Port Adelaide registered back to back wins when it defeated Norwood by 45 points at Alberton Oval on Sunday afternoon.

The Magpies and Redlegs fixture has always been a hotly contested rivalry, but their Round 10 clash was paid a little more attention by coach Matthew Lokan who highlighted it as a season shaping match.

“Norwood have been the best side in the competition for the last five or six years now, so we knew it would be a tough game,” he said.

“It was really pleasing to come away with a really good win in the end in what was a really important game for our season.

“For us to get closer to Norwood who are sitting third was really important because that top six or seven is really close.”

Port controlled most of the match and dominated the last quarter with five unanswered goals to close out the game, but Lokan was above all pleased by his side’s response to being challenged in the third quarter.

“I thought we controlled the game for most of the game,” he said.

“In the third quarter they were able to get back on top and that was purely around the contest and get some drive out of the midfield.

“Cam Sutcliffe (named best on ground) ended up going to Mitch Grigg who was on top at the start of the third quarter and ended up shutting him out, which helped us get back on top around the contest which we base our game on.

“We thought the wheels were turning our way, so it was nice to finish off the game and come away with a really important win.”

After a string of key injuries earlier in the season, Port welcomed back Brad Ebert from concussion and Sam Hayes from a knee reconstruction this weekend after Charlie Dixon and Ollie Wines returned in the previous match against Sturt.

“Ebert pulled up fine, he has no fear, he continues to go in the contest and stand under the ball in marking contests, while for Hayes to come back and play four quarters was really pleasing,” Lokan said.

“From a selection point of view we are in a really healthy spot and from a Magpies point of view it is really important for us to put us back on the track we were on five weeks ago.”