NO TEAM has given Hawthorn more grief than Port Adelaide in recent seasons.

The Power players know it, and that's why they'll be brimming with confidence heading into Thursday night's must-watch showdown at Adelaide Oval.

From the past four clashes with the Hawks, Port has lost only once – the heartbreaking three-point 2014 preliminary final defeat.

So what is it about the Power that causes the triple-defending premiers so much trouble?

It all starts at the stoppages.

Since 2014, no team has outscored Hawthorn from clearances like Ken Hinkley's side.

Port's +93 scoring differential is an astonishing number for two reasons.

Firstly, North Melbourne (+17) is the only other club with a positive scoring differential from clearances against Alastair Clarkson's Hawks.

Secondly, the Power's combined winning margin against Hawthorn over those last four games is only 41 points.

With that in mind, it puts the microscope squarely on the Power's engine room this Thursday night.

Hinkley will want to remind his hard-running midfielders why they've had the better of Hawthorn in the past two seasons.

It's not difficult to imagine the Port coach eyeballing skipper Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Ollie Wines, Brad Ebert, Kane Mitchell and makeshift ruckman Jackson Trengove and demanding they get on top around the stoppages, because the numbers are amazing.

55 per cent of Port's total score against Hawthorn has come directly from clearances in their last four meetings (the best percentage of any of the Hawks' opponents)

It backs up the theory that Port's pace and spread from the contest with their run-and-gun attack worries the Hawks.

But Hinkley has also consistently pointed out that defensive intensity is what makes the Power tick – and that's been the case against Clarkson's brown and gold machine.

They've coughed up the fewest scores from turnovers (allowing scores from only 20 per cent of intercepts) against Hawthorn of any side since 2014.

And, despite the Hawks' normally razor-sharp kicking, Port has stopped them hitting the scoreboard when they do pump the ball inside 50.

Port has allowed scores from only 39 per cent of entries (ranked No.1 against the Hawks) and never was that more apparent than last year's Anzac Day encounter.

After the Power flicked the switch in a stunning first quarter, rocketing to a 48-point quarter-time lead, they then conceded a tidal wave of inside 50s (79-43) but still hung on for an unforgettable eight-point win.

Then, with their season shot in round 21, the Power found a spark despite their season being over and wrecked the Hawks' top-two hopes with a 22-point upset at Etihad Stadium – a relative blow-out between these sides in recent times.

Based purely on ladder positions, the League-leading Hawks should steam into the next contest as red-hot favourites this Thursday night.

But recent history is weighted heavily towards the ninth-placed home side and there's no doubt the Power play with more energy against the Hawks.

Will it be enough for them to cause another upset and keep their season alive?

STATS QUIRK OF THE WEEK: St Kilda's pressure was immense in a shock upset of Geelong, but the Saints were like witches hats against Gold Coast. In a woeful display, the Saints let the Suns take 149 marks – 34 more than their previous best (115 in round three, 2013 against GWS).

• Read more from the Stats Files