a run comes against you, the players know what they are trying to do and what they are trying to achieve. Clearly, they have the bigger say whether they can stop (opposition momentum)."

Port Adelaide will adjust its match-winning 22 while covering the loss of wingman Riley Bonner (hamstring) with the recall of vice-captain Hamish Hartlett.

Defence coach Brett Montgomery forecasts Dan Houston and last weekend's debutant Miles Bergman to move from the back 50 to the midfield, building on the theme of Port Adelaide players being known for multiple roles.

"For the coaching group," says Montgomery, "this gives us more flexibility with the magnets (on the team whiteboard) when things are not going to plan."

"For me that (Never Tear Us Apart anthem) is going to be huge. It is pretty daunting being on the opposition (hearing the anthem from the fans 60 seconds before the first bounce); so now being on this side will give some energy to me. Hearing that from an opposition was loud and you are up against it straight away."

Orazio Fantasia on the power of Port Adelaide's pre-game anthem 

BIRD SEED

(the little stuff that matters most)

Where: Adelaide Oval

When: Saturday, March 27, 2021

Time: 4.05pm (SA time)

Last time: Port Adelaide 11.13 (79) d Essendon 4.5 (29) at Adelaide Oval, round 17, September 12, 2020.

Overall: Port Adelaide 18, Essendon 14

Past five games (most recent first): W W L L L 

Scoring average: Port Adelaide 99, Essendon 90

Tightest margin - Port Adelaide by three points (109-106) at the Docklands, round 7, May 8, 2010; Essendon by two points (62-60) at Adelaide Oval, round 16, July 5, 2014.

Biggest margin - Port Adelaide by 96 points (158-62) at Football Park, round 1, March 28, 2004; Essendon by 94 points (156-62) at the Docklands, round 1,  March 9, 2000.

By venues - Adelaide Oval (2-2), Football Park (8-3), MCG (1-1), Docklands (7-8). 

By States - SA (9-5), Victoria (8-9).

SELECTION TABLE

PORT ADELAIDE

HAMISH Hartlett returns, joining the Port Adelaide defensive mix, to cover the loss of wingman Riley Bonner (hamstring). There will need to be a shuffle on the selection whiteboard, further highlighting why Port Adelaide's players were challenged to be more flexible during the off-season.

"We will mix and match," Hinkley said. "We talked a lot over the pre-season about having players in multiple roles. We are really comfortable we can put a number of people in different positions and they can be successful in those roles. That is a good thing about having flexibility in your team."

ESSENDON

NO change. "For the most part," said coach Ben Rutten, "we were pretty pleased with the way we performed (against Hawthorn)."

PORT ADELAIDE has continued its unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable win over Essendon in a twilight encounter at Adelaide Oval.

Port kicked the opening five goals of the game and were never headed by an injury-depleted Bombers outfit, running out 18.11 (119) to 9.11 (65) winners.

Much of the attention leading into the game was on Port forward Orazio Fantasia, coming up against his former side for the first time.

Perhaps the Bombers’ attention should have been on him in the opening stages because he grabbed the ball out of the middle and booted long inside 50 for Charlie Dixon to grab it over the back for the easiest of goals inside the first minute of play.

It was all Port Adelaide for the opening 17 minutes with the home side booting the first five goals, buoyed by very vocal home crowd enjoying being back at Adelaide Oval for the first time in 2021.

Mitch Georgiades, in for his first game of the season to replace Todd Marshall, who was a late withdrawal with a back injury, took his opportunity booting two first-quarter goals while ruckman Peter Ladhams’ roved snapped effort had Port leading by 31 points and the Dons looking shellshocked.

Cale Hooker pulled one back for the visitors who started to control the play, but a second goal to Dixon late after a pinpoint pass onto his chest at full flight by Dan Houston saw Port take a 27-point lead into the first break.

Trailing away from home and without captain Dyson Heppell, who was himself a late out with a back injury, Essendon needed to find a spark.

But, again Port came out strong and kicked five of the first six goals to open up a 49-point lead at one point off the back of having dominance of the clearances (22-11) and inside 50s (32-20) to half time.

Karl Amon slotted the first major on the run just inside 50, before Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti responded for the Bombers with a snap from the pocket at full speed.

From there Port enjoyed its period of dominance with Dixon slotting his third of the afternoon, Ladhams adding a second and Steven Motlop booting two – his second capping a brilliant piece of end-to-end play that finished with Travis Boak hitting him on the chest on the lead.

Zak Butters was everywhere, having 18 disposals to half time along with four clearances, three tackles, four score involvements and a goal.

Hooker and Kyle Langford got two back for Essendon but still the home side held a 41-point advantage at the main change.

There was no let up after the break with Georgiades booting his third after marking 40 metres out after a neat build up involving Aliir Aliir and Fantasia.

The former Bomber then had his moment, catching ex-teammate Andrew McGrath holding the ball inside 50 and nailing the resulting set shot, with his new teammates running to him to celebrate as if it was the first goal of his career.

The Bombers struck back with consecutive goals to Hooker and McDonald-Tipungwuti, both running into open goals, but with Jye Caldwell going off injured and substitute Tom Cutler coming on, Dixon and Georgiades each kicked their fourth goals to extend the lead to 56 points as the teams changed ends for the last time.

The Bombers’ injury toll was mounting with Sam Draper (ankle) and Dylan Shiel (knee) joining Caldwell on the sidelines with an ankle injury but it didn’t seem to bother the visitors who had two early goals through former Port player Will Snelling and youngster Nik Cox inside the opening three minutes.

Houston responded with a bullet goal from 45 metres off one step but McDonald-Tipungwuti had his third soon after as the Bombers showed spirit.

A one-handed mark inside 50 by a busy Scott Lycett allowed the big ruckman to go back and snap a neat goal around his body and stop the rot for the home side.

The game got scrappy late with the sting out of the contest and it allowed Fantasia to boot his second after some good forward pressure by Motlop and Travis Boak.

With Butters ticking over 30 possessions for the first time in his career and Ollie Wines passing 30 as well, Port coasted to the final siren

SCOREBOARD

PORT ADELAIDE            6.1      11.6        15.10     18.11   (119)             

ESSENDON                   1.4      4.7            6.8        9.11  (65)              

Goals

Dixon, Georgiades 4, Ladhams, Motlop, Fantasia 2, Butters, Amon, Lycett

Best

Butters, Wines, Lycett, Houston, Dixon, Boak, Drew, Georgiades