THE Adelaide Oval is the site of 20 grand Port Adelaide triumphs; grand final victories that have been instantly written into the club's folklore.
But one victory - in fact Port Adelaide's last at the ground - almost didn't happen.
The 1965 premiership brought to a close Port Adelaide's golden age - a fifteen-year period that reaped 10 flags from 15 seasons.
Some of the biggest names of South Australian, indeed Australian football were trained and blooded during this period. Names like Geof Motley - the nine-time premiership player and former captain coach of the club; Jeff Potter - a four-time best and fairest with the club; Jack Cahill, South Australia's most winning football person with 14 flags as a player or coach; SA and Port Adelaide hall of famers Dave Boyd, Ted Whelan to name a few.
And of course, master coach Fos Williams - the mastermind of nine of Port Adelaide's triumphs, and the man who built the foundations of the modern Port Adelaide.
A premiership built on self-belief
It was he who penned the club's creed, and the simple guiding ethos of the club: We Exist to Win Premierships.
Yet the club was never guaranteed the 1965 premiership, despite dropping just three games during the year and winning a nail-biting second semi final with a goal to Peter Mead after the siren.
Sturt, Port Adelaide's rival in the grand final, had begun to change the game through its ball use.
Handball, under Double Blues coach Jack Oatey, was becoming increasingly important and played a big part in the Unley club's 1966 premiership success.
Port Adelaide, under Williams, had built its superpower status on the back of mental toughness, long and direct kicking and supreme 'five-quarter' fitness.
In the premiership decider, Port Adelaide's 29-point lead at the final break was pegged back by Sturt in a thrilling finish.
Even when Eric Freeman kicked his third goal of the game to put that lead beyond 30 points, the Magpies found the Double Blues machine would kick into overdrive.
Contemporary reports spoke of Sturt's skill, spirit and flair, but also of Port's execution and experience.
To borrow one particular paradox, it was as if an irresistible force had met an immovable object that day - two different styles clashing before a record crowd in the cauldron of the old Adelaide Oval.
Those conflicting styles - the old and new - is no better characterised than by the stats sheet.
Sturt had 36 more disposals in a losing performance, but a whopping 42 more handballs.
Port had just 10 handpasses on the day.
Not unlike today's Port Adelaide, it was the relentless pressure showed by the team all day, and the resilience in the face of a fast finishing opponent, that won the pennant.
Reflections on Fos
Premiership captain Geof Motley, remembers it well, especially the half time talk given by Williams to the Magpies.
It go the side up for a big third quarter, but also predicted the Sturt surge in the fourth.
"We'd used a fair bit of petrol during our games, but we knew it would be tough going into the last quarter," Motley told portadelaidefc.com.au
"Foster gave us a big message at half time as to how our work ethic needed to pick up.
"If we could kick two or three quick goals and get a winning margin, we'd still need to find a way to hang onto it.
"His philosophy was not only right, but his thinking was right too."
Speaking on the style developed by Williams, Motley describes a win-at-all-costs attitude that spread throughout the Port rooms.
"We were very positive about how we played the game; we played very direct down the middle of the ground, that's the shortest route to goals," Motley said.
"If we got more players to the fall of the ball each time we drilled it forward, we had a good chance at maintaining possession.
"We were ruthless from that perspective and bore the brunt of being successful, because many people were, dare I say it, jealous of us."
Williams's protégé and successor as senior coach in 1974 was John Cahill, who played at centre in the '65 grand final.
He praised the standards set by Williams over 15 years, but especially credited it for the success that year.
"Fos was great, he wanted players to win the 50/50 all the time, he just drove us to a level we wouldn't have got to on our own," Cahill said.
"He demanded the same of everyone in the team- no favourites - he made us train hard to a point that we believed we were mentally and physically stronger.
"He left a great legacy."
1965 SANFL Grand Final
PORT ADELAIDE 3.3 6.3 11.7 12.8 (80)
STURT 2.1 6.2 7.2 12.5 (77)
GOALS
Freeman 3, Potter, Mead 2, Beaufoy, Obst, Cahill, Philp, Traynor
BEST
Motley, Cahill, Potter, Philp, Elix, Salmon
CROWD
62,543 at the Adelaide Oval - record
UMPIRE
Ken Cunningham
How they took the field
FB: Salmon, Elleway, Fabian
HB: Elix, Cooper, Motley
C: Nyland, Cahill, Errey
HF: Spiers, Freeman, Mead
FF: T. Obst, Beaufoy, Philp
Foll: Traynor, Gill, Potter
Reserves: Matters (19th), Bray (20th)
