WITH season 2011 a fading memory, Port Adelaide players are hoping advice and inspiration found in Olympic cycling superwoman Anna Meares can propel them towards success.

As an Olympic, Commonwealth Games and World Championships gold medalist, Meares is a household name.

She is also an ambassador for the Russell Ebert-created Power Community Youth Program, which helps to promote healthy lifestyle choices to school children.

Over the past year she has spoken with Port Adelaide players twice, most recently last month, an experience Hamish Hartlett said would assist his side this season and in those to come.

"She's a remarkable woman … just so strong physically but also mentally," he said.

Hartlett said that on one occasion Meares brought in every medal she had ever won to show the playing group, starting with her first as a BMX rider.

"That was the first step in her career to get to her Olympic gold, which is basically a premiership medal for us," he said.

"She basically just said 'You've got to take each step at a time, make sure you're ticking off each step and gradually you'll get to your ultimate goal'."

Meares' Olympic story is all the more astounding given that only months before the Beijing Games, at which she won a silver medal, she suffered a broken neck in Los Angeles.

Hartlett, like Meares, has had to overcome injury in his career, although he was quick to play down any comparisons.

"Her injury, when she broke her neck, is a little more significant than my piddly little hamstring strains," he said.

"To be able to come back from a broken neck and eight or nine months later compete in an Olympic Games is quite extraordinary.

"Certainly the boys get a lot out of her chats when she comes in and says 'G'day'."

If the Power's performances so far in 2012 are anything to go by, Meares' visits are helping.

After beating Carlton in the first game of their NAB Cup campaign, they lost to the Crows by a point and then to West Coast by only five points last Saturday, despite resting many of their best players.

It's certainly a different Power outfit to that which took to the field for most of 2011, with coach Matthew Primus' demand to play a 'no excuses', competitive brand of football having an effect on the playing group.

"All the players are really happy and confident about how we're going at the moment," Hartlett said.

"The really pleasing thing about the last couple of weeks is that we're starting to see the aspects that we've been training over the last few months really come out in our play.

"We've certainly got a couple of things we need to improve on, there's no doubt about that … we've got no doubt we're going to improve over the next few weeks leading into the season."

The Power head to Victor Harbor on Saturday to face Fremantle, who stormed home to beat Richmond by 38 points last Sunday.

Harry Thring covers Port Adelaide news for Port Adelaide. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry.