PORT Adelaide will enter Thursday night's qualifying final with belief and energy at an "all-time high" as it attempts to convert its fourth September campaign in five years into its first Grand Final in that period.
The Power have a 2-4 record in September since 2020 and exited last year's finals in straight sets after losses to Brisbane and Greater Western Sydney, but gun midfielder Ollie Wines said the team was the most prepared it has been for a finals campaign.
While their recent finals record is not convincing, Wines said it was the Power's 8-1 run heading into September – and the belief that those performance have generated – that would prove crucial against Geelong on Thursday night.
"This year in terms of the results going into the finals, we're the most prepared we've been, and I think we're feeling the best we have," Wines told AFL.com.au.
"I can't really compare it to previous years entering the finals, but certainly the belief and the energy around the group is at an all-time high.
"You want to win those games going into finals to give you that, and over the last nine weeks we've gone 8-1, so we've been able to do that."
The Power were challenged in their past two matches, holding up in an emotion-charged Showdown and then seeing off Fremantle in the final round as the Dockers played for their season while the Power's top-two finish was all but sealed.
Wines said the variety of challenges met by the team across the past eight weeks was a key reason behind its belief entering September.
"It's a little bit about how we've had to win over the last couple of months and the different circumstances, which I think has equipped us to think we are prepared for anything," he said.
"It's been really pleasing to face those different challenges and get through them, and hopefully whatever September throws up at us, we'll be ready to face it."
Wines reflects the energy and belief of his team, with the Brownlow medallist back flourishing this season as the inside midfielder who took over the competition in 2021.
After a year on the wing, the 29-year-old has been a vital cog in the Power's dynamic engine room with a team-high 11.5 contested possessions and 8.4 groundballs a game, allowing the young stars around him to do their best work.
"I've loved seeing these guys, particularly in the midfield, thrive around me," Wines said.
"I love being in and under at the coalface, and I think with the dynamic of our midfield I've really seen the writing on the wall and the need to play my role and help these guys play theirs to the best of their ability.
"So to be in and under and feeding the ball out and winning clearances and contested possessions has been really reassuring for me to get back to playing good, consistent footy."
The key to Port's midfield is a set of non-negotiables they mapped out at the start of the year, including basics like "ball security, having really good pressure, and communication with your fellow midfielders".
They have all attempted to set the standard in those areas, Wines said, and would lean on them in the pressure cooker finals environment.
While Wines didn't shine in last year's finals as a wingman, his previous September campaign as an inside midfielder in 2021 was exceptional.
He had a game-high 33 disposals in the Power's qualifying final win against Geelong that year, and then 38 and 16 contested possessions in the preliminary final loss to the Western Bulldogs.
The big-bodied onballer has the form line to believe he can make a big impact again in September.
"The game probably changes a little bit to suit my style and is a little bit more contested, and I really like playing the style that finals footy presents," he said.
"There was probably a slump in the middle of the year for me, which coincided with the team having a little bit of a slump, but all in all I think I've been pretty consistent.
"I've been able to up my game and take it to another level over the last eight weeks, and I'll be aiming to take that into September footy."
