AHEAD of their meeting in Round 4 of the 2018 AFL Premiership
The Power had yet to win a final until its sixth season in the AFL competition and it finally got there against the Bombers at home.
Having finished top of the ladder to claim the Minor Premiership for the first time, Port Adelaide had gone down to Collingwood in its qualifying final a week earlier.
But on Friday the 13th of September 2002, the Power had come to play, although it seemed otherwise when a melee broke out involving former Bomber Damien Hardwick before the opening bounce.
Essendon's Mark Bolton added to the tension when he was reported only one minute into the game when he collided heavily with Roger James, who was helped from the field in a daze in his 100th AFL match.
The Bombers seemed to grab the ascendancy in the second term when they kept the Power scoreless, but a 6.4-to 1.0 third term saw the home side convert a 12-point deficit into a 22-point lead at the last change.
Having played in the defensive half in recent weeks, Chad Cornes moved forward and was at his dominant best booting a goal and handing off numerous others, to help his side book its first preliminary final against rivals
PORT ADELAIDE 3.5 3.8 9.12 11.17 (83)
ESSENDON 3.4 5.8 6.8 8.11 (59)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Dew 4, P Burgoyne, Stevens, Tredrea 2, Cockatoo-Collins, C Cornes
Essendon: Barnard 2, Alessio, Caracella, J Johnson, M Johnson, Ramanauskas, Rioli
BEST
Port Adelaide: C Cornes, Tredrea, Primus, Wanganeen, Stevens, K Cornes, Carr, Schofield
Essendon: J Johnson, M Johnson, Ramanauskas, Peverill, Misiti
Umpires:
Official crowd: 27,661 at Football Park
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