Port band of heroes can deliver the goods
PORT Adelaide’s band of gamebreakers can become September heroes and lead the club to a shock flag, according to premiership defender Darryl Wakelin.
The man who famously stoushed with Brisbane’s Alastair Lynch in the 2004 grand final believes the Power has enough stars to turn the finals on their head, starting with Saturday night’s home clash against West Coast.
While fifth-placed Port will need to win four knockout finals to clinch just its second AFL flag and first for 13 years, Wakelin believes it has the sprinkling of stars needed to create September shockwaves.
“You need some top-liners to win finals and Port has enough there to cause some real damage,’’ said Wakelin.
“If you look at (Chad) Wingard, Robbie Gray, (Paddy) Ryder, (Charlie) Dixon and (Hamish) Hartlett they are all capable of turning it on in the finals and making a real impact.
“And (captain) Travis Boak has started to hit top form too which is a great sign for the team.
“Most of these guys have played finals before and know what’s required and I think they are ready – and hungry – to make a statement.’’
The Power is back in the finals for the first time since 2014 when it beat Richmond and Fremantle in suddendeath battles before losing to eventual premier Hawthorn by just three points in a preliminary final at the MCG.
In the previous season, Port played two finals, beating Collingwood and then losing to Geelong.
Wakelin, who played in the St Kilda side that lost the 1997 grand final to Adelaide before being a member of the Power’s historic first AFL premiership in 2004, believes the finals experience gained by 19 members of the Port squad will stand it in good stead this year.
“A lot of these players have performed really well in finals before and have enough finals experience to go into this series with great confidence,’’ he told The Advertiser.
“They should be comfortable in the finals environment and with a week off following three strong wins (against Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast) they should be cherry-ripe and ready to go.’’