PORT ADELAIDE coach Matthew Lokan praised his players’ fight during the side’s 13-point victory over South Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers led early in the final term before the Magpies snatched the lead back to keep their faint finals hopes alive.
“It's something we've been working on for the last five weeks,” Lokan said.
“We've been inconsistent in our games and although we were a little bit inconsistent against South, I thought our fight and aggression in the contest was the best it's been all year.
“It was the difference in the game. The way our boys hunted South, especially at the start of the game, was how we wanted to start.”
Jake Weidemann popped up at a crucial time with three clutch goals deep in the final quarter to turn the game.
The reliable 2021 recruit initially started in a defensive forward role but turned the tables late to help his side steal victory.
“That was obviously the plan we went into the game with Joe Haines, he's been in South's best couple for the whole year and he's an outstanding player for them off half back,” Lokan said.
“To be able to have him nullified by Weidemann, it was a really important role for us.
“He popped up and kicked those crucial goals in the last quarter, which was obviously important to us.”
Weidemann’s three-goal performance was one of his best for the season and Lokan was full of praise for him.
“I think he's one of those guys who probably does make the easy things look hard and makes the hard things look easy,” he said.
“To be able to string a full season together is fantastic for his development and you could say the same about Ethan Moore, who hadn't played a league game before this year.
“Dylan Aldridge was super for us today and Ollie Cheesman was important for us as well from Unley Jets.”
Port Adelaide take on Glenelg in a fortnight due to the SANFL split round as it looks to keep an unlikely hope of making finals alive.
“I feel like where we're starting to build some things, but we haven't been consistent enough,” Lokan said.
“It probably looks like we'll miss the finals, but can certainly still get some growth out of the last couple of games and we’re looking forward to having a go at Glenelg in the last round.”
