Port Adelaide Football Club

Port Adelaide Football Club

Names
Full name	Port Adelaide Football Club
Nickname(s)	Power
Motto	"It Starts Here" The Power, The Creed, Since 1870
Season 2010
Leading Goalkicker	Jay Schulz (33)
Club Details
Founded	1870
Colours	Teal      Black      White      Silver
Competition	Australian Football League
Chairman	Brett Duncanson
Coach	Matthew Primus
Captain(s)	Domenic Cassisi
Premierships	SANFL (34): 1884, 1890, 1897, 1903, 1906, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1928, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996 AFL: (1): 2004
Ground(s)	AAMI Stadium (Capacity: 51,515)
	Alberton Oval (Capacity: 15,000)
Other information
Official website	www.portadelaidefc.com.au
Guernsey:

Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Power, is an Australian rules football club based in Port Adelaide, South Australia, that plays in the AFL. Port Adelaide is the oldest club in South Australia playing in the AFL and one of the oldest football clubs in the world. Since the club’s first game in 1870, it has won 34 SANFL premierships, including six in a row, and achieved the honour of being Champions of Australia on four occasions.^[1][2]

From its foundation in 1870 to 1996, the club representing Port Adelaide competed in the SANFL as the "Port Adelaide Football Club". Over the years, it has had many nicknames, including: the Cockledivers, Seaside Men, Seasiders, and Magentas, before finally settling on Magpies in 1902. In 1997, the club joined the Australian Football League. On entry, Port Adelaide adopted a new nickname, The "Power" and added two more colours (Silver and Teal) in a requirement to differentiate itself from existing AFL club Collingwood. Since joining the AFL, Port Adelaide have added the 2004 AFL Premiership to their Premiership haul, thereby bringing the total Premierships attained by the Port Adelaide Football Club to 35, (1 AFL and 34 SANFL), as well as a 4 time Champion of Australia. Since 1997 Port Adelaide has also won two night Premierships (2001, 2002) and have finished the regular AFL season as Minor Premier on 3 occasions (2002, 2003, 2004). Its AFL licence is held by the SANFL.

SANFL history

Foundation years: 1870–1901

Port Adelaide's magenta uniform (c.1896)

The Port Adelaide Football Club was established in late April or early May 1870 ^[3] as part of a joint football and cricket club. The football club played its first match against a team called the 'Young Australians' on 24 May 1870 at Buck's Flat, a property owned by club president John Hart jnr in Glanville, South Australia. Football in South Australia at this stage was rather unorganised and there were several sets of rules in use across the state.

In 1877 however, Port Adelaide joined seven other local clubs and formed the South Australian Football Association, the first organisation of its type in Australia. It competed its first few seasons wearing a rose pink outfit with white knickerbockers. The club initially enjoyed modest success, but did not win a premiership until 1884. By this time the outfit had changed to magenta with navy knickerbockers. In 1880, the club moved from Glanville Park Oval to Alberton Oval which, except for the 1975 and 1976 seasons, has been its base ever since. Port Adelaide's humble results continued until a second premiership in 1890. It was in this season that Port Adelaide was crowned 'Champions of Australia' for the first time after they defeated VFA premier, South Melbourne.

The 1890s were grim economic times for Port Adelaide's working class base and many players were forced to move interstate to find work. This transferred into poor results on the field. In 1896, with the club in crisis, the club committee met with the aim of revitalising the spirit and instilling a new sense of pride in the Port Adelaide Football Club. It had immediate results and in 1897 Port Adelaide returned to the winners list with a third premiership. Stan Malin won Port Adelaide's first Magarey Medal in 1899. Port finished bottom in a six-team competition in 1900; it has not finished bottom since.

Developing tradition: 1902–1949

Port Adelaide v Sturt, 1914 Grand Final

Port Adelaide's 1914 "Champions of Australia" team

In 1903, Port Adelaide took to the field in the famous black and white for the first time as they were having trouble finding the appropriate dye for its magenta guernseys. The club was now being referred to as 'the Magpies' and the Port Adelaide Football Club was taking a more familiar look. Something which was also becoming familiar was winning premierships with success in 1903, 1906, 1910, 1913 and 1914. Port Adelaide also added to its 'Champions of Australia' title in 1890 with victories in 1910, 1913 and 1914. From 21 June 1913 to 31 July 1915 the club was undefeated in 30 games including the 1914 season in which Port achieved the rare distinction of going through the entire season without losing a match. 1914 also saw Port hold North Adelaide to a record low Grand Final of 1.8 (14) to Port's 13.15 (93). At the end of the year the SAFA put together a combined team from all other SAFA clubs to take on the Magpies and Port won again. The SAFA competition was suspended from 1916–1918 because of World War I.

Port Adelaide's pre-war success did not continue post war and from 1919 to 1935, the club recorded only two premiership successes in 1921 and 1928. The depression of the early 1930s hit the club hard with several of its better players moving interstate to secure employment. However, by late 1930s, the economy was on the improve and so was Port Adelaide's form. They netted three premierships in four years with titles in 1936, 1937 and 1939. Just as in 1914, Port Adelaide had hit the peak of their form in the lead up to war, and, just as with World War One, the club was hit hard by players losses to World War Two. From 1942 to 1944, Port Adelaide merged with nearby West Torrens Football Club and the combined side picked up one premiership in this time. Port Adelaide struggled to regain its pre-war momentum once competition resumed in 1945 and played in only one grand final for the rest of the 1940s.

Champion players in this era included Bob Quinn, Sampson Hosking, Les Dayman and Bob McLean

Fos Williams era: 1950–1973

Desperate seeking a change in fortunes, the Port Adelaide committee went in search of a coach that could win the club a premiership. In a decision which would shape the next 50 years of the Port Adelaide Football Club, the committee took a punt on a rover from West Adelaide with just 54 SANFL games to his name – Foster Neil Williams. Williams brought a new uncompromising coaching style based on success at any cost. In just his second season as coach, Williams led the Magpies to their first premiership since 1939. However this was just the beginning of an unprecedented run of success. From 1953, Port Adelaide played in every grand final for the rest of the decade and won a record six premierships in a row from 1954–1959. Williams left as coach in 1958 and Port Adelaide's success seemed to go with him. With his return in 1962, Port Adelaide won three of the next four premierships taking Williams' tally to nine.

This era introduced Magpies fans to players the likes of John Cahill, Peter Woite, Dave Boyd, Geof Motley and Russell Ebert. However, the club failed to win a premiership over the period 1966–1976. Port, and Fos Williams, were frustrated particularly by the dominance of Sturt, which captured seven titles over this period with its run-on game under the leadership of Jack Oatey.

John Cahill era: 1974–1988

One of Port Adelaide's finest players during the Fos Williams era was John Cahill. He eventually became William's protégé and ultimately took over as coach in 1974. While not experiencing success as soon as Williams, Cahill coached in the Williams mould and was, if anything, even more attacking. Cahill took the Magpies to their first Grand Final under his leadership in 1976. They lost the match but learnt a lot, and converted this experience into premierships in four out of five seasons from 1977 to 1981.

In 1981 Port's David Granger was to be the first footballer in the SANFL to be suspended on video evidence. Granger's retirement following a 10 week suspension in 1982 is seen as the end to an era of violence in the game that had become common for all the clubs in their drive to win.

Off-field, a dispute between the Port Adelaide City Council and the SANFL forced the Magpies to move to Adelaide Oval for two seasons from 1975 to 1976. This dispute was eventually solved and the Magpies moved back to Alberton in 1977.

Cahill left the SANFL Magpies in 1983 to coach the VFL Magpies, Collingwood, for two seasons. This saw Port Adelaide fall back to the field somewhat and would not win another premiership until 1988.

Meanwhile, the 1980s marked the rise and rise of the VFL as the premier football competition in the country. SANFL players were flowing across the border to Victoria in search of the large salaries on offer.

SANFL Domination and AFL Establishment: 1989–1996

As early as 1982, there was talk of a side from South Australia entering the VFL. This was fast tracked in 1987 when a team from Western Australia, the West Coast Eagles, and a team from Brisbane, the Brisbane Bears joined the VFL. This left South Australia as the only mainland state in Australia without a team in an increasingly national competition.

The SANFL had been unwilling to entertain the thought of a South Australian side in the VFL. In 1990, the Port Adelaide Football Club, frustrated at the SANFL's lack of action and looking to secure its own future, formally applied to enter what had now become the AFL. The AFL signed a Heads of Agreement with the club in expectation that Port would enter the competition in 1991. What ensued was one of the most bitter episodes in South Australian football history that split the state, the fault lines of which are still evident today. Furious at what it perceived to be treacherous behaviour by Port Adelaide, the SANFL put forward a counter bid to enter a composite South Australian side into the AFL. After legal action from all parties, the AFL finally agreed to accept the SANFL's bid and the Adelaide Football Club was born. Ultimately, Port Adelaide could not compete against the SANFL's ownership of infrastructure and the support of the nine other clubs in South Australia.

The fallout from this failed bid was disastrous with some even calling for Port Adelaide to be expelled from the SANFL. However, Port Adelaide continued to compete and continued to dominate. The Magpies followed their triple triumphs from 1988 to 1990 with a premiership in 1992 and three in a row again from 1994 to 1996. This equated to seven premierships in nine seasons.

But the anger from the failed AFL bid continued to simmer below the surface. In 1994, the AFL announced it would award a second AFL licence to a South Australian club. Port Adelaide seemed to be the obvious choice bid and after much deliberation, the AFL awarded Port Adelaide the second licence and after years of delays, Port was set to enter the premier competition in Australia.

However a licence did not guarantee entry and although a target year of 1996 was set, this was reliant on an existing AFL club folding or merging with another. In 1996, cash-strapped Fitzroy announced it would merge with Brisbane Bears to form Brisbane Lions. A spot had finally opened and it was announced that in 1997, one year later than expected, Port Adelaide would enter the AFL.

Because Collingwood, an existing AFL team, played in black and white stripes and were nicknamed the Magpies, it was incumbent on Port Adelaide to find new colours and a new nickname to avoid a clash. In 1995, a new guernsey – jumper was created with the look unveiled made up of Black, White, Silver and Teal which represents the water of the Port River. The logo consisted of three strips, reflecting the colours.

Once an entry date had been confirmed, the Port Adelaide Football Club set about forming a side fit for competition in the AFL. It was announced that existing Magpies coach, John Cahill would make the transition to the AFL. Cahill then set about forming a group which would form the inaugural squad. Brownlow medallist and former Magpie, Gavin Wanganeen was poached from Essendon and made captain of a team made up of six existing Magpies players, players from other SANFL clubs and some recruits from interstate.

AFL history

The Power: 1997–1998

On 29 March 1997, Port Adelaide played its first match for AFL premiership points against Collingwood at the MCG suffering a 79 point defeat. Port won its first game in the AFL in Round 3 against Geelong on 12 April 1997 by 39 points. In Round 4, it recorded one if its best wins for the season when it defeated cross town rivals The Crows by 11 points in the very first Showdown. At the mid way point of the season (round 11) Port were in ninth position out of the eight by just percentage. In Round 20 they drew their first match against the Brisbane Lions at the The Gabba. Port Adelaide was widely tipped to take the wooden spoon at the start of the season but defied the critics and recovered from its poor start to finish 9th just percentage behind Brisbane. To end the year Michael Wilson won the Rising Star Award.

The 1998 season was looking very similar to the previous year as they hovered around ninth position for most of the year and looked like a threat for finals after Round 14, but after that they lost six of their last eight games including defeats of over nine goals to North Melbourne, Adelaide and Carlton. The Power finished the 1998 season in 10th place, with a record of 9 wins, 12 losses and 1 draw.

The Mark 'Choco' Williams Era: 1999-2010

First Finals series: 1999

In 1999 Mark Williams took over as coach of Port Adelaide. In only its third season the club played in the pre-season grand final against Hawthorn at Waverley Park. Port Adelaide lost 5.6 (36) to 12.11 (83) The season wasn't looking very promising and by Round 12 they had dropped down to a low of fourteenth. But they put together a five game win streak from Round 13 through to Round 17 to eventually finish 7th and earn them a spot in the finals for the first time in the club's history. They were however eliminated by eventual premier, North Melbourne, by 44 points in the Qualifying Final. Port Adelaide had achieved real success for the first time in the national competition.

Failure and Success: 2000–2001

After a very promising 1999 Port had an extremely poor start to the 2000 season where they won just one game until Round 13. After Round 13 however they had a promising finish to the year winning six of their last ten games. They finished 14th, recording 7 wins, 14 losses and 1 draw); their lowest finish so far.

2001 Ansett Australia Cup Grand Final	G	B	Total
Port Adelaide	17	9	111
Brisbane	3	8	26
Venue: Football Park	Crowd: 35,304

Port Adelaide had a very successful 2001 season, starting with a maiden pre-season competition victory, defeating the Brisbane Lions 17.9 (111) to 3.8 (26) with Adam Kingsley awarded the Michael Tuck Medal as best afield. They became the first non-Melbourne based club to win the pre season premiership and the first club to win both Showdown's in the same year, defeating the Crows by 65 and eight points respectively. The Power finished their 2001 home and away season with 16 wins and 6 losses, finishing 3rd on the ladder and qualifying for the finals series. The club travelled to Brisbane for the Qualifying Final, losing by 32 points. They had however earned themselves a second chance by finishing third and had a home Semi Final against the team who had finish 6th, Hawthorn. Port led by 17 points going into the last quarter but failed to convert and lost by three points.

Minor Premiers and Finals Frustration: 2002–2003

2002 Wizard Home Loans Cup Grand Final	G	B	Total
Richmond	9	8	62
Port Adelaide	10	11	71
Venue: Colonial Stadium	Crowd: 36,481

Port Adelaide started 2002 strongly, winning the Pre Season competition for the second time in a row (71–62 against the Richmond Tigers) with Nick Stevens awarded the Michael Tuck Medal. The side built on its success in 2002 and won its first minor premiership with an 18–4 record. However, they could not convert this form into a Grand Final berth. Qualifying for the finals series, they were upset in the Qualifying Final by Collingwood 108–95, but won their second match over Essendon 83–59 to qualify for the preliminary finals before losing to the eventual Grand Final winners the Brisbane Lions 138–82.

Despite the disappointment of the finals of 2002, Port Adelaide continued its minor round dominance and again finished top to claim the McClelland Trophy in 2003. Port Adelaide lost the qualifying final to Sydney, defeated Essendon in the Semi then lost to Collingwood by 44 points in the Preliminary Final.

Premiership Glory: 2004

The year of 2004 was arguably the greatest season in the club's 140 year history.

Port Adelaide opened the season well with victories over Essendon, West Coast and Hawthorn. After which, the club then faltered slightly winning only four of its next eight games. At this stage Port Adelaide had dropped as low as fifth on the premiership table, three games below ladder leaders St Kilda. From rounds twelve to seventeen Port Adelaide turned their fortunes around and had six consecutive wins and were equal top of the ladder with Brisbane, St Kilda and Melbourne. Although in contention for the Minor Premiership Port Adelaide then suffered another hiccup with an unexpected loss to Essendon .

The following week Port Adelaide bounced back with a comprehensive victory over top to the table Melbourne. In the succeeding two weeks Port Adelaide beat lowly placed Western Bulldogs and Collingwood and were sitting on top of the ladder. With one round to go Port Adelaide needed to beat cross town rivals to claim the Minor Premiership for the third consecutive year. In a hard fought game Port Adelaide accounted for the Adelaide Crows by twenty five points. Port Adelaide was assisted by the ascendancy of soon to be name All-Australian Centre Half Forward Warren Tredrea. Tredrea dominated his opponent Ben Rutten collecting twenty one disposals, eleven marks, four goals and three Brownlow Medal votes.

2004 AFL Grand Final	G	B	Total
Port Adelaide	17	11	113
Brisbane	10	13	73
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground	Crowd: 77,671

Port Adelaide easily won the qualifying final against Geelong, earning a home Preliminary Final. Port Adelaide made it through to its first AFL Grand Final after defeating St Kilda in a thrilling Preliminary Final by just six points. On 25 September 2004, Port Adelaide faced a highly fancied Brisbane side attempting to win a record-equalling fourth straight AFL premiership. Only one point separated the sides at half time, however late in the third quarter Port Adelaide took the ascendency and romped home in the final term to win by 40 points: 17.11 (113) to 10.13 (73). Byron Pickett was awarded with the Norm Smith Medal after being judged the best player in the match, tallying 20 disposals and kicking 3 goals. Port Adelaide added an AFL premiership to its 34 SANFL premierships.

Finals goal: 2005

After the euphoria of 2004, Port Adelaide struggled to maintain its form and endured a disappointing 2005. After a slow start to the season, they finished 8th to scrape into the finals series where they defeated the Kangaroos by 87 points. In the next round Port faced the highly fancied minor premiers Adelaide. This match, dubbed "The Ultimate Showdown", marked the first occasion where the two cross-town rivals had met in a finals series. The result was an anti-climax for Port, who went down by 83 points in a massive turnaround from their performance the previous week against the Kangaroos.

Rebuilding: 2006

Port Adelaide against the West Coast Eagles at AAMI Stadium in 2006

After having a shaky start to the 2006 season the side played into some form, winning four consecutive matches, before losing four consecutive matches. After having lost to St Kilda, the Power sat in 12th position with only six wins out of a possible sixteen. The Power then went on to lose to the Swans and the Kangaroos which gave them their worst ever losing streak of six consecutive losses. The Power then travelled to Darwin to take on finals bound Western Bulldogs and fought to a gutsy 14 point win after some last quarter heroics from Michael Pettigrew, placing The Power in 11th position with 7 wins and 12 losses with three games remaining.

After going down to Collingwood by two points in Round 20 at home, the Power faced the highly-fancied, premiership favoured, but injury-decimated arch-rival Adelaide in Round 21 in Showdown XXI. Adelaide dominated early proceedings, but kept Port Adelaide in the game with their wasteful kicking for goal, with 3.8, and two shots out on the full. The Power youngsters took advantage and fought hard for a 14-point victory, ending the recent Crows winning streak over them and giving their supporters great hope that another premiership was not too far away. Chad Cornes was named Showdown Medallist as best-on-ground in the game.

2006 was seen as a very important year for the Power, as the new guard had begun to show that they are capable of great things and are working towards playing final again in 2007. The Power had a club record number of nominations for the AFL Rising Star award in 2006, and provided the winner in Danyle Pearce. In the Brownlow Medal count, the Power's best outpolled the favourites from cross-town nemesis Adelaide. 2006 Best and Fairest Brendon Lade and midfielder Shaun Burgoyne each scored 15 votes, whilst NAB Rising Star Danyle Pearce took thirteen – with Port Adelaide finishing the count with 67 votes – one of the top eight clubs for the night. With 2006 being a fairly disappointing year all up, 6 of the clubs 8 wins that year were to teams that finished in the top 8 in 2006, including the beltings they gave to reigning premiers Sydney and future premiers of that year West Coast.

Young side success and Grand Final loss: 2007

Port Adelaide equaled their best ever start to a season, with 6 wins and 1 loss after round 7, after defeating Fremantle, North Melbourne, Collingwood, St Kilda and Richmond, although losing to the Adelaide Crows. Coach Mark Williams believed the Power was now reaping the rewards of its decision to allow seven key players to undergo surgery in 2006 in order to get them fit to play for 2007.^[4]

Many players enjoyed great starts to the season, including Ex-Richmond Tigers player David Rodan, who performed solidly in his first game against his former club, continuing his impressive career revival at the Power. Also, explosive midfielder Shaun Burgoyne was an early contender to win the Brownlow Medal, while Chad Cornes' was also in the hunt. Slightly built speedster Nathan Krakouer, nephew of the legendary North Melbourne brothers Jimmy Krakouer and Phil Krakouer, also showed plenty of raw talent and exciting glimpses of his potential.

Round 8 saw Port incur a 31 point defeat at the hands of last year's grand finalists Sydney at the SCG. Half way through the 4th quarter, the Power cut the gap to just 19 points, but Sydney answered with another 2 goals and effectively sealed the match. The Power's best midfielders were negated, and although it won the first possessions and the clearances, Port didn't do enough with them.^[5] With their second loss of the season, the Power slipped back to 2nd position on the ladder behind the Eagles.

The Power incurred further losses in Rounds 9, 10 and 11, to Geelong, Hawthorn and Carlton respectively, leaving it reeling with 4 consecutive losses. However in its Round 12 match against Essendon, Port Adelaide had a confidence-boosting win (126 to 95), returning to its traditional attacking style of game, in Warren Tredrea’s 200th game for the power, who scored 4 goals in the match. Robert Gray also booted 4 goals for the Power, in just his third match ^[6]

Round 15 saw the Power trashing the premiers West Coast by 91 points, their biggest win that year. Chad Cornes, Justin Westhoff and Daniel Motlop kicked 4 goals apiece and Kane Cornes restricted Chris Judd to just 11 disposals while getting 35 disposals himself. They finished the minor season 2nd on the ladder.

Heritage-Themed Round: The 2006 controversy concerning the AFL's refusal to permit Port to wear its traditional black-and-white "prison bar" guernsey in the heritage-themed rounds continued in 2007. Earlier in the year, Power chief executive John James said the club was waiting for confirmation from the AFL that it could wear its 1970s prison bar guernsey for the match against the Western Bulldogs. He said Port was also looking for confirmation it would be able to continue to honour its heritage in any future heritage rounds. Port Adelaide wore black-and-white in the SANFL from 1902 until adding teal and silver to its colours when it joined the AFL in 1997 to avoid a clash with Collingwood. Port Adelaide decided not to participate in the 2006 heritage round when the AFL did not approve the club’s 1980s-style black-and-white guernsey for its 80s themed heritage round. Collingwood club president Eddie McGuire has been a vocal opponent of Port wearing the prison bar guernsey, claiming that Collingwood has an exclusive right to wear black and white in the AFL, even in the heritage round. John James stated that the Power possibly received more correspondence from its supporters about the heritage guernsey than about any other issue and that the club would “continue to fight for its heritage and what is right”.^[7] On 14 May 2007 the AFL and Port reached an agreement whereby Port can wear its prison bar guernsey in the heritage round this season, with the proviso that in future seasons its players can only wear it in home heritage round games and provided that such a game is not against Collingwood.^[8]

Port Adelaide were defeated by Geelong in the 2007 AFL Grand Final

Some former players also criticised wearing the heritage guernsey and called for the club to distance itself from its previous history in order to attract a wider fan base. Roger James says he had always viewed the Power as a new club "I understand Port's background but as far as I'm concerned the Power was started from scratch, has only been in the (AFL) competition for 11 years and was made up of players from every SANFL club, to me, its heritage goes back to 1997 and that's why I question the decision to wear a Magpies jumper." Josh Francou commented that "It's time to move on, I can understand Port wanting to recognise its history but there is still a stigma attached with the Port Magpies in that if you don't like them you absolutely hate them and I think Port – while still being respectful of its heritage – has to move away from that."^[9]

Port Adelaide started their finals campaign against the West Coast Eagles at AAMI Stadium and won a tight contest by 3 points. The final score was 9.14 (68) to West Coast Eagles 9.11 (65). That win gave Port the week off, their next game would be the Preliminary final against the Kangaroos, who defeated Hawthorn in the Semi-finals. Port easily defeated the Kangaroos to win by 87 points, 20.13 (133) to the Kangaroos 5.16 (46). This win ensured Port of a grand final berth, their second in four years. However, in the Grand Final they were defeated by Geelong by a AFL record margin of 119 points, 24.19 (163) to Port Adelaide's 6.8 (44) in a crowd of 97,302.

Finals misses: 2008–2009

It was a disappointing 2008 for a Port Adelaide side keen to build on the 2007 grand final appearance. Injuries hurt the side late in the season but only after finals became impossible to reach. Port Adelaide was slow out of the blocks, not notching up a win until round five, by when it seemed its season was over. There were convincing wins over St Kilda in round six and Essendon the following week. But there were some extremely poor showings and the season was one of underachievement. Kane Cornes was once again at his consistent best in the middle winning the club's best and fairest at the end of the year, while Daniel Motlop showed at times that he can be one of the most damaging forwards going around, being the Power's leading goal kicker. Early losses in the season also saw the Power labelled as "downhill skiers" in their round 11 clash against Carlton by opposition coach Brett Ratten.^[10] Later on, the round 13 game loss to Richmond at home embodied Port Adelaide’s season. The Power looked to have the Tigers’ measure with a strong opening few minutes before Richmond powered away to kick nine goals in the first term and consolidate a lead that couldn’t be reclaimed. Richmond lesser lights Cleve Hughes and Mitch Morton starred up forward and put an end to any finals plans Mark Williams may have had. This game was one of too many that Port Adelaide should have easily won but didn’t. After the game Mark Williams called the Power's season as "officially off. Many had tipped Justin Westoff to be the heir apparent to Warren Tredrea up forward after an eye-catching debut season in 2007. But Westoff struggled with the extra attention this year and only managed 22 goals despite leading Port Adelaide in the marks category. Brett Ebert also had a quiet year for his standards after he was the AFL’s best small forward with 56 goals in 2007. He only kicked 33 this year and was held goalless on six occasions. In the national competition, one of the pluses of being a non-Victorian team is home advantage. But Port Adelaide only won three of its 12 games at AAMI stadium for the year, which made finals an impossibility.^[11] The season also saw the retirement of Power legend, Michael Wilson, due to recurring injuries, which had bothered him for most of his career. Wilson is known for his leadership and toughness, and was one of the players in the Power's first AFL premiership team.^[12]

On 5 November 2008, Warren Tredrea stepped down as captain to focus on his own footballing ability. ^[13]

On 9 February, it was announced that Domenic Cassisi will become the Power's new captain for the 2009 season, with Shaun Burgoyne and Kane Cornes appointed as vice-captains.^[14] Cassisi's elevation to captaincy generated controversy due to coach Mark Williams originally wanting Shaun Burgoyne or Chad Cornes to be captain, which was overruled by the Power's administration board. Williams however was happy with the result by stating: "Having gone through the (board administration) process, I'm delighted with the result we got."^[15]

On 17 March, the Port Adelaide Football Club announced that they had requested an immediate seven-figure sum from the AFL in a bid to ease its financial crisis. The Power had accumulated a consolidated debt totaling $5.1 million and was unable to pay its players; they had lost $1.4 million the season before, a year in which they finished 13th, and had their average home crowds drop to little more than 23,000.^[16] However the financial assistance was denied by the league, with AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou saying that they would have to undergo an intensive application process and work with the SANFL who own the Power's AFL licence.^[17] On 20 May, Port were handed $2.5 million in debt relief by the SANFL, and on 15 June were handed a $1 million grant by the AFL commission.^[18][19] By the end of the season the financial situation had reached the point where either the Port Adelaide Magpies (also suffering from crippling debt) or the Power could be forced to fold. The SANFL had announced it could support one club but not both. Plans for a merger of the two clubs to keep the Power in both the AFL and SANFL were later rejected by the SANFL.

For the 2009 season, Port Adelaide improved on its 13th-place finish of last year. The Power notched up an extra two/three wins to climb to 10th position on the AFL ladder and, in the third year of a five-year plan, are slowly heading in the right direction. The club got some important game time into the likes of Hamish Hartlett, Matthew Broadbent, Travis Boak, Alipate Carlile, Robbie Gray, Nathan Krakouer and Nick Salter and appear to have unearthed a player in former Geelong-listed midfielder Jason Davenport.

Warren Tredrea was back to his best, kicking 51 goals for the season and leading Port Adelaide's goalkicking again. One of his highlights in the year was two consecutive hauls of 6 goals vs Melbourne and Hawthorn and a 7-goal haul vs Richmond including the one that sealed the game. That match vs Richmond, Tredrea also took a saving mark deep in defence.

Despite the rise up the AFL ladder it could be argued that the club actually went backwards in several key areas. The Power's frustratingly inconsistent form and significant lapses within games raised concerns over the team's mental state and willingness to dig in when the going got tough. The playing list, which was not too long ago considered top-four material, also appears suspect. The new hierarchy of president Brett Duncanson and CEO Mark Haysman worked diligently to minimise the club’s multi-million-dollar debt, but the club itself did not appear sold on its decision to re-appoint long-serving coach Mark Williams. Williams was re-signed as a result of a marathon nine-hour board meeting, but talk of behavioural clauses, succession plans and general unrest has obviously had a negative impact to the club.^[20]

The end of the 2009 season also saw the retirements of premiership players Peter Burgoyne, Brendon Lade, and Toby Thurstans.

On 14 September, Port Adelaide Football Operations Manager Peter Rohde announced that premiership player and vice-captain Shaun Burgoyne has requested a trade to Victoria.^[21]

The Power's poor year was succinctly summarised during trade week by one player agent as "There is no way I would, or could, recommend any of my players moving to Port Adelaide, no matter how much they were offered. No self-respecting manager could do it." ^[22]

On 8 October, Shaun Burgoyne was traded to Hawthorn in a four-team trade where the Power received Essendon's Jay Nash, and draft pick selections #9, #16, and #97.^[23]

Departure of premiership coach and captain: 2010

The Power started off the year strongly winning three of four games in the NAB Cup and then went 5-2 in the first seven rounds of the 2010 season, which included an impressive victory against the previously undefeated Saints, who had only lost 3 of their past 29 games before that, by 10 points. However after that, the Power would then go on to lose a club record 9 in a row, which included a loss against the then 16th placed Richmond Tigers who had yet to win a game. On 9 July 2010, Mark Williams stepped down as senior coach and coached his final game against Collingwood at AAMI Stadium marking an end of an era for the club. Matthew Primus took over as caretaker coach for Port Adelaide a few days later after assistant coach Dean Laidley rejected the offer.^[24] In Showdown 29, Port Adelaide ended its nine game losing streak with a 19 point win over crosstown rivals, the Adelaide Crows. It was also Matthew Primus's first win as head coach and by seasons end, he finished with a 5-2 record. The club also saw the retirement of what many fans consider to be the Power's greatest AFL player, Warren Tredrea. On August 20, 2010, "One Port Adelaide Football Club" was launched by former player, Tim Ginever, in a bid to merge the Power and the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL as one club.^[25]

The Matthew Primus Era: 2011-present

2011

On July 21, 2010, Port Adelaide's administration board started the search for a new coach and it was widely believed that the Power would appoint someone who had never been associated with the club before.^[26] However, on September 9, Matthew Primus was appointed as the senior coach of the club for the next 3 years.

Current playing list

Squad Changes for 2010

Ins

Outs

Other notable players

•    Matthew Bishop
•    Shayne Breuer
•    Peter Burgoyne
•    Shaun Burgoyne
•    Josh Carr
•    Che Cockatoo-Collins
•    Scott Cummings
•    Stuart Dew
•    Fabian Francis
•    Josh Francou
•    Damien Hardwick
•    Roger James
•    Adam Kingsley
•    Brendon Lade
•    Darren Mead
•    Josh Mahoney
•    Brett Montgomery
•    Stephen Paxman
•    Byron Pickett
•    Matthew Primus
•    Warren Tredrea
•    Toby Thurstans
•    Shaun Burgoyne
•    Gavin Wanganeen
•    Darryl Wakelin
•    Michael Wilson

Administrative positions

• President: Brett Duncanson
• Chief Executive: Mark Haysman
• Chief Operating Officer: Steven Weinert
• Football Operations: Peter Rohde

• Board Members:
  • Bruce Abernethy
  • Michael O'Connor
  • Alex Panas
  • David Basheer
  • John Hood
  • Darryl Wakelin
  • Anthony Toop
  • Nick House
  • Jane Jeffryes

Honour Board

The honour board is listed from the first VFL/AFL season and includes:

• John Cahill Medal – awarded to Port Adelaide Football Club's Best & Fairest
• Leading goalkicker award

SANFL Era

AFL

Notes:

• # - In round 3 of the 2004 season, Primus suffered an ACL rupture after his left knee bent the wrong way, requiring a knee reconstruction and putting him out of the game for the rest of the 2004 season. Warren Tredrea took over the captaincy and captained the Power's 2004 premiership side.
• ## - Matthew Primus took over as caretaker coach after Mark Williams stepped down in round 15.

Club Achievements

• AFL Premierships (1)

2004

• SANFL Premierships (34, record)

1884, 1890, 1897, 1903, 1906, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1928, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1977
1979, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996

• Champions of Australia (4, record)

1890, 1910, 1913, 1914

• AFL Pre-Season Premierships (2)

2001, 2002

• SANFL Pre-Season Premierships (3)

1961, 1973, 1989

• AFL Minor Premiership/McClelland Trophy (3)

2002, 2003, 2004

• AFL Runner-Up (1)

2007

• SANFL Runner-Up (34)

1879, 1883, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1892, 1898, 1901, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1915, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1945
1946, 1953, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1984

• SANFL Stanley H. Lewis Memorial Trophy^[27] (11, record)

1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1988,
1989, 1992, 1994

• AFL Finals Appearances (7)

1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007

• SANFL Minor Premiership (42, record)

Individual awards

Magarey Medal winners

The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the Home and Away season of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) as adjudged by the field umpires. The award was created by Williams Ashley Magery, then chairman of the league.

• Stan Malin (1899)
• Jack Mack (1907)
• Sampson 'Shine' Hosking (1910, 1915)
• W. John Ashley (1914)
• Charlie Adams (1921)
• Peter Bampton (1925)
• Bob Quinn (1938, 1945)
• Dave Boyd (1956)
• Geof Motley (1964)
• Trevor Obst (1967)
• Russell Ebert (1971, 1974, 1976, 1980)
• Peter Woite (1975)
• Greg Anderson (1986)
• Scott Hodges (1990)
• Nathan Buckley (1992)

Club Leading Goalkickers

• Scott Cummings (1997)
• Warren Tredrea (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009)
• Stuart Dew (2002)
• Josh Mahoney (2006)
• Brett Ebert (2007)
• Daniel Motlop (2008)
• Jay Schulz (2010)

Norm Smith Medal winners

The Norm Smith Medal is the award given in the AFL Grand Final to the player adjudged by an independent panel of experts to have been the best player in the match.

• Byron Pickett (2004)

AFL Rising Star nominees

Every round, an Australian Football League rising star nomination is given to a standout young player. To be eligible for the award, a player must be under 21 on January 1 of that year, have played 10 or fewer senior games before the beginning of the season, and not have been suspended during the season.

• 1997 – Michael Wilson (1997 winner), Bowen Lockwood, Brendon Lade, Nathan Eagleton
• 1998 – Warren Tredrea, Nick Stevens, Stuart Dew
• 2000 – Chad Cornes
• 2001 – Brent Guerra
• 2002 – Shaun Burgoyne
• 2004 – Brett Ebert
• 2006 – Danyle Pearce (2006 winner), Troy Chaplin, Jacob Surjan, Brad Symes
• 2007 – Robert Gray, Justin Westhoff, Travis Boak
• 2008 – Alipate Carlile
• 2010 - Jackson Trengove

AFL Rising Star winners

At the end of the season, nine AFL personalities (typically administrators and All-Australian team selectors) vote for five of the twenty-two rising star nominees, with their top selections earning five votes, their second selection earning four votes, etc. The player who receives the most votes is the winner.

• Michael Wilson (1997)
• Danyle Pearce (2006)

All Australian Selection

The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season.

• 1956 – John Abley
• 1958 – John Abley
• 1961 – John Abley
• 1969 – John Cahill
• 1980 – Greg Phillips, Mark M. Williams
• 1983 – Craig Bradley, Tony Giles, Stephen Curtis
• 1985 – Craig Bradley
• 1987 – Greg Anderson
• 1988 – Martin Leslie
• 1997 – Adam Heuskes
• 2001 – Gavin Wanganeen, Matthew Primus, Warren Tredrea
• 2002 – Brett Montgomery, Matthew Primus, Warren Tredrea, Josh Francou
• 2003 – Gavin Wanganeen, Warren Tredrea
• 2004 – Warren Tredrea, Chad Cornes
• 2005 – Kane Cornes
• 2006 – Brendon Lade, Shaun Burgoyne
• 2007 – Kane Cornes, Chad Cornes, Brendon Lade

International Rules Selection

The International Rules Series is a senior men's competition between an Irish representative team (selected by the Gaelic Athletic Association) and the Australian representative team (selected by the Australian Football League). The Port Adelaide players to have presented Australia during different years are:

• Nathan Eagleton (1998)
• Peter Burgoyne (1999)
• Nick Stevens, Warren Tredrea, Josh Francou (2001)
• Matthew Primus, Brett Montgomery, Josh Francou, Chad Cornes, Warren Tredrea (2002)
• Peter Burgoyne (2003)
• Danyle Pearce (2006)
• David Rodan, Shaun Burgoyne, Daniel Motlop (2008)

See also International Rules Series

Best First Year Player Award

• 1997 – Darren Mead
• 1998 – Nick Stevens
• 1999 – Barnaby French
• 2000 – Josh Carr
• 2001 – Kane Cornes
• 2002 – Shaun Burgoyne
• 2003 – Toby Thurstans
• 2004 – Brett Ebert
• 2005 – Danyle Pearce
• 2006 – Matt Thomas
• 2007 – Justin Westhoff
• 2008 – Paul Stewart
• 2009 – Hamish Hartlett

Best Team Man Award

• 1997 – Brayden Lyle
• 1998 – Brayden Lyle
• 1999 – Josh Francou
• 2000 – Matthew Primus
• 2001 – Matthew Primus
• 2002 – Josh Carr
• 2003 – Josh Carr
• 2004 – Michael Wilson
• 2005 – Darryl Wakelin
• 2006 – Brendon Lade
• 2007 – Troy Chaplin
• 2008 – Domenic Cassisi
• 2009 – Domenic Cassisi

Fos Williams Award

The Fos Williams Medal is named in honour of former legendary player and coach Fos Williams and is awarded to the player’s choice for the club’s Best Team Man.

• 2005 – Michael Wilson
• 2006 – Brendon Lade
• 2007 – Michael Wilson
• 2008 – Domenic Cassisi
• 2009 – Domenic Cassisi

Most Improved Player

• 1998 – Warren Tredrea
• 1999 – Warren Tredrea
• 2000 – Roger James
• 2001 – Josh Carr
• 2002 – Chad Cornes
• 2003 – Dean Brogan
• 2004 – Kane Cornes
• 2005 – Domenic Cassisi
• 2006 – Shaun Burgoyne
• 2007 – David Rodan
• 2008 – Travis Boak
• 2009 – Robert Gray

Gavin Wanganeen Medal

The Gavin Wanganeen Medal is an award to Port Adelaide's best player under the age of 21. The award, struck in 2006, is named after Gavin Wanganeen, a former champion with both Port Adelaide and Essendon who, by the age of 21, had won a SANFL premiership with Port Adelaide, an AFL premiership with Essendon, a Brownlow Medal and two All Australian awards.

• 2006 – Danyle Pearce
• 2007 – Justin Westhoff
• 2008 – Alipate Carlile
• 2009 – Travis Boak

One-Off Awards

• 2006 – Josh Mahoney Tacklers Award
• 2006 – Brendon Lade Supporters Choice
• 2007 – Daniel Motlop One Percenters Award

Best Finals Player

• 2002 – Matthew Bishop
• 2003 – Brendon Lade
• 2004 – Roger James
• 2005 – Chad Cornes
• 2007 – Peter Burgoyne

Members Choice

• 1997 – Darren Mead
• 1998 – Darren Mead
• 1999 – Fabian Francis
• 2000 – Fabian Francis
• 2001 – Matthew Primus
• 2002 – Matthew Primus
• 2003 – Gavin Wanganeen
• 2004 – Warren Tredrea

Discontinued

Port Adelaide Hall of Fame

The Port Adelaide Football Club's history was celebrated on the 20th February, 1998, when the inaugural 18 members were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Since then there have been two further inductions, one on the 5th April, 2002, with a further eight members joining the Hall of Fame, and then a further three on the 9th May 2003.

• John Abley, 1950-1961. 212 Games, 1 Goal.
• Dave Boyd, 1948-1960. 222 Games, 183 Goals.
• Craig Bradley, 1981-1985. 97 Games, 101 Goals.
• John 'Jack' Cahill, 1958-1973. 264 Games, 286 Goals.
• Angelo 'Ongie' Congear, 1908-1922. Approximately 150 Games, Unknown number of goals (due to uncertainty of records).
• Brian Cunningham, 1971-1983. 255 Games, 409 Goals.
• Leslie 'Bro' Dayman, 1921–1931, 1937. 166 Games, 401 Goals.
• Russell Ebert, 1968–1978, 1980-1985. 392 Games, 294 Goals.
• Tim Evans, 1975-1986. 248 Games, 1044 Goals.
• Brian Fairclough, 1972-1993. U19, Reserves & League Assistant Coach.
• Tim Ginever, 1983-1997. 314 Games, 302 Goals.
• Neville Hayes, 1953-1965. 217 Games, 58 Goals.
• Scott Hodges, 1987-1998. 183 Games, 693 Goals.
• Ron 'Brick' Hoffman, 1939-1948. 103 Games, 181 Goals Goals.
• Sampson 'Shine' Hosking, 1907–1921, 1927, 1937. 162 Games, 45 Goals.
• Henry 'Doc' Kneebone, 1966-1993. Medical Officer.
• Allan 'Bob' McLean, 1939-1948. 147 Games, 471 Goals. Club Administration: 41 Years.
• Edward 'Ted' McMahon, 1933-1973. Trainer/Head Trainer.
• Geof Motley, 1953-1966. 250 Games, 156 Goals.
• Harold Oliver, 1910–1915, 1919–1922, 116 Games, 88 Goals.
• Greg Phillips, 1976–1982, 1988-1993. 343 Games, 93 Goals.
• Harry 'Tick' Phillips, 1886-1900. 198 Games, 126 Goals.
• Jeff Potter, 1959-1970. 235 Games, 289 Goals.
• Bob Quinn, 1933–1940, 1944-1947. 239 Games, 386 Goals.
• Allan 'Bull' Reval, 1932–1943, 1945. 179 Games, 79 Goals.
• Lew Roberts, 1937-1948. 179 Games, 50 Goals.
• Dick Russell, 1947-1953. 121 Games, 1 Goals.
• Darren Smith, 1984-1998. 343 Games, 505 Goals.
• Gavin Wanganeen, 1997-2006. 173 Games, 138 Goals.
• Ted Whelan, 1948-1961. 248 Games, 90 Goals.
• Fos Williams, 1950-1958. 151 Games, 240 Goals.
• Lloyd Zucker, 1949-1959. 185 Games, 263 Goals.

Greatest Team

In June 2001 Port Adelaide announced its Greatest Team (1870–2000) from two centuries. And as the club, either as the original blue-and-white Ports of Buck’s Flat in 1870 or as the Magpies, has achieved unparalleled success in Australian football, it is hailed as the “Greatest Team of the Greatest Club”.

All 22 members of the all-time greatest Port Adelaide team played significant parts in ensuring the club’s rise from the SANFL to the AFL in 1997 – and the demand of the SA Football Commission that a Magpies team be kept in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

There are 201 premiership medals held by the 22 players in the Greatest Team; 532 State games; 16 Magarey Medal and a long list of football accolades and achievements that allow Port Adelaide to have the greatest of the celebratory teams picked with the turn of the century.

^[28]

Club records

Highest Score

AFL – 29.14 (188) vs Hawthorn, Round 13, 2005, AAMI Stadium, Adelaide

SANFL – 37.21 (243) vs Woodville, 19 April 1980

Lowest Score

AFL – 3.12 (30) vs Richmond 10.17 (77), Round 10, 2010, AAMI Stadium, Adelaide

SANFL – 1.1 (7) vs North Adelaide, 5 May 1900

Greatest Winning Margin

AFL – 117 points vs Hawthorn, Round 13, 2005, AAMI Stadium, Adelaide

SANFL – 179 points vs Woodville, 8 August 1970, Woodville Oval

Most Games

AFL – 255 – Warren Tredrea (1997–2010)

SANFL – 392 – Russell Ebert (1968–1978, 1980–1985)

Most Goals

AFL – 549 – Warren Tredrea (1997–2010)

SANFL – 1044 – Tim Evans (1975–1986)

Longest Undefeated Run

AFL – 8 wins (Rnd 8–15, 2002, Round 15–22, 2003)

SANFL – 33 games (21 June 1913–3 July 1915)

Most number of goals in a match

AFL – 8 goals Warren Tredrea (Round 7, 1998, Port Adelaide vs Carlton)

SANFL – 16 goals Tim Evans (Round 5, 1980, Port Adelaide vs West Adelaide)

Corporate

Presidents:

• Bruce Weber (1986–1992)
• Greg Boulton (1993–2008)
• Brett Duncanson (2009–)

Supporters

Port Adelaide has one of the smallest supporter’s bases in the AFL. The core of its supporter base derives from across South Australia. Traditionally before AFL entry the vast majority of Port supporters where either born, or lived in the Port area, however since AFL entry the club has attracted many fans from all over Adelaide.

Supporter Groups

Port Adelaide has many supporter groups, with every state or territory containing at least one supporter group. In addition, many country towns within South Australia have their own supporter group, many of which travel to both home and away games.

Within metropolitan the official supporter group are known as the Port Adelaide Cheer squad Supporters Group (PACSSG). The group members must pay an annual fee to join the group with majority funds being donated to the PAFC. In addition to this the PACSSG also create banners for home matches and some away games, and can be seen and heard from behind the Northern End goals of AAMI Stadium. The name Port Adelaide Cheer Squad Supporters Club derives from when the Port Adelaide Cheer Squad merged with the Port Adelaide Supporters Group in 2008 in an effort to create a larger official group.

Arguably the largest supporter group are known as the Outer Army, who unlike the PACSSG is not officially aligned with the PAFC. Despite this the Outer Army still provides funds to the club through sponsorship. The name Outer Army comes from the group’s original position at AAMI Stadium, choosing to sit on the eastern side which is also commonly known as the “Outer.” Members of the group however can be seen sitting in many different areas around AAMI Stadium, preferring to several smaller groups rather than one big group. The most well known and largest group however can be seen in Bay 132.

Membership and attendance

¹after finals

Home grounds

SANFL

The Allan Scott Power Headquarters at Alberton Oval.

• Buck's Flat (Glanville Estate) (1870–1883)
• Alberton Oval (1883–1996)

Alberton Oval is the spiritual home of the Port Adelaide Football Club.

On May 15, 1880 Port Adelaide played its first match on the ground. In 1881 the decision was made by the Football Club to start leasing the Oval from the Port Adelaide Council for the princely sum of 10 Shillings a year.

The ground has played host to a number of memorable matches in its’ time and in 1977 a record crowd of 22,738 piled in. Many a legend has walked the hallowed turf. Legends such as Russell Ebert, John Cahill, Mark Williams and Gavin Wanganeen played some brilliant football on the ground.

Situated at the eastern end of the suburb of Alberton in Adelaide, the playing surface is surrounded by the Allan Scott Power Headquarters, The Robert B. Quinn MM Stand, Fos Williams Family Stand, Port Adelaide Bowling Club and N.L. Williams Scoreboard.

As well as the facilities facing the oval, along Queen Street there is The Port Club and the Power Megastore for everything black, white, teal and silver.^[29]

AFL

AAMI Stadium - Port Adelaide's home ground

• AAMI Stadium (1997–)
• Alberton Oval (Training) (1997–)

AAMI Stadium (formerly known as Football Park) is Port Adelaide's home ground and is South Australia’s premier football stadium.

Club guernseys

On 1 November 2006, Reebok replaced Nike as Port Adelaide's official apparel partner and manufacturer of Port Adelaide's jumpers.

A guernsey designed by an 11-year-old indigenous student from Waikerie Primary School ^[30] was worn by the Power players in the Season 2007, Round 7 match against Richmond. The guernsey was the winning design in a competition which asked primary school children to design a Power guernsey, run in conjunction with the Come Out Youth Arts Festival, a long-running festival that involves young people throughout South Australia. It is believed to be a sporting first.^[31]

On October 2007, it was announced that Bianco Building Supplies would replace it as one of its major sponsors. Bianco signage appears on the front of the club's home guernsey, and when in away games on the back of the away and clash guernsey. Vodafone signage appears on Port's home guernsey on the back and on the front in away games on the away and clash guernseys.^[32]

On 15 December 2008, Reebok announced that the Power's 2009's guernseys, manufacture would have '1870' printed on the back, just above the player number. New power chief executive Mark Haysman said the move to add 1870 to the club’s guernseys formed part of its Live the Creed initiative. The Port Adelaide Football Club was founded on 20 April 1870 and played its first match on 24 May 1870 at what was known as Bucks Flat at Glanville.^[33]

On 17 July 2009, the Power unveiled a special one-off guernsey, now known as the 'Back in Black' guernsey, which was designed by a 7-year-old student from Ardtornish Primary school. The guernsey has a predominantly black design with a white and teal 'V' and a prominent Power logo. On 28 October 2009, Port received AFL approval to wear the jumper in premiership matches. On 8 February 2010, Port Adelaide announced its first new sponsor to be My ATM. It will wear the sponsor's logo on the front of the guernsey in home games and back in away games. On 26 March 2010, Port Adelaide unveiled its second new sponsor to be Aussie ATM who is a sister company to My ATM. It will wear its sponsors logo on the back of home games and the front in away games.^[34]

Guernsey types

Port Adelaide's two current guernseys are:

Port Adelaide's "Back In Black Guernsey". Used as the home guernsey.

Port Adelaide's "white version" of the home guernsey. Used as a clash guernsey in away games.

• Home guernsey (Worn since 2009): Black based guernsey with a V shaped design, coloured teal and white, My ATM sponsor on front and Aussie ATM sponsor on back (home pants worn).

• Clash guernsey (Worn since 2010): White based guernsey with a V shaped design, coloured teal and black, My ATM sponsor on front and Aussie ATM sponsor on back (away pants worn).

Club Mascot & Home Game Entertainment

Port's club mascot is Tommy "Thunda" Power. The song Thunderstruck by AC/DC is typically played when "Thunda" is on field during home pre-match entertainment.

The Club also has home game entertainment in the form of The Power Funk Squad, an energetic young dance team who were introduced in Season 2006, The Power 22, which are 22 of the Planet Teal child members who run around the boundary and cheer the Power players onto the field, the NAB Supporter of the Week, who encourages vocal crowd support, and a float known as Thunda Bolt.^[35]

Club Song

The Power to Win:^[36]
We've got the Power to win
Power to rule
Come on, Port Adelaide aggression
We are the Power from Port
It's more than a sport
It's true Port Adelaide tradition
We'll never stop, stop, stop
Til we're top, top, top
There's history here in the making
We've got the Power to win
We'll never give in
Til the flag is ours for the taking
POWER

With our tradition so strong
We can't go wrong
We're the Alberton crowd
Port Adelaide proud
And the heroes are those
Who've earned the right
To wear the silver – teal
And black and white
And the Port supporters
Standing tall
True believers
One and all

We've got the Power to win
Power to rule
Come on, Port Adelaide aggression
We are the Power from Port
It's more than a sport
It's true Port Adelaide tradition
We'll never stop, stop, stop
Til we're top, top, top
There's history here in the making
We've got the Power to win
We'll never give in
Til the flag is ours for the taking
POWER!!!

Current and Former Number #1 Ticket Holders

• David Koch – Seven Network's Sunrise co-host & current joint no.1 ticket holder^[37]
• Teresa Palmer – Australian model and actress & current joint no.1 ticket holder^[38]
• Stuart O'Grady – Australian professional road bicycle racer & former no.1 ticket holder^[39]
• Tony Santic – Owner of Makybe Diva & former no.1 ticket holder^[40]
• Bob Quinn – Former high-profile Australian rules footballer with the Port Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) & former no.1 ticket holder^[41]

Notes

1. ^1a "A brief history", from the Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club. Accessed 14 January 2006.

1. ↑ 'Port Adelaide – Part One: 1870 to 1918', FullPointsFooty.net.
2. ↑ 'Club Championship of Australia', FullPointsFooty.net.
3. ↑ South Australian Register, 13 May 1870
4. ↑ Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club > News Article > Last year's tough calls paying off: Power
5. ↑ [1]
6. ↑ "Port back on the winners' list - Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club". Portadelaidefc.com.au. 2007-06-17. http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=6038&newsId=45142. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
7. ↑ "Club Statement re: Heritage Guernsey", from the Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club. Accessed 13 May 2007.
8. ↑ . "Port Adelaide to wear Black and White" from the Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club. Accessed 14 May 2007.
9. ↑ Magpies strip 'bad for Power' The Advertiser 5 July 2007
10. ↑ "Ratten has backline Blues". AFL.com.au. 2008-06-05. http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=60860. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
11. ↑ End of season report: Port Adelaide AFL News 3 October 2008
12. ↑ Power's Michael Wilson retires The Advertiser 5 August 2008
13. ↑ Warren Tredrea steps down as Port Adelaide captain Herald Sun 5 November 2008
14. ↑ Cassisi takes long road to captaincy Official Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club, 9 February 2009
15. ↑ Over-ruled, Mark Williams' slide at Port continues The Advertiser 9 February 2009
16. ↑ Port tell league: we'll go broke realfooty 17 March 2009
17. ↑ It's not a snub – AFL still in the wings TPFP 19 March 2009
18. ↑ Port Adelaide gets $2.5 million SANFL funding AFL 20 May 2009
19. ↑ Power AFL grant AFL, 15 June 2009
20. ↑ "End of season report: Port Adelaide". AFL.com.au. 2009-09-03. http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/83770/default.aspx. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
21. ↑ "Burgoyne wants out of Port - AFL". Fox Sports. 2009-09-14. http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26072844-23211,00.html. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
22. ↑ Greg Denham (2009-10-07). "Power pariah as Lovett joins Saints | The Australian". Theaustralian.news.com.au. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26176079-5012432,00.html. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
23. ↑ "The Deal Is DONE! - Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club". Portadelaidefc.com.au. 2009-10-08. http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6038/newsid/85881/default.aspx. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
24. ↑ "Primu appointed - Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club". Portadelaidefc.com.au. 2010-07-11. http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6038/newsid/97958/default.aspx. Retrieved 2010-07-11. 
25. ↑ http://onepafc.com.au/
26. ↑ http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/tabid/6038/default.aspx?newsid=98690
27. ↑ "The Stanley H. Lewis Memorial Trophy", from Full Points Footy. Retrieved 21 September 2006.
28. ↑ Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club > The Club > Great Team
29. ↑ "Alberton Oval - Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club". Portadelaidefc.com.au. http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/alberton%20oval/tabid/8097/default.aspx. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
30. ↑ Michelangelo Rucci, Chief Football Writer (2007-05-09). "Power's new look a bolter | Adelaide Now". News.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,21706488-21543,00.html. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
31. ↑ "Troy, 11, designs Power guernsey - Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club". Portadelaidefc.com.au. 2007-05-10. http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=6038&newsId=42937. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
32. ↑ "Bianco new joint major partner - Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club". Portadelaidefc.com.au. 2007-10-24. http://portadelaidefc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6038/Default.aspx?newsId=52743. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
33. ↑ "Power adds 1870 to guernsey - Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club". Portadelaidefc.com.au. 2008-12-15. http://portadelaidefc.com.au/tabid/6038/default.aspx?newsid=70842. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
34. ↑ "Aussie ATM Aboard! - Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club". Portadelaidefc.com.au. 2010-03-26. http://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6038/newsid/91103/default.aspx. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
35. ↑ "Power Revolutionizes Game Day Entertainment from the Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club. Accessed: 10 April 2007.
36. ↑ Club Song Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club
37. ↑ Joint No.1 Ticket Holders thepowerfromport.com.au 30 January 2008
38. ↑ Teresa Palmer Power's No. 1 AFL News 30 January 2008
39. ↑ Riding the roller-coaster The Age 2 January 2008
40. ↑ AFL: Diva trainer Port's No.1 fan Findarticles March, 2006
41. ↑ Bob Quinn 1915–2008 Official Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club 12 September 2008

External links

• Official AFL Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club
• Official Website of the Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club
• Planet Teal (Official website of the Port Adelaide Football Club designed for kids)