PORT Adelaide will play in its sixth AFL Preliminary Final on Friday night against Richmond.
Port currently holds a 2-3 win-loss record in the second biggest match of the season and will be hoping to level the ledger at Adelaide Oval next week.
Two of the club's play-offs to the Grand Final would be considered among the best Prelim contests of this century.
Portadelaidefc.com.au looks back on Port’s Preliminary Final history.
2002
BRISBANE 4.3 10.7 16.10 21.12 (138)
PORT ADELAIDE 4.2 7.5 11.8 12.10 (82)
Attendance 33,047 at the Gabba
PORT ADELAIDE went into the final series with six consecutive wins, finishing the minor round with its first McClelland Trophy after an epic six-point win against Brisbane for the minor premiership at Football Park.
The chance for a repeat encounter with Brisbane in the AFL grand final on neutral territory at the MCG was denied on opening the major round with a 13-point home qualifying final loss to a Collingwood outfit that started as the underdog without Nathan Buckley in its line-up. This final series did bring Port Adelaide's first AFL finals triumph - by 24 points to Essendon in the semi-final at Football Park.
Like the Round 22 encounter, the Preliminary Final was tight in the early stages, if higher scoring. But Des Headland went to work for the Lions, finishing with 33 disposals and three goals, while Alastair Lynch bagged five majors as the home side pulled away. Port’s best were captain Matthew Primus who finished with 18 disposals, 31 hit-outs, four tackles and eight clearances, Stuart Dew with four goals and 17 disposals and the busy Josh Francou, who finished with 26 disposals, seven tackles and ten clearances. Brett Montgomery also managed 30 touches off half back. The Lions would win their second consecutive Premiership a week later against Collingwood.
2003
COLLINGWOOD 6.3 7.5 11.6 17.10 (112)
PORT ADELAIDE 3.1 5.6 5.11 9.14 (68)
Attendance: 77,405 at the MCG
EIGHT consecutive wins to the finals and a home qualifying final against a recast Sydney line-up that was inspired by the doomsday script. There was a strong second-half fightback by Port Adelaide after trailing by 40 points (71-31) at half-time, but the 12-point loss added to the "choker" theme.
Port Adelaide worked over Essendon again in the semi-finals winning by 44 points before playing its preliminary final at the MCG against Collingwood.
To that point there had never been an all non-Victorian Grand Final and with Brisbane and Sydney playing off in the other Prelim, then Victorian Premier Steve Bracks urged all Victorians to back the Pies to make the decider. Port Adelaide had almost the perfect start, kicking the opening two goals of the game, through a long bomb from Byron Pickett and a strong mark in the goal-square to Che Cockatoo-Collins. But the Pies responded with six of the next seven goals to take a 20-point lead into quarter time. From there the nervy home side held firm. A goalless third quarter did not help Port’s chances and despite Nick Stevens’ efforts (26 disposals, three tackles and eight clearances) it was another wasted season. The only consolation was that Collingwood would be on the end of a 50-point drubbing at the hands of Brisbane in the Grand Final a week later.
2004
PORT ADELAIDE 4.0 8.3 10.8 14.10 (94)
ST KILDA 4.5 7.5 10.9 13.10 (88)
Crowd: 46,978 at AAMI Stadium, West Lakes
Port Adelaide completed the perfect run in September - and a seven-game winning streak - with Williams mocking the "choker's tag" after claiming the club's first AFL premiership with the 40-point win against Brisbane at the MCG. The six-point preliminary final win against St Kilda ranks as one of the greatest games in Australian football. Yet to win through to a Grand Final after wasting chances in the two previous seasons, Port started poorly with Saints forward Fraser Gehrig booting the opening two goals of the game, the second his 100th for the season. The resulting field invasion by the crowd disrupted the game and halted St Kilda’s momentum. Roger James was immense in the centre when Port seemingly struggled to stay in touch with the Saints and the game entered a nerve-wracking second half when the lead changed hands several times and the margin was never more than two goals. In the dying stages, with less than a minute to play, it appeared as though former Power player Brent Guerra would level the scores again but as he ran into an open goal with the ball at his feet, a despairing lunge by Shaun Burgoyne prevented a certain goal and preserved the advantage. The siren a few seconds later sent the crowd into delirium and sent the Power into its first AFL Grand Final – which it would win a week later against the Lions.
2007
PORT ADELAIDE 6.0 9.3 17.10 20.13 (133)
NORTH MELBOURNE 3.2 3.7 4.10 5.16 (46)
Crowd: 43,953 at Football Park
FROM ranking second (15-7) with a new-look line-up, Port Adelaide dismissed 2006 premier West Coast by three points in a home qualifying final. The preliminary final with North Melbourne turned into whitewash after Port Adelaide opened with 6.0 and kept the "Kangaroos" (as the Victorian club was branded while measuring northern markets) to 0.5 in the second term. It became worse for the Shinboners when Port Adelaide blitzed with 8.7 in the third quarter to lead by 78 points. The 87-point margin matched the demolition of North Melbourne in the 2005 elimination final at the Docklands. The Power had eleven individual goal kickers, led by three each from Daniel Motlop, Warren Tredrea and Brett Ebert, with the only downside a serious knee injury to tough defender Michael Wilson in the second quarter which would see him miss the Grand Final the following week and eventually end his career. History will remember Port Adelaide captain Warren Tredrea taking a bow after kicking one of his three goals - and both batterings of North Melbourne in finals not having great encores with the 2005 Showdown Semi-Final or the 2007 Grand Final against Geelong.
2014
HAWTHORN 2.3 8.4 13.6 15.7 (97)
PORT ADELAIDE 3.9 5.11 8.13 13.16 (94)
Crowd: 74,856 at the MCG
YEAR two of Port Adelaide’s revival under Ken Hinkley also marked the return to Adelaide Oval, dubbed "The Portress" by Brownlow Medallist Gerard Healy. Port Adelaide won its first seven games at the "new" Oval, had a 9-3 win-loss in home-and-away matches and qualified for a home elimination final against Richmond - the first AFL final at the Oval. The one with the black-and-white bars jumper.
From beating Richmond by 57 points, Port Adelaide went west to upset Fremantle with a solid second-half comeback in the semi-final that was won by 22 points at Subiaco Oval in Perth. Next stop, the MCG to face the Hawks. The defending champion Hawthorn had already taken a hit from Port Adelaide in losing an enthralling Saturday night clash at Adelaide Oval by 14 points.
This Preliminary Final might have finished differently if Port Adelaide did not have the yips - 3.9 at quarter-time. Down by 29 points midway through the last term, Port Adelaide was true to Hinkley's "Never, ever give up" mantra. Hawthorn did not score after the 13th minute while Port Adelaide charged with four goals in nine minutes to have the game at just four points with three minutes of real time still to play out. Substitute Andrew Moore had a late chance to give his side the lead but missed and a couple of controversial late umpiring calls ended Port’s chances of a fairy tale run to the Grand Final. Hawthorn won the premiership against Sydney, the second of the Hawks’ three-peat.
