FINALLY, we have one of the all-time great finals encounters.

After a weekend of September blowouts, West Coast and its band of retiring champions kept its premiership dreams alive with a remarkable two-point extra-time victory over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

Luke Shuey held his nerve to kick a goal after the siren to give West Coast a remarkable triumph – 12.6 (78) to 10.16 (76).

Full match coverage and stats

"I was nervous, mate, but that's a good as game as we've ever played here, so very pumped to get a win," Shuey told Channel Seven.

The Eagles will now face Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium next Saturday night.

Eagles coach Adam Simpson said his side was due for a result to fall its way after a number of close losses this season.

"There are plenty of times this year when we have fallen a bit short," Simpson said.

"We also had some really good wins this season as well against some top sides but I would say that the narrative is around us not being able to close out games and play out quarters so to do that we did in the last couple of minutes, it's a massive step forward for us as a club and for what we're trying to achieve.

"I couldn't be prouder.

"These type of wins, they go down in history."

With scores level at the end of four quarters, goals to Sam Gray and Ollie Wines, and a Charlie Dixon behind, put the Power up by 13 points in the first period of extra time.

Five things we learned from Port Adelaide v West Coast

Josh Kennedy narrowed the gap despite the protests of Power defender Dougal Howard, who claimed he touched the ball.

Kennedy booted a long bomb at the start of the second, five-minute extra-time period to narrow the deficit to two points.

The Power kicked a couple of behinds before Shuey was tackled high with 20 seconds on the clock and kicked the goal from 45m out.

"You hope it's going to be something different at the end, but it's an elimination final, cut-throat, they (the Eagles) are going to keep coming at you," Power coach Ken Hinkley said.

"It's a small margin game, a shrug of a free-kick that results in them kicking that goal.

"What do you do? Other than be disappointed you're not continuing on and congratulating the winners."

The Power led by nine points in the last quarter before goals to midfield workhorse Matt Priddis and Drew Petrie put the visitors back in front.

Power skipper Travis Boak hit the post from tight in the left forward pocket at the 25-minute mark to level the scores.

Every Power player rated from the first elimination final

But the Eagles showed tremendous desperation, defender Eric Mackenzie sacrificing his body, running into the point post and saving a certain behind to deny the Power the lead.

The two teams then played two periods of five minutes each with time on.

The Eagles led by 31 points at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter before the Power booted six unanswered goals.

All Australian ruckman Paddy Ryder produced a stunning tap to Ollie Wines to give the Power its first lead of the night at the nine-minute mark of the last term.

The Eagles looked dead and buried when Sam Powell-Pepper slapped the ball on to his boot to extend the lead to nine points, but two of their retirees refused to go quietly into the night.

Jeremey McGovern was huge in defence with his trademark intercept marking, hauling in 15 marks to go with 25 possessions. 

Andrew Gaff (34 disposals), Priddis (33) and Shuey (32) led the midfield charge for the Eagles.

Every Eagle rated from the first elimination final

With five wins from their six previous trips to Adelaide Oval, the ground posed no fear for the Eagles.

The visitors started beautifully with three goals in the first eight minutes.

They were aggressive at the contest, smashing the Power in the clinches with their veteran midfielders Priddis and Sam Mitchell rising to the occasion.

The Power trailled by 11 points at half-time and had the momentum, but the Power couldn't convert their chances in the third term, kicking 1.3 with three shots out on the full despite having 18 inside 50s to nine.

With 26 scoring shots to 18, Power coach Ken Hinkley lamented his side's inaccurate goal-kicking.

"It's been our problem for large parts of the year, but we've worked really hard on it all year," Hinkley said.

"We just haven't been able to quite convert the way we should, but that's a work in progress, but it costs and hurts tonight more than you can imagine."

PORT ADELAIDE  1.0   5.5   6.8   8.12  10.16 (76)
WEST COAST       4.2   7.4   7.5    9.6    12.6 (78) (extra time) 

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Dixon 3, S.Gray 2, Wines 2, Ebert, Powell-Pepper, Wines
West Coast: Darling 3, Kennedy 3, Shuey 2, Petrie 2, Cripps, Priddis 

BEST 
Port Adelaide: Dixon, Wines, Ebert, Powell-Pepper, Howard, R.Gray
West Coast: McGovern, Priddis, Petrie, Jetta, Shuey, Vardy 

INJURIES 
Port Adelaide: Nil
West Coast: Nil 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Donlon, Deboy, Schmitt

Official crowd: 41,172 at Adelaide Oval