PORT ADELAIDE beat Geelong by 16 points at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night in the first Qualifying Final.

Port soaked up the Cats’ pressure in the first half before opening up a match-winning lead in the third quarter, off the back of some manic forward half pressure.

Here are some key things we learned from the game.

1) If Port kicks 50 points it wins.

We said it last week but when Port Adelaide reached 50 points in a game in 2020, it wins. Assistant coach Brett Montgomery revealed the coaches joked pre-game that Port would win 50-40 because of what was at stake and the finals atmosphere. They weren’t too wrong with the final score finishing 9.4 (58) to 5.12 (42). It was Port’s lowest winning score of the season, eclipsing the 55 points it scored against the Western Bulldogs in Round 10, but it did not matter on the night. It was enough to get the job done. Port has failed to reach 50 points in each of its three losses this season.

2) Port lifts tackling pressure

In 2020, Port Adelaide averages 56.9 tackles per game. On Thursday night Port had 69 tackles to Geelong’s 51. Those chiefly responsible for that increase were Tom Rockliff (game-high nine tackles), Hamish Hartlett (seven tackles) and Sam Powell-Pepper (six tackles). The best example of Port’s willingness to go hard at the contest and pressure the Cats into turnovers was perhaps the take-down of All-Australian captain Patrick Dangerfield in the second quarter, when the visitors were threatening to break the game open. Darcy Byrne-Jones stood up in the tackle before Robbie Gray brought Dangerfield down in a moment that sparked the crowd and the Port team.

3) Experience and age counts for little when the heat is on

Much was made in the lead-in to the game about Geelong fielding the oldest side ever since VFL/AFL records have been kept. Stats guru @sirswampthing revealed that their average age was 28 years and 134 days, about two years older than Port’s average age. He also showed that Port’s entire team had played in 64 finals and kicked 43 goals while Cats Joel Selwood, Harry Taylor and Tom Hawkins alone had more than that. But it counted for little in the contest as the Cats continued their poor record of failing to win in Qualifying Finals.

4) Motlop is made for finals

Speaking of Finals experience, Steven Motlop went into Thursday night’s game as the club’s most experienced campaigner in finals. Sure, ruckman Scott Lycett has a premiership to his name from his time at West Coast, but Motlop had played eleven finals going into the game and that was more than any of his teammates. In his first final in Power colours Motlop showed he was made for the big occasion, getting his side going with a game-high three goals and five score involvements. His third goal was the pick of them, gathering a bouncing ball and snapping over his shoulder from a near-impossible angle.

5) Butters is back

After two weeks on the sideline serving a suspension, Zak Butters was eager to be back. The teenager has developed a cult following across the competition for putting his light frame on the line across the season and won more friends with his efforts on Thursday night. It is not often a rival player pumps up an opponent but Sydney forward Tom Papley was one who jumped on social media to praise the young star, and he wasn’t alone.

Butters’ desperate effort, throwing himself under two opponents to win a ball that led to an important goal when the heat was on in the last quarter was indicative of his willingness to do the team thing, which doesn’t always get the accolades but should.

6) It's FRIDAY!