BIG start. Strong finish. Port Adelaide ... and Ollie Wines, both on such parallel paths against Fremantle that there might be the meaningful suggestion of Wines being a barometer to his team's form.

The vice-captain certainly made a forceful statement about his intent - and his ambition - on Sunday evening. It was obvious from the moment a clearly motivated Wines addressed the midfield group after the warm-up that he was a man on a mission ... and he intended to set the example for others to follow.

Wines made a big start and closed with a strong finish. His team did the same.

Port Adelaide's close to the halfway mark of the home-and-away series - with a more than satisfying 8-3 win-loss count - was built on a fast start that set up a 40-point lead on Fremantle at quarter-time at Adelaide Oval.

Wines had 12 touches in that term (while fellow midfielder Karl Amon rewrote the club's AFL record books with his energetic 16 touches).

Port Adelaide's 3.1 in the first five minutes - with Amon disposing the ball 10 times - beat the team's best start for the season by eight minutes. It took 13 minutes to do the same against Essendon at Adelaide Oval in Round 2.

The quarter that began with key forward Charlie Dixon surprisingly taking the first centre bounce finished with a defining 40-point lead. The statistics showed Port Adelaide players had 69 more disposals than their Fremantle opponents and a 41-22 advantage in contested football. More barometer readings.

"An irresistible blueprint," said senior coach Ken Hinkley of the seven-goal start that marked Port Adelaide's best opening since round 17, 2017 (8.1 v North Melbourne) and best first term against Fremantle since scoring 7.3 in round 2, 2017 at Adelaide Oval.

A "mighty powerful" blueprint Hinkley says he would prefer to see unfold for longer ... setting up an agenda for the second half of the season that is supposed to start against fellow top-eight rival Geelong at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, June 10.

Port Adelaide's 46-point win was sealed with a strong finish, head over the ball stuff with the statisticians counting 35 contested possessions ... and Wines chalking up double figures again, 10 touches.

Port Adelaide finished with its fifth win of seven goals or more for this half-run (and increasingly confusing) season.

Wines walked off with prime numbers - 35 disposals, 19 contested. He made a mockery of his self-deprecating statements on his disposals not being in the elite category by working at 86 per cent efficiency. He was part of 14 score involvements.

"All-Australian form," said Hinkley of Wines who is yet to have this honour on his resume.

The mid-season break is timely for Port Adelaide to reflect on the questions posed by a wide variance in team form and the challenge of an injury list that increased on Sunday night with knee concerns to half-back Ryan Burton and half-forward Orazio Fantasia.

But there will not be a lingering debate on Port Adelaide's false starts that proved costly during three games of the first half (West Coast, Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs).

The answer on Sunday was the energy the players brought to an occasion - Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous round - with notable commitment to the game from Indigenous players Amon and Sam Powell-Pepper.

Another knock against this Port Adelaide team - efficiency in converting inside-50s - also vanished from the start of the second quarter: A run of nine goals without a miss until key forward Todd Marshall went wide with his set shot from 25 metres at the northern end on hitting time-on of the last term.

There were 10 goalscorers on Port Adelaide's card. Variety is indeed entertaining in goalscoring, particularly late in the third term when it includes a long left-foot kick from inside the centre square from ruckman Peter Ladhams rolling to the goal umpire's feet at the Riverbank end with team-mate Steven Motlop making a timely block at the top of the goalsquare.

"Strong start ... very strong finish ... and some stuff in the middle that we'd like to be better at," said Hinkley of the Fremantle match.

Same could be said of the first half of the home-and-away campaign. It leaves a strong foundation on which to build a top-four challenge to September's finals and even more when it counts most.

And if Wines sets the tone for how the second half of the season is to played out, Port Adelaide will be on its preferred path for chasing greatness.