Zak Butters put the finishing polish on a brilliant play to seal the win against Hawthorn, but it was a wonderful display of teamwork that brought it all together.

PORT ADELAIDE beat Hawthorn by ten points in Sir Doug Nicholls Round at Adelaide Oval on Saturday evening.

Port started slowly but eventually overcame a determined Hawthorn outfit.

Here are some key things we learned from the game.

1) It wasn’t pretty but it was a win

Going into Saturday’s twilight game, both Port and the Hawks has plenty of pressure applied externally. Port had put in its most disappointing performance of the season against Geelong a week earlier and was having its premiership credentials questioned while the Hawks were being described as far from the unsociable side they were renowned as during their Premiership years.

Hawthorn settled best with the first three goals but Port managed to slowly peg them back. For a period in the third quarter Port looked like it was going to break the game open, only to be inaccurate in front of goal. Seven consecutive behinds kept the Hawks in the game and the pressure on the home side and it was not until Zak Butters hit a ruck contest at full speed, got on the end of Scott Lycett’s deft ruck tap and kicked the sealing goal that Port could feel comfortable. In the end, all that counted was that Port got the win, becoming the first side to reach ten victories for season 2020.

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Play of the Day: Round 13 | PTV

Scott Lycett puts it on a plate and Zak Butters puts the game beyond doubt.

2) When the pressure was on, Port got the little things right.

We’ve already touched on the Zak Butters / Scott Lycett combo but Butters in a post-game interview noted the selflessness and smarts of vice-captain Ollie Wines who put in a block to allow Butters the space to burst through the pack. Before that contest even happened, Lycett had to make sure it did. As Robbie Gray’s set shot sailed across the face of goal, instead of allowing it to cross the line for yet another behind, Lycett kept the ball in play, allowing his side to force a ball-up. His ruckwork was also outstanding, putting his body between the ball and his opponent to create the path for Butters to speed through.

3) Indigenous players have contributed so much to our game and our club.

In the Sir Doug Nicholls Round, Port Adelaide ran out in a guernsey featuring the names of 62 past and current Indigenous players to have featured in at least one league game for the club and on the current list. That included three who lined up for Hawthorn on the day. Watched on by around 20 of the 62 players on the guernsey in the stands, the current players went to work. Shaun Burgoyne, Chad Wingard and Jarman Impey all contributed goals to the Hawks, as did Karl Amon for Port but it was great to see the group, along with Sam Powell-Pepper, Jarrod Lienert and Steven Motlop come together at the coin toss to exchange individual gifts from their home country. It was the first time individual gifts, rather than a collective gift from the club was presented and carried extra significance.

Every player involved with the cultural gift exchange prior to the game had ties to Port Adelaide, past and present.

4) Milestone man’s magic

When the heat was on early, Tom Rockliff was the player in the Port Adelaide midfield who appeared composed and got his hands on the ball cleanly. In his 200th match he finished as one of the best on the ground with 28 disposals, three marks, three clearances and three score involvements. The man affectionately known as “the Pig” in AFL Fantasy circles also had six tackles. Across his career he is classed as elite for disposals and tackles, averaging 25.8 and 5.7 respectively and this season has upped his tackling to average 6.4. Twitter stats guru @sirswampthing came up with another gem about the former Brisbane skipper, revealing Rockliff is one of only four players to have collected more than 5000 disposals and 1000 tackles by the time of their 200th game.

5) You can’t afford to give Robbie Gray time and space

Much has been said this year and especially in recent weeks about Port’s reliance on Charlie Dixon to kick goals but there was no better example of what he brings to the game, if not marking or kicking goals, than five minutes into the second quarter of the win over the Hawks. With a long ball coming inside 50, Dixon competed against three Hawks for the mark and brought the ball to ground. One of the Hawks in the contest had elected to run off his opponent, Robbie Gray, to help prevent Dixon from taking the mark. But you do that at your own peril. Gray found himself free at the back of the pack and picked up a ground ball with one hand before doing something very Robbie Gray-like and snapping a goal from a tight angle. He may not be racking up the numbers many are accustomed to seeing him collect, but he has not lost any of his class.

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Goal of the Week: Round 13 | PTV

Robbie Gray makes the complex look simple against the Hawks.