Jase Burgoyne has delivered arguably his greatest AFL performance in just his 35th game to see Port Adelaide overcome Hawthorn by three points in a thrilling semi-final on Friday night.

The Hawks hit the post twice in the dying minutes at Adelaide Oval that drew the visitors within a goal of an unlikely win after once trailing by 22 points earlier in the quarter.

Indigenous players Jason Horne-Francis and Willie Rioli also played significant roles to edge the nervous finalists in front, 11.9 (75) to 11.6 (72), in front of a sellout 52,012 spectators.

But Burgoyne's influence was almost unparalleled with teammates going down beforehand in what turned into a final for the ages.

"It was pretty unreal – we got 50,000-plus in the house tonight and that last minute was so nerve-wracking," he said on TV, just moments after the final siren.

"We had to dig deep in those couple of minutes too, just to, I guess, get the win."

Burgoyne was shifted off his preferred wing into defence in the wake of a number of Power withdrawals following Port's humiliating 80-point defeat in last week's opening qualifying final.

He proved to be courageous flying for the ball across half-back, deliberate with his disposal efficiency, and delivered in the big moment that included a critical final-quarter goal.

His performance came after coach Ken Hinkley warned at the end of last season that Burgoyne had to figuratively pull his socks up in a promise to improve in preseason in exchange for inheriting his father's famous No.7 Power guernsey following the departure of Xavier Duursma to Essendon.

"Kenny came to me this week and asked me to go down back," Burgoyne said.

"After my first two years, I was only too happy to do it."

The 20-year-old has played 22 out of a possible 25 games this year after struggling early in his career to come to terms with the high demands of AFL football, in which he yielded just 13 appearances across two years, including five last season.

But Burgoyne ultimately paid back his coach, picking up 15 kicks, 10 handballs, nine marks, gaining 285 metres with the ball and the one goal in probably the club's biggest match during his short duration at Alberton.

"I reckon he would say he's proud," he said of Hinkley.

Horne-Francis was forced to be sent deep to full-forward in the last term after appearing to damage his hamstring at a centre bounce contest ahead of three-quarter time.

The 21-year-old Wardaman man still contributed with 19 forceful disposals, including 15 kicks while laying five tackles in a physical battle between the two sides that began in the opening minutes.

The injury setback that was later diagnosed as bad cramping didn't stop the midfielder being able to snap a powerful goal off a boundary throw-in from the ruckwork and follow-up efforts of Jordan Sweet, which stretched the home side's lead past three goals late in the encounter.

But Horne-Francis would eventually limp to Port's bench minutes later in the knockout final, clutching his left hamstring as the margin began to shrink considerably.

Rioli kicked 2.1 up forward from his 11 kicks in a 15-possession performance.

His two clever majors were telling in the course of the game, both coming late in the second and third quarters to ensure Port held onto a narrow lead at the breaks.

Former delisted Cats talent Quinton Narkle had his own story to tell.

The Noongar man was rapt to be a part of the Power's memorable finals win with 12 kicks and three tackles.

Narkle was always on the fringes at Geelong, scrapping together 41 games from 2018 until 2022 before adding a further 15 appearances in the last two Power seasons.

"I think my whole career I have been a part of a bit success, but to be a real part of the team and now to go to a prelim (final) was really special," a beaming Narkle said in the changerooms after the match.

Jarman Impey was solid at best, collecting eight kicks and six handballs, but also pulling off five tackles in the back half of the ground for Hawthorn.

The Yorta Yorta man's greatest influence may have been calming his skipper James Sicily down amid tensions with Hinkley's post-match act.

The Power coach gestured to the Hawks players after their heartbreaking defeat, extending his arms out and mouthing words associated with not flying to Sydney ahead of the following Friday night's preliminary final.

It is believed to come from Hawks youngster Jack Ginnivan, tweeting last week "see you in 14 days" to former Magpies teammate and Sydney ruckman, Brodie Grundy.

The reference was over Port crumbling to Geelong that night, suggesting Hawthorn was set to easily defeat the Power in their next final.

Impey was seen on a number of occasions getting in front of Sicily, who was remonstrating with Hinkley on behalf of Ginnivan, while providing some consoling words before both sides clapped off Luke Breust in his 300th AFL game.