For weeks, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has talked about his side working its way back into form. The sort of football the club played at the start of the year wasn't too far away, he insisted. On Friday night, the Power relocated their mojo. Right from the outset, the home side set out to thrash Carlton. And the percentage gained from the result – the Power improved their percentage by 5.9 to 132.4 with the runaway win – might prove crucial in next week's meeting with Fremantle in Perth, which could determine which side finishes fourth and earns a double-chance.
2. Stuck in the middle
Having pushed Geelong to the brink last Friday, Carlton was expected to prove a genuine challenge for the Power on Friday night. The likes of Chris Judd, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs, Ed Curnow and Andrew Carrazzo had all been in top form in the lead up to the game, but when it was there to be won, only Gibbs stood up. Murphy's night was over early in an unfortunate incident, but all in all it was a terribly disappointing night for Carlton's mids.
3. Port packs them in
The value of football returning to Adelaide's CBD has been demonstrated time and time again this season. Both the Crows and Power have attracted massive crowds to the redeveloped Adelaide Oval in 2014, but it's the Power who have proven the most attractive. Friday night's crowd of 52,505 was the highest recorded in South Australia during the AFL era, beating the 52,233 that saw Port host Hawthorn in round 10. The latest record took Port's total home crowd figure this season to 488,006 – 93,891 more than its previous best set in its inaugural AFL year, 1997.
4. Over and out for skipper
Carlton's disastrous night took a turn for the worse in the second term when Murphy was knocked out in a marking contest. The Blues' captain dived forward for a low mark on centre wing as Power defender Cam O'Shea came in from the side to affect a spoil. Murphy took the courageous grab, but the force of O'Shea slamming into his side threw his head into the turf, knocking him out instantly. He was stretchered off and took no further part in the game.
5. 100 years on
Friday night saw Carlton and Port Adelaide return to Adelaide Oval, 100 years after Port defeated the Blues in 1914 to claim a second successive Champions of Australia title. That season's Magpies side was arguably the most successful of any top-flight team in the game's history; it won every game of the regular season then went on to beat North Adelaide by 79 points in the SAFL grand final. But club CEO Keith Thomas described the club's next triumph that year, that win over the Blues at Adelaide Oval, as one of its "finest achievements".
