After a hard-fought contest in the first half, the Power led by just 11 points despite playing the better football, and Port extended its margin to 23 points at the last change after the Hawks kicked the last two of the term.
But Port Adelaide blew Hawthorn away in the final term, adding the Hawks’ scalp to several others they have already claimed this season with high scoring second halves.
Nick Stevens, Adam Kingsley, Josh Francou and Brett Montgomery all dominated in the middle of the ground for the Power, feeding off the brilliant ruck work of Matthew Primus, who revelled in his return from injury after Shaun Rehn was a late withdrawal for the Hawks.
“I think Matty Primus dominated giving me first use of the footy so real credit to Matty,” Stevens said. “We tried to go with Hawthorn, knowing they like to hang onto the footy, and tried to bottle it up, and full credit to the boys we stuck to the game plan and won.”
Primus racked up 32 hitouts after missing just one game with his knee injury, while Peter Burgoyne, Stevens and former skipper Gavin Wanganeen slotted three goals each.
“Its just a fantastic feeling, we’ve set ourselves a few goals on the road and to come here against Hawthorn and get a win is great,” Primus said after the win. “Our onballers were fantastic, they ran the game out fantastically.”
“He’s a great leader, to be able to come back from that knee injury in that short of a time shows how much of a leader he is,” Port coach Mark Williams said of Primus. “It was a terrific team effort and one we’ll remember for a long time.”
Daniel Harford, Angelo Lekkas and Jonathan Hay tried hard for the Hawks, but without Rehn and skipper Shane Crawford Hawthorn fell down badly in the centre, with Trent Croad, Hay and Lekkas kicking two goals each.
Croad kicked the first goal of the game for the Hawks, but with all of the play, Port kicked the next four through Burgoyne, Stevens, Roger James and Primus to bolt three goals clear.
But when Croad bounced one through Michael Wilson’s legs from 15m out, and then Nathan Thompson added Hawthorn’s third courtesy of a 50m penalty just before the siren, the Power led by only five points at the first change, 4.2.26 to 3.3.21.
Port again seemed to be getting on top when they kicked three of the first four goals through Warren Treadrea, Stevens again and Wanganeen, youngster Tim Clarke’s six-pointer keeping the Hawks in touch.
But Hawthorn steadied late in the half, and despite wasting several chances, trailed by 11 points at the long break, 7.6.48 to 5.7.37 thanks to a long bomb from inside the centre square by full-back Hay.
Port broke six goals clear into time-on after a long bomb in a similar vein to Hay by James, and further goals to Wanganeen, Montgomery and Stuart Dew with John Barker reported for striking Primus immediately after Wanganeen’s goal.
But having missed several chances, Hawthorn gave themselves a chance knowing they would be kicking with the wind in the last term. Goals to Ben Dixon and Hay to cut the deficit to 23 points, 7.11.53 to 11.10.76 after a Wanganeen goal just after the siren was disallowed.
Despite Wanganeen having a goal disallowed after he kicked it just after the three-quarter time siren, the Power pulled right away in the last quarter, kicking six goals to three.
Burgoyne added a couple of goals in the last term, with Che Cockatoo-Collins, Dew, Wanganeen and Stevens kicking the other majors, while Lekkas kicked two and Aaron Lord one for Hawthorn.
Scoreboard:
PORT ADELAIDE: 4.2 7.6 11.10 17.14 (116)
HAWTHORN: 3.3 5.7 7.11 10.13 ( 73)
Goals: Port Adelaide: G Wanganeen 3 P Burgoyne 3 N Stevens 3 S Dew 2 R James 2 M Primus B Montgomery S Cockatoo-Collins W Tredrea. Hawthorn: J Hay 2 T Croad 2 A Lekkas 2 B Dixon N Thompson T Clarke A Lord.
Best: Port Adelaide: N Stevens M Primus C Cockatoo-Collins G Wanganeen B Montgomery W Tredrea P Burgoyne D Mead. Hawthorn: J Smith J Hay J Rawlings A Lekkas.
Injuries: Hawthorn: S Rehn (calf) replaced in selected side by B O'Farrell.
Umpires: B Allen, D Morris, C Mitchell.
Official crowd: 28,228 at MCG.
