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The best defence comes up against the best attack in the competition when competition leaders Port Adelaide welcome reigning premiers Hawthorn to what is expected to be a sold-out Adelaide Oval this Saturday night.
The Power currently lead the competition with seven wins and just one loss, marking their best start to a season in their 18 years of existence.
Just how far they have come since the dark days will be put to the test against the benchmark team of the last two seasons, Hawthorn, who are a close second behind them on the ladder.
Both teams enter this showdown on the back of a bye, before which the Power defeated Fremantle at home by three goals and the Hawks lost their second match for the season against the Sydney Swans in Sydney.
Port Adelaide’s resurgence from a laughing stock, in which it lost to both expansion clubs within the space of 16 months, to a serious premiership contender culminated in its Round 6 victory over Geelong, but the Power don’t plan to stop there.
Having also accounted for the GWS Giants, West Coast Eagles, Brisbane Lions, crosstown rivals Adelaide and Carlton this season, the Power will look to add the Hawks to their ongoing list of scalps for the first time since 2010.
Chad Wingard is fast becoming one of the premier midfielders and forwards in the competition. Having won All-Australian selection in 2013, he could be a Brownlow Medallist in the making.
If Gary Ablett unexpectedly does not win the medal this year, then Port’s most exciting player since Gavin Wanganeen could potentially be the one to watch out for at this September’s count.
So far this season he has continued to impress, notably kicking four goals in the first ever Showdown at the Adelaide Oval and kicking three goals in the Power’s last-start win over Fremantle.
While the Power made their surge from the bottom half of the ladder to the upper echelon of it in the past 18 months, the Hawks have been grand finalists for the past two seasons.
After losing to Sydney in the 2012 decider, the Hawks dominated throughout the following season to claim their 11th premiership at the expense of Fremantle. Despite the high-profile departure of Lance Franklin during the off-season, they still remain the team to beat in 2014.
Prior to the loss to the Swans in Sydney, the Hawks had won their six matches by an average of 70 points, including defeating St Kilda by 145 points in Round 7. The other loss in this period was against rivals Geelong in Round 5.
The premiers face a testing few weeks, with Sam Mitchell and Brian Lake both out injured and Jarryd Roughead suspended from the trip to Adelaide after his careless bump on Sydney’s Ben McGlynn last start.
Luke Hodge is expected to return after being a late withdrawal from the match against Sydney, which will slightly boost the Hawks’ chances.
A win for Port Adelaide will officially complete their transformation from the laughing stock of the competition to a genuine powerhouse, which would be a throwback to 2004 when they buried years of finals failure to capture their only AFL flag.
It would also see them maintain their undefeated record at the Adelaide Oval, which has been nicknamed ‘Portress’ by their fans.
The Hawks may have other ideas, as they look to regain the competition lead on percentage (163.7% to the Power’s 150.1%). Even so, the Power will remain at best second or at worst fourth at the completion of the round.
The stage is set. Who will take the chocolates in the match of the round?
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