Fast-forward less than two years and things have changed. The Power are regarded as a team on the up.
Their win against the Adelaide was illustrative of how far they’ve come.
Challenged in the premiership quarter, they overcame the brilliance of Eddie Betts and a desperate Adelaide to win the Showdown. And not just win it, but smash their biggest rival by 55 points.
History shows big margins simply don’t occur in matches between the South Australian sides, so its significance can’t be underestimated.
Port’s midfield bats deep; of the six players to register more than 20 possessions on Saturday, three (Hamish Hartlett, Ollie Wines, Jared Polec) are top 10 draft-picks.
Kane Cornes, Brad Ebert, Dom Cassisi and Travis Boak make up an experienced core, while Chad Wingard, another first-round pick, goes from strength to strength, highlighted by his 17 possessions and 4 goals.
It’s the second time in as many outings Wingard has been the Showdown winner. His late goals in an epic win earnt him the three Brownlow votes last season.
In attack, Jay Schulz has a history of kicking goals against North and will warrant plenty of attention, while Angus Monfries and Robbie Gray are dangerous around the packs.
Then there’s the Power’s fitness. They’ve won 18 of the past 26 final quarters and simply run out games better.
So how does North stop Port’s momentum?
Last year it broke a five-game winning streak for the South-Australian side with an all-the-way win in Hobart.
It was contested ball that gave the Kangaroos the advantage – Ben Cunnington (20 contested disposals), Ryan Bastinac (13) and Daniel Wells (11) found the ball in the packs
But the Power’s contested-ball numbers are among the best in the league, while North sits down the bottom.
There was improvement against the Bulldogs and that will need to continue against a side that can now seriously be considered as one of the hardest teams to beat.
“We knew it was going to be a game that was like two bulls butting heads (against the Bulldogs) in regards to trying to win the contested ball, so it was really pleasing for us that we turned it around quickly,” assistant coach Darren Crocker told NMFC.com.au.
But it’s a whole new ball-game this week, and any lapses similar to Round 1 will be punished by the Power.
