WATCH Matt Primus on PTV above. Can't view the video? Watch on YouTube

PORT Adelaide's Danyle Pearce said he knew the game was theirs for the keeping as soon as teammate Paul Stewart broke a tackle late in the fourth quarter against North Melbourne.

[ Video: The boys sing the song ]

Stewart kicked the goal that edged the Power into the lead and to what was an incredible come from behind, two-point victory.

"Stewy kicking that goal was amazing…I was already celebrating behind play, so it was fantastic," Pearce said.

Coach Matthew Primus said it took him a little while longer to mark the game off as a win.

"When the siren sounded," Primus said was when he was confident the Power had secured the four points.

"[North Melbourne] were pretty dangerous, they had four or five stoppages on top of their 50 and all it took was a quick kick or a free kick or something to bobble out and they would have had a shot on goal."

[ Related: Match Report ]

Pearce was sensational on his return to the side after spending two weeks in the SANFL, collecting 30 disposals and beginning countless attacks with his run and kicking from defence.
 
He said it was a great feeling to come back and prove he can play a valuable role in the Power line-up.

"I went back and worked on the things the coaches really wanted me to work on and I'm just thankful I got the opportunity to play," he said.

"To win was just the cherry on the top."

[ Video: Stewart's match-winner ]

He also heaped praise on seven-goal hero Jay Schulz, whose return from an eye injury gave the Power a significant target in attack.

"He was fantastic, what'd he kick? Seven straight? Just kick it on his head and he'll mark it and go back and kick the goal," Pearce said.

While Primus praised his side's resilience, he noted the Kangaroos should have had the game stitched up by half-time.

They finished with 60 inside-50s to just 42, yet missed opportunities kept Port in the contest throughout the match.

[ Video: Match Highlights ]

North Melbourne's third final-term goal pushed their lead out to 32 points at the nine-minute mark, but five goals in the final 17 minutes saw the Power steal a famous victory.

"In the end we were lucky to still be involved in the game at three-quarter time, North really didn't capitalise on their chances, it was five to 18 inside-50s in the second quarter," he said.

"They probably didn’t get enough dominance there, which allowed us to have some kind of light at the end of the tunnel."

Entering Saturday's match on the back of a six-game losing streak, Primus said the win was a great reward for what has been a difficult month.

"It's certainly great, there's been a lot of negative noise out there about us, especially over the last month, so it's terrific reward," he said.

"For everybody involved it's a great reward."

But he said the side still had plenty to work on, given the statistical dominance of North Melbourne in several key areas.

"Statistic-wise, we've still got a lot of work to do, a lot of areas to improve and we get an opportunity now to get another win, it's been a while since we had back to back wins," he said.

The Power hasn't managed to win consecutive games since they beat West Coast, Melbourne and Richmond in rounds 20, 21 and 22 in 2010.

Harry Thring covers Port Adelaide news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Harry.