Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak breaks away from the pack in the NAB Cup match against West Coast Eagles at Traeger Park, Alice Springs. Picture: Morne de Klerk. Source: Getty Images
PORT Adelaide's off-field momentum has spilled into the pre-season competition after the Power upstaged a close to full-strength West Coast by six points on a hot autumn Saturday night at Traeger Park.
Only days after announcing a major sponsorship with Renault, Port gave the multi-national a crumb of promise for their times ahead together and a measure of hope for the long-suffering members back at Alberton.
The match treated the crowd with a sense of drama until the final seconds, but it was more than that. It wasn't about the result - it never is this time of year - but what can be gleaned from how teams carry out their business.
Ken Hinkley's first-year vision for the club is taking a shape, and it contains promising patterns for a club that is coming from struggletown and is in a rebuilding phase.
The ruck is improving as Matthew Lobbe and and Jarrad Redden are filling out, there's a core of midfielders again and the ball movement from the backline has created a foundation to build on.
After years of frustrating onlookers with short and hurried transitions from their backline, they are moving the ball with purpose.
Their switches look better because they are longer, based around the calm heads of Jasper Pittard, Jackson Trengove and Kane Cornes.
The midfield also had a sense of stability.
Captain Travis Boak and deputy Brad Ebert were unflustered even though they were up against some of the best in the land and with Hamish Hartlett and Ollie Wines winning the ball there is now a complement of players.
Boak was outstanding when the Eagles came back at the Power.
There are still holes and areas where they are vulnerable, but on yesterday's evidence there's a bit to like about Port.
Up forward, Jay Schulz still had to carry a heavy load, but Chad Wingard and looks more comfortable for a year under his belt and Jake Neade added a bit of spunk and excitement.
He's still a bit green, Neade, but they loved his endeavour and spirit in Alice Springs last night and he's one who can bring an air of flair and unpredictability.
The match swung wildly: at first it was all West Coast, then Port Adelaide created a lead of 30-odd points and then the Eagles came at them again in the third quarter, making it a last-quarter shoot-out.
West Coast had the first bad news of the night when Chris Masten was a late scratching after reporting tightness after the warm-up.
What's worse, the Eagles hadn't travelled with an emergency, and after the heat policy was implemented - which meant an open bench with no restrictions on interchanges or substitutions - it meant they played one short.
But it was the Power that was caught like rabbits in the Traeger Park lights. Josh Kennedy, the former Carlton player who was part of the Chris Judd trade, left Port's defence in the shadows in the first quarter.
He had kicked three goals before the Power switched exchanged Alipate "Bobby" Carlile for Jackson Trengove and this was happening as veteran Dean Cox was giving them headaches both in the ruck and when floating forward.
But gradually, Port Adelaide managed to blunt the pace and intensity of the early onslaught, and begin building up its own steam.
A few players jumped out: Hamish Hartlett played with a blend of daring and desperation that made him stand out like his promise.
He appeared stronger than last season as he broke tackles in congested situations, but still had the exquisite precision of his foot deliveries that made him a top draft pick and a great promise for the future.
Ollie Wines, the club's first-round draft pick last season, continued his rich vein of form and had a match-high nine contested possessions at half time, and Matthew Lobbe - understood to be one of Port's hardest workers in the gym - and Jarrad Redden competed well against Cox in the ruck.
PORT ADELAIDE 0.3.0 0.8.2 1.10.3 1.13.5 (92)
WEST COAST 0.4.1 0.5.7 1.8.10 1.11.11 (86)
Nine pointers: Port Adelaide: C O'Shea. West Coast: S Hurn.
Goals: Port Adelaide: C Wingard 3, A Moore 2, J Schulz 2, H Hartlett, J Neade, J Westhoff, L Stevenson, M Lobbe, P Stewart. West Coast: J Kennedy 5, J Darling 2, J Hill 2, D Cox, M Priddis.
Best: Port Adelaide: T Boak, C Wingard, Brad Ebert, H Hartlett, K Cornes. West Coast: L Shuey, J Kennedy, D Cox, B Waters, M Priddis.
Umpires: Shane Stewart, Sam Hay, Ray Chamberlain.
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