THE WEEK off before the finals couldn't have come at a better time for Port Adelaide, vice-captain Ollie Wines says.
It's the first break for the Power in 15 weeks after they had their mid-season in bye following their round eight clash with Gold Coast in Shanghai.
The remainder of the teams in the finals had their week off in round 11, round 12 or round 13.
Wines said the break will have the fifth-placed Power primed for their elimination final with West Coast at Adelaide Oval next Saturday night.
"I've really needed the week off, like a lot of us," Wines told reporters on Friday.
"Our first bye was after the Shanghai game, which was round eight, so it's been something like 15 weeks without a rest and the boys were getting pretty tired.
"To have this spell, a couple of days off to freshen up to give the body a rest is a big help."
The Power are back in the finals for the first time since 2014.
Missing the finals for the past two seasons resonated with Wines, after he played in September his first two years in the AFL (2013 and '14).
The seventh overall pick of the 2012 NAB AFL Draft said watching the finals as a spectator, including seeing the Western Bulldogs' fairytale drive to the premiership last year, had been hard to stomach.
"I took it for granted probably my first couple years playing finals and going deep into finals," Wines said.
"To have two years off and see other clubs go and do things, see the Bulldogs story last year, really motivates you to want and play finals.
"We've got an opportunity to play our first final and keep our September run going."
To do that, the Power need to end the Eagles' dominance at Adelaide Oval.
The Eagles have won their past three games at the venue against the Power, including a 10-point win in round seven this year.
"We felt that game was a bit of a turning point for our season this year," Wines said.
"We felt we were in the game at all times and controlled it, but our efficiency going inside 50 just wasn't there that day and that probably triggered a lot of changes for us, going forward.
"That sort of opened our eyes to how we have to go inside 50 to our talls, Charlie (Dixon), Robbie (Gray), Chad (Wingard), down there.
"We've had to change the way we do it, we think we've improved it, so we've just got to execute."