ALASTAIR CLARKSON has put the challenge back on Port Adelaide this Thursday night to show it can match a top AFL side.
Hawthorn is back on top of the ladder and its senior coach says the Power are “yet to prove” they can play “sustainable” football.
Port hasn’t lost to Hawthorn since the 2014 Preliminary Final.
"They've played some good footy, but we've been particularly disappointing in those games too," Clarkson said on Wednesday.
"They've ambushed us a little bit with their physicality and their starts to games and we need to be ready for that.
"They're probably smarting a little bit from the preliminary final loss two years ago, that's probably fuelled a lot of their motivation to play over the last couple of times we've played them, particularly last year.
"But it's very, very hard to do that on a sustainable basis and we like to think we've proved ourselves over a long period of time from week-to-week playing tough, hard footy.
"And Port Adelaide are yet to prove that they can do that on a week-to-week basis.
"So even those comments themselves will fuel a little bit of spite and we'll say 'Righto, well, it's game on' and it is game on. We're ready to come and play."
Ken Hinkley has accepted criticism of Port’s consistency in 2016, but says the Power will be going out to continue the good work it showed against Richmond.
He also hopes the Power crowd brings a loud and passionate atmosphere.
“Hopefully Adelaide Oval, tomorrow night, we fill it up and make it a pretty hostile environment for them [Hawthorn].”
Earlier Ken Hinkley confirmed the Power would go into Saturday's game unchanged.
