KANE FARRELL woke up Saturday morning and all he could think about was that afternoon’s clash with West Coast being over.
It wasn’t that the young wingman didn’t care about the game – he obviously wanted to play a role in Port Adelaide’s first win of the season – but he knew that when the game finished it meant he would have successfully made it through his first AFL game in 294 days.
Farrell tore the ACL in his right knee after a sickening hyperextension in a tackle against Hawthorn last year - an injury which usually means a year out of the game.
However, just as he has meticulously fine-tuned his left leg to kick a football, Farrell fastidiously worked at his rehab with such precision that he cut that absence from 12 months to nine.
After two games at SANFL level, the second as stand-in captain, the 23-year-old got the tap on the shoulder at training.
“It was good to first get told I was in the team,” Farrell told portadelaidefc.com after the 84-point win over West Coast.
“Then to run out there, I got a few goose bumps again.
“I didn’t care if I played good or bad. I just wanted to get through and tick that box.”
And tick that box he did.
Farrell slotted back into his newfound role as a skilful, line-breaking winger, gathering 17 disposals, launching six inside 50s and kicking one miraculous goal on a night that Port Adelaide sought to both honour its strong links to the defence forces and record a breakthrough win for 2022.
“It felt really good to get back out there, but also get the win on a special night too in Anzac Round,” Farrell said. “We really like to play well in those games.”
“I think we showed the potential we have for the rest of the year so it was good to get the win.”
Port started slowly, kicking just one goal in the first quarter, before the flood gates opened and seven-goal quarters in the both second and last terms kept the attendant in Adelaide Oval’s iconic scoreboard busy.
Tall forwards Todd Marshall and Jeremy Finlayson did most of the damage, each slotting five goals, while young midfielder/forward Connor Rozee continued his strong turn of form and was awarded the Peter Badcoe VC Medal as the player who best demonstrated the Anzac spirit.
Despite not being able to convert it into reward on scoreboard, Farrell said his side was pleased with its forward pressure early and could tell it was just a matter of time before their knocking broke the door down.
“From the second quarter onwards, we got rewarded for our effort,” he said. “It showed we can score quickly, which was good to see.”
“It’s always exciting when the ball is in the air and you know (our talls are) on because you know they’re going to clunk everything or if it hits the ground they’re going to be dangerous.
“(Connor Rozee’s) got that x-factor inside for us.
“He gets the ball going our way with his quick foot movement, it’s good to see him get reward for effort.”
As impressive as Port’s talls were, and as exciting as Rozee’s performance was, the moment that will stand out for most supporters at the ground was Farrell’s ridiculous goal from the north-western pocket.
Farrell gathered a ricochet deep against the boundary and promptly slammed it onto his boot from an angle he had no right converting from.
It was the exclamation point on a purple patch for the Power in the second term, but as much as it wowed the crowd, it was business as usual for Farrell.
“I just saw the goal and had a bit of time and space,” he explained.
“I back my kicking and thought ‘I might as well have a shot’.”
Thankfully, Port supporters won’t be waiting another 294 days for the next one this time.
