PORT ADELAIDE has twice come from behind to register a heart-stopping two-point win over the Swans in Sydney on Saturday night.

Down both McCartin brothers to concussion, Sydney had a chance to snatch a win when Oliver Florent marked inside 50 with less than 30 seconds remaining.

His shot after the final siren was stopped a metre before the goal line by former Swan Aliir Aliir causing mass confusion as both sides celebrated, before Florent and his teammates realised the kick was short.

After arriving in the harbour city under pressure following last week’s Showdown loss, Ken Hinkley and his men will return to South Australia with a new lease on life after enjoying a brave victory, 9.12 (66) to 9.10 (64), over a side that had won its past nine games at the SCG. 

The Power snatched the lead when Jeremy Finlayson kicked the third of his three goals with 90 seconds left on the clock after taking a juggling mark. 

Florent then had his chance to be a hero, in the same spot Lance Franklin kicked his 1000th goal just over 12 months ago, but his kick – the final of his 33 touches – was swatted away by Aliir who smothered Lance Franklin on a night to remember for the All-Australian defender against his former side. 

While Port Adelaide recovered from 25 points down in the second quarter and from a 14-point three-quarter time deficit to level its ledger at 2-2 ahead of Gather Round, the night was overshadowed by a distressing incident early in the game.

Paddy McCartin was the comeback story of 2022, but his long-term health will be the focus in the coming days after he suffered another head knock. 

The 26-year-old exited the game inside 10 minutes after hitting his head on the ground in a contest with Todd Marshall that left him unable to get to his feet without support from two trainers and saw him stumble the 15 metres to the interchange bench.

Tom McCartin had to deal with seeing his older brother's career hit another hurdle before his night ended before half-time after he failed a head injury assessment following a collision on the far wing.

The Power conceded the first four goals of the game and the contest looked almost over before Sam Powell-Pepper's wobbly snap was confirmed via goal review 17 minutes into the second quarter. 

Suddenly a switch was flicked. By half-time, scores were level after Finlayson, Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis kicked goals at the Clive Churchill and Victor Trumper Stands end – 14 of the 18 goals were at this end – with the breeze. 

Finlayson gave Port Adelaide the perfect start to the second half to maintain the momentum, kicking his second from outside 50 after pinning Peter Ladhams holding the ball. The Power matched everything Sydney threw at them, before Florent kicked Sydney's first goal for 45 minutes halfway through the third quarter to level the scores. 

From there, Warner almost changed the game. A blur of blond curly hair exploded out of the centre on multiple occasions, purred out of other stoppages, finding targets inside 50 and then a high-quality goal to put the Swans 14 points up. 

After collecting 10 coaches votes for a massive round one performance against Gold Coast, expect the 21-year-old to collect plenty on offer from Longmire and Hinkley, after bouncing back from a patchy fortnight, finishing with 30 disposals, 19 contested possessions, nine clearances, nine inside 50s and two goals. 

But the efforts of Warner and Florent weren't enough to secure four premiership points for Sydney, despite registering a massive 22 more inside 50 entries to the Power and twice leading by at least 20 points. 

Sydney started the Easter weekend as one of the great unknowns in the AFL. Last year's Grand Finalists smashed Gold Coast and Hawthorn in the first fortnight, but were comprehensively beaten by Melbourne in round three in their first real test of 2023. And now they are 2-2. 

Port Adelaide is in the same boat at 2-2, with a Gather Round match against the Western Bulldogs to come next Saturday night at Adelaide Oval.

SYDNEY     3.2     4.6    7.10    9.10    (64)
PORT ADELAIDE        0.3     4.6     5.8     9.12     (66)

GOALS
Sydney: Warner 2, McDonald, 2, Papley, Ladhams, Florent, Blakey, Heeney
Port Adelaide: Finlayson 3, Rozee, McEntee, Marshall, Powell-Pepper, Horne-Francis, Butters

BEST
Sydney: Warner, Florent, Ladhams, Blakey, Parker, Gulden
Port Adelaide: Aliir, Butters, Finlayson, Duursma, Horne-Francis, McKenzie

INJURIES
Sydney: P.McCartin (concussion), T.McCartin (concussion)
Port Adelaide: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Sydney: Robbie Fox (replaced Paddy McCartin in the first quarter)
Port Adelaide: Darcy Byrne-Jones (replaced Junior Rioli in the fourth quarter)

Crowd: 31,686 at the SCG