PORT ADELAIDE returned to the winners’ list on Sunday afternoon when it overcame a slow start and a scrappy performance to beat Collingwood by a solitary point at the MCG.

Port started slowly and trailed by 26 points early on but fought back slowly to eventually take the lead in the last quarter and hold on for the win.

Here are some key things we learned from the game.

1) Winning ugly is still winning

It is not often you lose almost every statistic but win the game, but that’s exactly what Port Adelaide did. Port had more tackles and one per-centers, as well as more marks inside 50 and better efficiency inside 50 but Collingwood won everything else except the game. But as the old saying goes, it’s a sign of a good team that can win when playing poorly. Port coach Ken Hinkley summed up the game well with the opening remarks of his post-game press conference “It was scrappy and hard fought and we got the four points.”

2) Young guns help midfield tyros

As per usual, Travis Boak, Ollie Wines and Robbie Gray were vital to Port getting the result, but pleasing for Hinkley was the form of two of the younger brigade in the middle. 23-year-old Sam Powell-Pepper had his best game of the season. He had 18 disposals along with a game-high eight tackles and season-high seven marks. Playing just his fifth game of the season, Kane Farrell was brilliant, lifting the side with his run, disposal and overall class. He had career-highs for disposals (23) and marks (six) and had a game-high 550 metres gained. The 22-year-old’s four score involvements proved vital in a low-scoring affair.

3) Gray is still all class

“He’s done it forever for us. He’s always been reliable when we’ve needed him. I was pretty grateful he was out there today, no doubt about that when you win a game like that.” That was Ken Hinkley talking about Robbie Gray after Port’s win over the Magpies. Hinkley would love to have two Robbie Grays so he could station one in the forward line and have another around the contest to use his smarts and skills to help win the clearances. He may be 33 but when Port needs Robbie Gray, he stands up. Goalless in the second quarter and trailing by 26 points, Gray booted two quick goals to get his side into the game. He booted another goal late to bring the margin back to one point and give his side momentum. His trio of major scores also push him to 13th all-time on Port Adelaide's goal kicker list, with a top-10 finish not out of reach before his playing days are done.

4) Nobody likes a smartypants

If my team was coming off six losses in its last seven games, I might be mindful to be respectful and lay low on the sass in a public arena, but it seems that thought did not cross the minds of Collingwood’s supporters. First there was the banner, poking fun at a serious issue regarding Port Adelaide’s want to celebrate its heritage, then there was former player Dane Swan’s confidence on social media around Port’s single point in the first quarter. There is an old idiom that “he who laughs last, laughs loudest” and that was never truer. If you needed any stronger indication that Port Adelaide’s want to wear the club’s iconic prison bar guernsey in Showdowns going forward was a serious matter that should stop being joked about, go back and watch Ken Hinkley’s response to a question about it in the post-match press conference.

5) The belief is high in the SANFL

Port Adelaide had two incredible wins at the weekend. The SANFL result was just as remarkable at the win at the MCG. Undermanned with a number of injuries going into the game against Grand Finalist North Adelaide and then seeing Dylan Williams (injury) and Boyd Woodcock (rested for the last quarter) come off to limit the available rotations, Port supporters could have been forgiven for conceding their side may not get the result against the Roosters. But nobody told the Magpies they weren’t meant to win. After weathering a third-quarter storm where the Roosters failed to do enough damage on the scoreboard, Port put in a stunning last quarter performance. This included three goals to Simon Wong and two to Taj Schofield as Port overran its more fancied opponent and secured a famous win. The result sees Port open up a two-game advantage over North to sit comfortably inside the SANFL’s top five.