PORT Adelaide's Showdown shocker has been the catalyst for its springboard into the finals, according to Power coach Ken Hinkley.
The Power tuned up for September action with a 115-point thumping of a woeful Gold Coast at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
The huge percentage boost puts the Power temporarily into fourth on the ladder, a spot they will remain if St Kilda can upset Richmond on Sunday.
A fourth-placed finish for the Power will deliver a rematch with minor premiers Adelaide.
The Power would be after retribution after their shocking 84-point flogging at the hands of the Crows in round 20.
"It was probably good for us," Hinkley said.
"We were terrible, we owned it and everything else, but we're not that bad and the opposition are not that good.
"That was a really big sting and in Adelaide, you don't get any bigger sting than that."
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Since that result, the Power have won three games in a row – albeit against non-final teams Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and the Suns – for the first time in two years.
"We've been really honest all year," Hinkley said.
"We've had a couple of really poor performances this year that we're very, very unhappy with and each time we've responded pretty well, so credit to the boys for how they've stuck to the task and got better."
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The Power knew they needed a big win against the Suns to overtake the Swans on percentage, after the Swans belted Carlton earlier in the day.
"Even at three-quarter time, the conversation was, we need to hold Gold Coast under 16 points in this quarter," Hinkley said.
"That was the challenge, that was the first thing on the board, we had to do that.
"That can build pressure or it builds resilience, you talk about the facts and we were able to do it."
WATCH: Ken Hinkley's full post-match press conference
The only concern for Power supporters was seeing star midfielder Chad Wingard leave the ground in the third quarter.
But after having a chat with Hinkley, Wingard returned to the game later in the term to allay fears he had re-injured his ankle.
"He's fine, his foot got stood on, not his ankle, which is the most important thing," Hinkley said.
Power defender Matthew Broadbent made his return from an ankle injury in the SANFL on Saturday.
He will play in the SANFL again next weekend to build his match fitness before being considered for the first week of the finals.
