PORT ADELAIDE players wanted to prove the club’s iconic prison bar guernsey means as much to them as its community with their bold jumper switch to sing the song after the bruising Showdown win over Adelaide.

Port Adelaide was blocked from wearing the guernsey by the AFL for the clash with the Crows, which reignited the debate over the club's push to don the black and white stripes.

Collingwood's resistance to the jumper was again led, at least publicly, by now former president Eddie McGuire with the potential of premiership points being docked if the Power ignored the AFL's decision and played in the jumper against the Crows.

But the club decided that if it beat its crosstown rival its players would swap into the famed stripes for the song, which was met with a rousing reception from the Port fans after the 49-point win.

"It's a show of respect for our heritage, for our past and for our great people who played in it in our past and for our people who turn up and represent this footy club. We started and we began as Port Adelaide and we still are," coach Ken Hinkley said post-game.

"Part of that journey is this amazing jumper which the boys love and the club loves and every one of the people who support this footy club love it.

“We had to wait until after the game but we'll recognise it as often as we have to."

The statement resonated with the players, too, with Travis Boak, who won his third Showdown Medal after his 28-disposal and six-clearance game, saying it signaled the importance of the historic strip.

"This guernsey means to so much to our community, to our footy club, to everyone who represents it, everyone who's played in it and everyone who has been around the club and certainly the players as well.

“To sing the song in this guernsey is special and we were able to do that tonight and that was planned.

"If we came off winning, we'd sing it in this guernsey and show our fans that it means just as much to the players as it does the community and it was a great moment."

Club chairman David Koch and CEO Matthew Richardson have promised to continue discussions with the AFL over wearing the guernsey to celebrate the club’s heritage in Showdowns going forward.

Boak said he would love to wear the “prison bars” again as often as possible.

“That’s probably up to (Chairman David Koch) and the club to continue to fight for and I know they’ll fight really hard because it means so much to our club and certainly the players would love to wear them again.

“As a footy club, we love this jumper and we want to wear it as much as we can.”