Port Adelaide seek to extend status as Sydney's bogey team with AFL grand final in reach | Martin Pegan

09/19/2024 11:00 AM

The Power have not lost to the Swans since 2016, but will arrive at the SCG for the preliminary final with their own history to rewrite

It was arguably the most devastating display of the AFL season as Port Adelaide piled on 71 points before ladder-leading Sydney had troubled the scoreboard. The damage was done long before the main break but even after dropping down a gear for the second half, the Power pulled away for a 112-point triumph that laid down their marker as a genuine 2024 premiership contender.

Just 48 days later, Port Adelaide return for a rematch now tagged as underdogs. Even if supposed momentum wasn't behind the Swans, it is likely that Ken Hinkley would have found a way to shift the intangible force over to them. The Power coach likes his side to play with their backs to the wall, whether they are under fire from their own fans, taking their turn as the punditariat's weekly target, or as the victim of a cheeky opponent's pre-match jibe.