"It was without doubt the most important and memorable game in the club's history." - 2004 AFL premiership captain Warren Tredrea
Everything was on the line.
Port Adelaide, after twice failing to make the decider in 2002 and 2003, had been granted another chance at an inaugural AFL Grand Final berth after defeating Geelong at Football Park in a qualifying final two weeks earlier.
That win set up a preliminary final against St Kilda at AAMI Stadium.
It was an older and wiser team than the year before, but it was coming up against a St Kilda rival that was one of the league's class acts of the year.
At a packed AAMI Stadium for the venue's first ever AFL preliminary final, acting captain Warren Tredrea led his Power teammates onto the West Lakes turf for the final time that year.
The crowd was deafening.
But that deafening cheer was quickly replaced by deathly silence.
St Kilda raced out of the blocks to dominate the early part of the game.
The Saints' key forward Fraser Gehrig kicked an early goal to bring his tally for the year to 99 and had suddenly converted a set shot to clock his prized century.
That was when the game changed. As Saints fans stormed onto AAMI Stadium to congratulate their hero, security in tow, both teams were forced into huddles - not unlike a time-out call in basketball.
It was enough for the Power to reset and regain composure.
Port clawed its way back into the game with four-straight to see out the quarter and trail the visitors by five points at the first break.
Both teams traded goals for the next two quarters to generate an electric feeling in the crowd at three-quarter-time.
It was going down to the line.
Until that point, Gavin Wanganeen had barely touched the ball.
Many players that night remember the club's inaugural AFL captain and favourite son getting the biggest 'spray' of his career from senior coach Mark Williams.
It stunned his teammates - Wangas never got sprayed!
The 1993 Brownlow Medallist clearly took heed of his coach's demands. After the first bounce of the final quarter Port won the clearance and Wanganeen took a fantastic sliding mark.
From 60 metres out he quickly launched a massive drop punt to put the Power into the lead by five points.
More goals were traded and St Kilda retook the lead by a point, when Chad Cornes took the Saints' forwards on to set up Brendon Lade in the centre square.
It was an older and wiser team than the year before, but it was coming up against a St Kilda rival that was one of the league's class acts of the year.
At a packed AAMI Stadium for the venue's first ever AFL preliminary final, acting captain Warren Tredrea led his Power teammates onto the West Lakes turf for the final time that year.
The crowd was deafening.
But that deafening cheer was quickly replaced by deathly silence.
St Kilda raced out of the blocks to dominate the early part of the game.
The Saints' key forward Fraser Gehrig kicked an early goal to bring his tally for the year to 99 and had suddenly converted a set shot to clock his prized century.
That was when the game changed. As Saints fans stormed onto AAMI Stadium to congratulate their hero, security in tow, both teams were forced into huddles - not unlike a time-out call in basketball.
It was enough for the Power to reset and regain composure.
Port clawed its way back into the game with four-straight to see out the quarter and trail the visitors by five points at the first break.
Both teams traded goals for the next two quarters to generate an electric feeling in the crowd at three-quarter-time.
It was going down to the line.
Until that point, Gavin Wanganeen had barely touched the ball.
Many players that night remember the club's inaugural AFL captain and favourite son getting the biggest 'spray' of his career from senior coach Mark Williams.
It stunned his teammates - Wangas never got sprayed!
The 1993 Brownlow Medallist clearly took heed of his coach's demands. After the first bounce of the final quarter Port won the clearance and Wanganeen took a fantastic sliding mark.
From 60 metres out he quickly launched a massive drop punt to put the Power into the lead by five points.
More goals were traded and St Kilda retook the lead by a point, when Chad Cornes took the Saints' forwards on to set up Brendon Lade in the centre square.
He launched long to Stuart Dew at left half forward who went on to register a steadying goal.
Gavin Wanganeen then managed to snap one of the greatest goals at Football Park when he won a spillage from a boundary throw-in and hooked it around the body from 45 metres to put the Power a goal in front.
It would be the last for the game, with Shaun Burgoyne's heroic diving smother over the boot of former teammate Brent Guerra saving a tie in the dying moments of the match.
AAMI Stadium erupted with the final siren in what would be, undeniably, Port Adelaide's greatest moment at the ground.
Other Footy Park Flashbacks
#2 Showdown XXXV, 2013: Port Adelaide def Adelaide Crows
#3 Showdown I, 1997: Port Adelaide def Adelaide Crows
#4 Grand Final, 1977: Port Adelaide def Glenelg
#5 Round 5, 2013: Port Adelaide def West Coast Eagles
#6 Round 22, 2002: Port Adelaide def Brisbane Lions
#7 Grand Final, 1994: Port Adelaide def Woodville-West Torrens
#8 Round 8, 2012: Port Adelaide def North Melbourne
#9 Grand Final, 1990: Port Adelaide def Glenelg
#10 Round 3, 1997: Port Adelaide def Geelong
#10-#20 Footy Park Flashbacks bottom ten
FINAL SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 4.0 8.3 10.8 14.10 (94)
ST KILDA 4.5 7.5 10.9 13.10 (88)
Goals: W. Tredrea 3, G. Wanganeen, B. Lade 2, K. Cornes, S. Dew, J. Carr, D. Brogan, R. James, J. Mahoney, D. Cassissi
Best: R. James, W. Tredrea, K. Cornes, M. Wilson, P. Burgoyne, S. Burgoyne
Captain: W. Tredrea
Coach: M. Williams
Crowd: 46,978 at AAMI Stadium
Gavin Wanganeen then managed to snap one of the greatest goals at Football Park when he won a spillage from a boundary throw-in and hooked it around the body from 45 metres to put the Power a goal in front.
It would be the last for the game, with Shaun Burgoyne's heroic diving smother over the boot of former teammate Brent Guerra saving a tie in the dying moments of the match.
AAMI Stadium erupted with the final siren in what would be, undeniably, Port Adelaide's greatest moment at the ground.
Other Footy Park Flashbacks
#2 Showdown XXXV, 2013: Port Adelaide def Adelaide Crows
#3 Showdown I, 1997: Port Adelaide def Adelaide Crows
#4 Grand Final, 1977: Port Adelaide def Glenelg
#5 Round 5, 2013: Port Adelaide def West Coast Eagles
#6 Round 22, 2002: Port Adelaide def Brisbane Lions
#7 Grand Final, 1994: Port Adelaide def Woodville-West Torrens
#8 Round 8, 2012: Port Adelaide def North Melbourne
#9 Grand Final, 1990: Port Adelaide def Glenelg
#10 Round 3, 1997: Port Adelaide def Geelong
#10-#20 Footy Park Flashbacks bottom ten
FINAL SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 4.0 8.3 10.8 14.10 (94)
ST KILDA 4.5 7.5 10.9 13.10 (88)
Goals: W. Tredrea 3, G. Wanganeen, B. Lade 2, K. Cornes, S. Dew, J. Carr, D. Brogan, R. James, J. Mahoney, D. Cassissi
Best: R. James, W. Tredrea, K. Cornes, M. Wilson, P. Burgoyne, S. Burgoyne
Captain: W. Tredrea
Coach: M. Williams
Crowd: 46,978 at AAMI Stadium
