Port Adelaide sang the song with a lot of gusto in the Unley Oval rooms on Sunday afternoon after it sealed a 15-point win over Sturt, and with it, a top three spot.
Extremely cold, wet and muddy conditions greeted the third placed Magpies and fourth placed Double Blues, but it was Port which had the hot start, handling the wet ball better.
The Magpies held a 31-point lead late in the second term before the fourth placed Sturt charged back into the contest in an attempt to snare a victory.
Heavy rain tumbled throughout the first term and the Double Blues were first on the board after Jack Stephens converted a 25m penalty in the second minute.
The Magpies surged the ball forward and locked it inside their attacking zone for the remainder of the quarter, kicking 3.4, including two Steven Motlop goals inside three minutes.
Motlop found himself unchecked and in the right spot at the right time as he took two marks inside 20m to secure his two goals.
Willem Drew had an outstanding term, collecting 11 disposals and four clearances in conditions that suited the tough 20-year-old midfielder.
Port kicked its third goal from inside 20m late in the term when Scott Lycett gave his side a well-earned 16-point lead at the first break.
While there was no wind advantage, the ball was parked at the bowling green end for the first quarter and seven minutes, but Sturt wasn’t able to make any inroads on Port’s lead as its defenders stood tall.
The Magpies finally forced and scrapped it down their end and Sturt’s James Battersby lost his feet at the worst possible time as, what would have been an uncontested chest high mark, flew over his head into the waiting arms of Aidyn Johnson who kicked the first goal of the term.
Johnson’s goal meant four in a row for Port, and Billy Frampton made it five when the Magpies again forced it down the wing and belted a long ball into the path of the 200cm forward, who bent down and picked it up like it was a dry day, and nailed the goal from 35m out.
It was clear that Jack Trengove relished the cold and rainy conditions and had 17 disposals, five tackles and four clearances to half time.
The Magpies buffer ballooned to more than five goals during the second term, which proved crucial as Sturt had just one goal to its name at the 24-minute mark of the second quarter.
The Double Blues gained some momentum running into the half time break when Mark Evans and Steve Slimming kicked goals within two minutes of eachother to give Sturt something to work with.
Port’s lead remained at 16 points at the break, and the Magpies also led the hitout (34-9), tackle (57-46) and inside 50 (31-23) statistics, but trailed in the disposal count (143-155), marks (24-33) and clearances (20-21) in an intriguing game.
With a lot on the line, there was plenty of heat and niggle in a highly spirited first half, which continued with a tough arm wrestle in the opening stages of the third term.
However, Sturt began to once again win the main share of the footy and ended up dominating the third term with 15 inside 50s to Port’s five.
The home fans erupted when former Port Adelaide midfielder Sam Colquhoun kicked the Double Blues’ third consecutive goal to reduce the margin to 10 points, but that was the only goal of the term.
The ball spent the next 20 minutes being kicked up and down the scoreboard wing as heavy wind and rain limited the options and kicks that the players would usually be willing to take on.
Trent McKenzie played another important role in defence with 22 disposals, three marks and four tackles, constantly repelling Sturt attack after attack.
Port managed just one behind in the term, but most importantly maintained a nine-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Again, there was just the one goal kicked in the final quarter, but it went to Sam Mayes who converted a set shot from 35m at the 20-minute mark, sparking Magpies players to come from everywhere and celebrate.
It was enough for Port to hang on to a vital 15-point victory and lock in its double chance come the finals series in a fortnight’s time.
Trengove completed the match with 28 disposals, nine tackles and five clearances, while Drew had 23 disposals, 11 tackles and eight clearances.
Scott Lycett was sensational in the tricky conditions with 43 hitouts, 18 disposals, seven marks, seven clearances and a goal.
SCORE:
Port Adelaide: 3.4 5.9 5.10 6.13 (49)
Sturt: 1.0 3.5 4.7 4.10 (34)
DISPOSALS: Trengove 28, Drew 23, Mayes 22, McKenzie 22
GOALS: Motlop 2, Frampton, Johnson, Lycett, Mayes
BEST: Drew, Lycett, McKenzie, Trengove, Motlop, Farrell
