The Tigers had won nine games heading into Sunday's elimination final at the Adelaide Oval, but they had little to stop a rollicking Power as it marched into its second semi final appearance in as many years.
Wearing its traditional black-and-white guernsey on a ground which it has been worn to a long and proud line of finals successes, Port Adelaide produced a first half performance that had all the hallmarks of its exciting 2014 game plan.
Relentless spread, precise field kicking and some of its best ball use by hand through the corridor set up the Power's barnstorming performance with only a slight lapse in the final term blotting the home side's resounding win.
With a club-preferred unselfish performance, the Power's eight goals-to-one opening term set the home side on its way.
And gaving set the agenda early with seven unanswered goals in 19 minutes of play and seemingly unaffected by the heat, Port Adelaide's focussed and purposeful start was crucial in injecting the pace and momentum it needed into a challenging, sudden-death-all-the-way finals campaign.
The victory sets Port Adelaide up with a Saturday twilight semi final against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium in Perth - practically a carbon copy of its season-closing fixture in the West a fortnight ago.
The Port faithful will however hope for a far different result.
Utter dominance at the centre bounce proved pivotal in a free-flowing start to the game with the Power scoring freely and with little resistance.
The Power looked to play-on at every opportunity and its precision kicking around the ground ensured its options up forward were provided constant, and consistent, supply.
Few would have anticipated the start produced by the home side, which truly took advantage of the first AFL final at the Adelaide Oval with a show of force on and off the field, ably led by the club's skipper Travis Boak who fought hard to win 10 disposals, four clearances and a goal.
Over 50,000 spectators - some in yellow-and-black but most in black, white and teal - turned out to see the onslaught.
That Port had eight individual goal scorers in Westhoff, Schulz, Boak, White, Polec, Wines, Neade and Monfries for the first 30-minute play demonstrated its true dominance of the opening quarter - everywhere the Power went, it found options either lurking in range or unattended in space.
It took seven goals - 43 points to be exact - for the Tigers to fire their first salvo through Conca at 21-minute mark of the term.
Port responded immediately with Monfries sealing the Power's eight before quarter time to end his side's opening charge.
If it was a frenzied Port Adelaide that opened proceedings, it was a measured Power that struck in the second.
The Power again controlled the quarter to increase its already sizeable 42-point margin to 50 points early in the quarter after Justin Westhoff bagged his second.
But the dominance was undeniable, despite the contrasting start; this was a Power side that was able to judge the tempo of the game, absorb the Tigers' chase and square options inside 50.
Monfries had three chances to score his second goal but shaved behinds instead, however his teammates Neade, Schulz and Polec quickly chalked up their second goals for the afternoon.
While the Power was stacking on the goals, again Richmond struggled to return fire, but big man Ivan Maric - a former Port Adelaide Magpie - managed to do so over a quarter after Conca's first.
Just as the Power had launched an immediate volley to Conca's goal in the first, so too did it to Maric's second - thanks to a clinical mark from Chad Wingard in the heart of his side's attacking 50.
Shaun Grigg made sure of the Tigers' third goal, curling the ball forward to bounce through the goals and, again, Port responded immediately with Angus Monfries again closing the quarter on the siren with his second major.
Brad Ebert booted the opening two goals of the third quarter to add his name to the scoreboard and was quickly followed by Jake Neade (his third) and Ollie Wines.
And although the Tigers managed to slot eight goals in the second half, the Power had the result firmly in its grasp.
Port Adelaide will play Fremantle in the first semi final at Patersons Stadium at 5:45pm (AWST).
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 8.1 14.5 19.8 20.12 (132)
RICHMOND 1.1 3.2 6.5 11.9 (75)
GOALS
Neade 3, Westhoff, Schulz, Polec, Monfries, Ebert, Wingard, Wines 2, Boak, White, R. Gray
PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU'S BEST
Boak, R. Gray, Westhoff, Neade, Wingard, Jonas, Ebert, Cornes
SUBSTITUTION
Matt White replaced by Andrew Moore during the second quarter.
INJURIES
White (fractured jaw)
REPORTS
nil
Wearing its traditional black-and-white guernsey on a ground which it has been worn to a long and proud line of finals successes, Port Adelaide produced a first half performance that had all the hallmarks of its exciting 2014 game plan.
Relentless spread, precise field kicking and some of its best ball use by hand through the corridor set up the Power's barnstorming performance with only a slight lapse in the final term blotting the home side's resounding win.
With a club-preferred unselfish performance, the Power's eight goals-to-one opening term set the home side on its way.
And gaving set the agenda early with seven unanswered goals in 19 minutes of play and seemingly unaffected by the heat, Port Adelaide's focussed and purposeful start was crucial in injecting the pace and momentum it needed into a challenging, sudden-death-all-the-way finals campaign.
The victory sets Port Adelaide up with a Saturday twilight semi final against Fremantle at Patersons Stadium in Perth - practically a carbon copy of its season-closing fixture in the West a fortnight ago.
The Port faithful will however hope for a far different result.
Utter dominance at the centre bounce proved pivotal in a free-flowing start to the game with the Power scoring freely and with little resistance.
The Power looked to play-on at every opportunity and its precision kicking around the ground ensured its options up forward were provided constant, and consistent, supply.
Few would have anticipated the start produced by the home side, which truly took advantage of the first AFL final at the Adelaide Oval with a show of force on and off the field, ably led by the club's skipper Travis Boak who fought hard to win 10 disposals, four clearances and a goal.
Over 50,000 spectators - some in yellow-and-black but most in black, white and teal - turned out to see the onslaught.
That Port had eight individual goal scorers in Westhoff, Schulz, Boak, White, Polec, Wines, Neade and Monfries for the first 30-minute play demonstrated its true dominance of the opening quarter - everywhere the Power went, it found options either lurking in range or unattended in space.
It took seven goals - 43 points to be exact - for the Tigers to fire their first salvo through Conca at 21-minute mark of the term.
Port responded immediately with Monfries sealing the Power's eight before quarter time to end his side's opening charge.
If it was a frenzied Port Adelaide that opened proceedings, it was a measured Power that struck in the second.
The Power again controlled the quarter to increase its already sizeable 42-point margin to 50 points early in the quarter after Justin Westhoff bagged his second.
But the dominance was undeniable, despite the contrasting start; this was a Power side that was able to judge the tempo of the game, absorb the Tigers' chase and square options inside 50.
Monfries had three chances to score his second goal but shaved behinds instead, however his teammates Neade, Schulz and Polec quickly chalked up their second goals for the afternoon.
While the Power was stacking on the goals, again Richmond struggled to return fire, but big man Ivan Maric - a former Port Adelaide Magpie - managed to do so over a quarter after Conca's first.
Just as the Power had launched an immediate volley to Conca's goal in the first, so too did it to Maric's second - thanks to a clinical mark from Chad Wingard in the heart of his side's attacking 50.
Shaun Grigg made sure of the Tigers' third goal, curling the ball forward to bounce through the goals and, again, Port responded immediately with Angus Monfries again closing the quarter on the siren with his second major.
Brad Ebert booted the opening two goals of the third quarter to add his name to the scoreboard and was quickly followed by Jake Neade (his third) and Ollie Wines.
And although the Tigers managed to slot eight goals in the second half, the Power had the result firmly in its grasp.
Port Adelaide will play Fremantle in the first semi final at Patersons Stadium at 5:45pm (AWST).
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 8.1 14.5 19.8 20.12 (132)
RICHMOND 1.1 3.2 6.5 11.9 (75)
GOALS
Neade 3, Westhoff, Schulz, Polec, Monfries, Ebert, Wingard, Wines 2, Boak, White, R. Gray
PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU'S BEST
Boak, R. Gray, Westhoff, Neade, Wingard, Jonas, Ebert, Cornes
SUBSTITUTION
Matt White replaced by Andrew Moore during the second quarter.
INJURIES
White (fractured jaw)
REPORTS
nil
CROWD
50,618 at the Adelaide Oval
