PORT ADELAIDE'S senior team is preparing for yet another grand final decider this weekend. 

It what will be the club's 62nd official appearance in an end-of-season decider, the Magpies will face the Double Blues for a chance at premiership glory.

Port Adelaide has a long history in grand finals, having played in the very first way back in 1889 against Norwood. 

Back then, Port was nicknamed the 'Magentas' and wore blue and magenta striped jackets.

In the early days of South Australian football, it was customary for the team that finished top of the ladder to be awarded the premiership, but when Port and Norwood tied that year, a one-off decider was played.

Unfortunately, Norwood took the title, winning the decider 7 goals to 5.

Port next battled South in the 1898 final. Again falling short, this time by 24 points, and in 1901 against Norwood by four.

In fact for a club that has a storied reputation of success, Port Adelaide lost its first three deciders.

First success

Port Adelaide tasted grand final success - and its fourth premiership overall - in 1903.

There, after losing the first 'final' to South, the Magpies as minor premiers were entitled to a 'challenge' match, which they won by seven points. 

Disappointment came again in 1904 and 1907 against Norwood, 1905 against North, and 1909 against West.

Only one other premiership for the decade - in 1906 - would grace the halls at Alberton.

It was only at the turn of the decade that Port really began to build its reputation as a finals performer.

Pre-War Warriors

Building a team of stars, Port finished in the top two throughout the next decade.

Premiers in 1910, and narrow losers in 1911 and 1912, the Magpies then took victory in 1913 and 1914 - the latter being its famous undefeated season.

A two-goal loss to Sturt in the 1915 decider before the war, Port then worked to establish the wartime 'Patriotic League' with the competition's other clubs.

There it won the 1916 and 1917 Patriotic flags, although these are not counted in official SANFL records.

The 1914 premiers [pic: PAFC]

The pre-Williams period

The Magpies didn't appear in a post-war grand final until 1921 (its ninth premiership) and would claim its tenth flag in 1928 - both against Norwood. 

But overall, the period between wars wasn't fruitful for Ports, with losses in 1929, 1930, 1934 and 1935.

The arrival and leadership of Bob Quinn helped reverse that premiership dry patch, with flags in 1936, 1937 and 1939 (with a loss in 1938).

Combining with West Torrens for the World War, the merged Magpies beat West-Glenelg for the 1942 flag. 

The Magpies lost 1945 and 1946 grand finals, and were in the wilderness for several years, right up until 1950...

 

Foster's Mighty Magpies

The arrival of Fos Williams brought with it plenty of premiership opportunity.

In just his second year as captain-coach, Williams led the Maggies to premiership glory in 1951.  It was Port's 14th premiership, leaving it still eight flags behind then-leaders Norwood (on 22).

The Maggies lost in 1953, but Williams would establish the order that led the club to a string of pennants - a national record of six-in-a-row - from 1954 to 1959 (the final flag under the stewardship of Geof Motley).

Williams had left at the end of the 1958 season, and apart from the '59 flag under Mots, Port dipped out of grand final contention.

Fos was ushered back to Alberton in 1962, and with him game three more flags in four seasons.

By the time the Magpies won in 1965, they had taken the lead in the premiership ledger by one over Norwood.

The last premiership side coached by Fos Williams [pic: PAFC]

Changing of the guard

But thus began Port's longest drought of premiership success.

Sturt - the Magpies' rival this weekend - won it all from 1966 to 1970 - including three against Port.

The Maggies returned to the grand final in 1971 and 1972, and after missing out in 1973, the club made change. 

The master Fos Williams was replaced by his apprentice - John Cahill. 

Cahill began reconstructing the Magpies, and they were back in the big dance by 1976. 

That grand final saw Sturt prevail in the highest match attendance at any game of South Australian football.

After that heartbreak, Cahill led the Maggies to four premierships in 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1981, before leaving for Collingwood in 1982. 

Port played in one more grand final - a loss to Norwood in 1984 - under the stewardship of Russell Ebert. 

The Silver Age

When Cahill returned to Alberton in 1988, the Magpies enjoyed a new era of premiership success.

Under Cahill, the Magpies played and won the 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1995 premierships.

Stepping down to lead Port's AFL program midway through 1996, his protege Stephen Williams took over to lead the Magpies to three flags from four grand finals in 1996, 1998 and 1999 (with a loss to Norwood in 1997).

Since then, Port has only once appeared in the grand final - a crushing defeat to the Redlegs in 2014. 

This will be Port's 62nd official appearance in a grand final. 

Port Adelaide celebrates the 1994 flag

Port Adelaide's grand finals

1. 1889: Norwood 7 goals def Port Adelaide 5 goals at Adelaide Oval
2. 1898: South Adelaide 8.8 (56) def Port Adelaide 4.8 (32) at Adelaide Oval
3. 1901: Norwood 4.9 (33) def Port Adelaide 4.5 (29) at Adelaide Oval
4. 1903: Port Adelaide 6.6 (42) def South Adelaide 5.5 (35) at Adelaide Oval
5. 1904: Norwood 9.8 (62) def Port Adelaide 8.10 (58) at Jubilee Oval
6. 1905: North Adelaide 6.8 (44) def Port Adelaide 1.6 (12) at Adelaide Oval
7. 1906: Port Adelaide 8.12 (60) def North Adelaide 5.9 (39) at Adelaide Oval
8. 1907: Norwood 8.7 (55) def Port Adelaide 3.9 (27) at Adelaide Oval
9. 1909: West Adelaide 7.17 (59) def Port Adelaide 6.5 (41) at Adelaide Oval
10. 1910: Port Adelaide 6.13 (49) def Sturt 6.9 (45) at Adelaide Oval
11. 1911: West Adelaide 7.9 (51) def Port Adelaide 6.10 (46) at Adelaide Oval
12. 1912: West Adelaide 5.2 (32) def Port Adelaide 9.9 (63) at Adelaide Oval
13. 1913: Port Adelaide 7.12 (54) def North Adelaide 5.10 (40) at Adelaide Oval
14. 1914: Port Adelaide 13.15 (93) def North Adelaide 1.8 (14) at Adelaide Oval
15. 1915: Sturt 6.10 (46) def Port Adelaide 4.10 (34) at Adelaide Oval
16. 1921: Port Adelaide 4.8 (32) def Norwood 3.6 (24) at Adelaide Oval
17. 1928: Port Adelaide 15.14 (104) def Norwood 7.14 (56) at Adelaide Oval
18. 1929: Norwood 16.14 (110) def Port Adelaide 10.9 (69) at Adelaide Oval
19. 1930: North Adelaide 9.13 (67) def Port Adelaide 9.9 (63) at Adelaide Oval
20. 1934: Glenelg 18.15 (123) def Glenelg 16.18 (114) at Adelaide Oval
21. 1935: South Adelaide 15.9 (99) def Port Adelaide 13.13 (91) at Adelaide Oval
22. 1936: Port Adelaide 13.19 (97) def Sturt 14.10 (94) at Adelaide Oval
23. 1937: Port Adelaide 13.16 (94) def South Adelaide 9.16 (70) at Adelaide Oval
24. 1938: South Adelaide 23.14 (152) def Port Adelaide 15.16 (106) at Adelaide Oval
25. 1939: Port Adelaide 16.28 (124) def West Torrens 11.11 (77) at Adelaide Oval
26. 1945: West Torrens 15.25 (115) def Port Adelaide 15.12 (102) at Adelaide Oval
27. 1946: Norwood 13.14 (92) def Port Adelaide 9.10 (64) at Adelaide Oval
28. 1951: Port Adelaide 10.12 (72) def North Adelaide 8.13 (61) at Adelaide Oval
29. 1953: West Torrens 9.13 (67) def Port Adelaide 8.12 (60) at Adelaide Oval
30. 1954: Port Adelaide 11.13 (79) def West Adelaide 10.16 (76) at Adelaide Oval
31. 1955: Port Adelaide 15.11 (101) def Norwood 5.8 (38) at Adelaide Oval
32. 1956: Port Adelaide 12.9 (81) def West Adelaide 9.11 (65) at Adelaide Oval
33. 1957: Port Adelaide 15.15 (105) def Norwood 13.16 (94) at Adelaide Oval
34. 1958: Port Adelaide 14.10 (94) def West Adelaide 14.8 (92) at Adelaide Oval
35. 1959: Port Adelaide 13.9 (87) def West Adelaide 11.11 (77) at Adelaide Oval
36. 1962: Port Adelaide 8.10 (58) def West Adelaide 7.13 (55) at Adelaide Oval
37. 1963: Port Adelaide 11.14 (80) def North Adelaide 6.11 (47) at Adelaide Oval
38. 1964: South Adelaide 9.15 (69) def Port Adelaide 5.12 (42) at Adelaide Oval
39. 1965: Port Adelaide 12.8 (80) def Sturt 12.5 (77) at Adelaide Oval
40. 1966: Sturt 16.16 (112) def Port Adelaide 8.8 (56) at Adelaide Oval
41. 1967: Sturt 13.10 (88) def Port Adelaide 10.17 (77) at Adelaide Oval
42. 1971: North Adelaide 10.19 (79) def Port Adelaide 9.5 (59) at Adelaide Oval
43. 1972: North Adelaide 19.14 (128) def Port Adelaide 10.12 (72) at Adelaide Oval
44. 1976: Sturt 17.14 (116) def Port Adelaide 10.15 (75) at Football Park
46. 1977: Port Adelaide 17.11 (113) def Glenelg 16.9 (105) at Football Park
47. 1979: Port Adelaide 9.9 (63) def South Adelaide 3.14 (32) at Football Park
48. 1980: Port Adelaide 11.15 (81) def Norwood 9.9 (63) at Football Park
49. 1981: Port Adelaide 14.11 (95) def Glenelg 6.8 (44) at Football Park
50. 1984: Norwood 15.10 (100) def Norwood 13.13 (91) at Football Park
51. 1988: Port Adelaide 12.12 (84) def Glenelg 8.7 (55) at Football Park
52. 1989: Port Adelaide 15.18 (108) def North Adeladie 1.8 (14) at Football Park 
53. 1990: Port Adelaide 16.12 (108) def Glenelg 13.15 (93) at Football Park
54. 1992: Port Adelaide 17.3 (105) def Glenelg 7.7 (49) at Football Park
55. 1994: Port Adelaide 15.16 (106) def Woodville-West Torrens 10.9 (69) at Football Park
56. 1995: Port Adelaide 13.16 (94) def Central District 6.10 (46) at Football Park
57. 1996: Port Adelaide 11.14 (80) def Central District 6.8 (44) at Football Park
58. 1997: Norwood 19.12 (126) def Port Adelaide 7.11 (53) at Football Park
59. 1998: Port Adelaide 11.9 (75) def Sturt 9.12 (66) at Football Park
60. 1999: Port Adelaide 14.17 (101) def Norwood 14.9 (93) at Football Park
61. 2014: Norwood 11.12 (78) def Port Adelaide 12.10 (82) at Adelaide Oval

Patriotic Football League (World War I)

1916: Port Adelaide 7.11 (53) def West Torrens 1.13 (19) at Hindmarsh Oval
1917: Port Adelaide 10.12 (72) def West Torrens 8.8 (56) at Alberton Oval
1918: West Adelaide 13.16 (94) def Port Adelaide 10.12 (72) at Jubilee Oval

SANFL Combined Teams (World War II)

1942: Port-Torrens 18.12 (120) def West-Glenelg 16.13 (109) at Adelaide Oval
1943. Norwood-North 12.10 (82) def Port-Torrens 8.13 (61) at Adelaide Oval
1944. Norwood-North 9.7 (61) def Port-Torrens 7.13 (55) at Adelaide Oval

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