Robbie Gray, Charlie Dixon and Travis Boak; three big factors in Port Adelaide’s successful 2020. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

PORT ADELAIDE
2020 record: 15 wins, 4 losses (3rd)

THE INS
Orazio Fantasia (Essendon), Aliir (Sydney), Tyson Goldsack (Port Adelaide – SANFL), Lachlan Jones (Woodville-West Torrens), Ollie Lord (Sandringham Dragons), Taj Schofield (Woodville-West Torrens)

THE OUTS
Justin Westhoff (retired), Brad Ebert (retired), Jack Watts (retired), Cam Sutcliffe (delisted), Wylie Buzza (delisted), Joe Atley (delisted), Tobin Cox (delisted), Riley Grundy (delisted), Jake Patmore (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
After becoming the first team go through an entire season on top of the ladder since the great Essendon side of 2000, it’s fair to say plenty went right for the Power last year. With Charlie Dixon up front having one of the best seasons of his career, and assisted by the likes of Robbie Gray (eighth in the AFL for goal assists in 2020), Steven Motlop, Todd Marshall and Zak Butters, Port Adelaide had the second-best attack in the competition. The fact the Power have not only been able to add Fantasia to that unit but also that Connor Rozee had a down year by his own lofty expectations after just two seasons in the AFL, must have rival clubs already frantically trying to come up with strategies to nullify their attacking potency. Dixon kicked 34 goals, earned a maiden All-Australian jumper, topped the league for contested marks (46), came in at No.7 for marks inside 50, and was only shaded by Coleman medallist Tom Hawkins for six-pointers (49). And with another first-time All-Australian in Darcy Byrne-Jones leading the way down back, the Power had the No.1 defence in the competition. Byrne-Jones combined superbly with Dan Houston, Hamish Hartlett, Tom Clurey, Tom Jonas and Trent McKenzie to stifle opposition forward lines. That backline should only get stronger in 2021 with the inclusion of Aliir from the Swans. But forward lines and backlines are only as good as their midfields, and unsurprisingly, the Power had an All-Australian in that department too in former captain Travis Boak, who had arguably the best season of his career. The 32-year-old finished second in the Brownlow Medal with an equal-career high 21 votes, and considering the other time he got 21 votes was in a 22-game season (2014), it’s fair to say 2020 was his best. Boak finished eighth in the AFL for disposals, seventh for clearances, 12th for contested possessions, fifth for inside 50s and 16th for goal assists in what was a truly stellar campaign. But he sure had a fair amount of assistance on the ball with Tom Rockliff, Ollie Wines, Butters, Xavier Duursma, Sam Powell-Pepper and Karl Amon forming one of the more lethal midfield groups in the competition. Rockliff ranked fifth for tackles in the AFL last year, Wines came in at No.15 for contested possessions and Butters has emerged as the clubhouse leader of the 2018 draft “big three” of him, Rozee and Duursma after a brilliant season which saw him rank fifth in the league for goal assists. It’s hardly surprising that the Power finished 2020 on differentials ranked No.1 for both clearances and tackles, and third for disposals, contested possessions and marks. Ken Hinkley’s men were also third for total inside 50s and scores per inside 50, so there weren’t too many weaknesses on any of their lines. Meanwhile, the Power are looking very solid in the ruck division too, with Scott Lycett finishing eighth in the AFL for hit-outs last year. His protege Peter Ladhams looks like he is on the verge of becoming a serious player, too. Perhaps most importantly of all, the players really seem to love playing for Hinkley and that kind of connection between coach and players is priceless.

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THE WEAKNESSES
When you take into consideration how dominant Port Adelaide was in so many areas last year, its inability to win the flag, or at least make the grand final, will go down as a massive missed opportunity. The Power were able to avoid sustained hub life like most other clubs, and were able to not only live in their own homes for most of 2020, but also play nine games at Adelaide Oval, including two finals. It really was all set up for them, but they failed to grab their chance with both hands and will only be left to wonder what might have been. They certainly look a strong top-four chance again in 2021, but there are no guarantees in this game, and you really do have to strike while the iron is hot. Granted, they did lose to the eventual premier Richmond in a thrilling preliminary final after beating eventual runner-up Geelong a fortnight earlier, but it could so easily have been them playing the Cats in the grand final, and who knows what could have happened from there. The Power have to develop a steely resolve that will stand up to the hottest of hot finals moments like the ones they were presented with against the Tigers late in the penultimate weekend. And while the Power only lost four times last year, three of those were hefty defeats against fellow top-eight sides Geelong, Brisbane and St Kilda. To really assert themselves as the dominant team in the competition and truly reflect their status as a top-of-the-ladder side, results like that can’t be tolerated. Also, Port Adelaide’s key defensive stocks really got exposed in the second half of the season, particularly by Hawkins. On the first occasion the big Cat kicked 6.2 in arguably the best individual performance by any player in 2020, while in the second meeting, he may have kicked five behinds, but he had plenty of opportunities to put the Power to the sword and it was only his inaccuracy rather than anything his opponents did that let Port Adelaide off the hook. So it’s no wonder that the Power went out and recruited Aliir and Goldsack in the off-season. Meanwhile, as good as Dixon was during the home-and-away season, he was nullified superbly in the finals, managing just two goals from two games, and he needs to go to another level in September if the Power want to capture their second flag.

ONE TO WATCH
Ladhams is only 15 games into his career, but he has already established himself as an important cog in this top-four team. He came into the team last year in round seven, registered 21 disposals and 16 hit-outs, and never looked back. He went on to play 10 games, which would have been more had he not been suspended for a COVID protocol breach. The 23-year-old can also drift forward and kick a goal and looms as a big weapon in Hinkley’s arsenal.

UNDER THE PUMP
Fantasia has proven he has all the talent in the world, but he can’t hide behind the excuse of playing at a poor club anymore. The former Bomber has arrived at a critical juncture in his career at 25 years of age, and the question put to him simply is how badly does he want it? Granted, he has had injury issues for a few years, but at times while playing for Essendon when the going got tough on the field, he didn’t get going. He’s been handed an enormous opportunity to be a regular member of a premiership-contending team and he needs to make the most of it.

BEST 22
B: Hamish Hartlett, Tom Clurey, Tom Jonas
HB: Darcy Byrne-Jones, Aliir, Dan Houston
C: Xavier Duursma, Ollie Wines, Zak Butters
HF: Connor Rozee, Todd Marshall, Steven Motlop
F: Robbie Gray, Charlie Dixon, Orazio Fantasia
R: Scott Lycett, Travis Boak, Tom Rockliff
Inter: Peter Ladhams, Ryan Burton, Sam Powell-Pepper, Karl Amon
Emerg: Trent McKenzie, Riley Bonner, Mitch Georgiades, Kane Farrell

Despite only missing two games last year, McKenzie slips out of the best 22 with the arrival of Aliir and his performance on Hawkins in the qualifying final still fresh in the mind. Georgiades looks like a star of the future, but for now he’s just outside the best 22, although it wouldn’t surprise if that changes early in the season. With McKenzie, Georgiades, Riley Bonner, Kane Farrell, Goldsack and Boyd Woodcock outside the best 22, the Power are blessed with a lot of depth this year.