Port coach Ken Hinkley has praised Willie Rioli and Jase Burgoyne for their roles contributing to last week's semi final win ahead of facing Sydney on Friday night.
The Power boast eight straight wins over the Swans, with their latest meeting at Adelaide Oval in round 21 resulting in a thumping 112 point win for the hosts.
Speaking on Wednesday, Hinkley attributed the performance to little more than an outlier, and their recent record over the minor premiers has "absolutely nothing to do" with what to expect in a preliminary final.
After a troubling 84 point qualifying final loss to Geelong in the first week of September, Port got past Hawthorn in a thriller.
Jase Burgoyne produced a coming-of-age-type performance with 25 touches and a goal - coming late in the tight contest - while Rioli looked his damaging best kicking 2.1 for the game.
"(It was) such a really special moment for a young player to emerge like that. A lot of people tell you in football, in finals, you make your name and you make your appearance known to the world a little bit in a final. Jase, to his credit, in a really strong team performance...was significant," Hinkley said of Burgoyne on Wednesday.
Burgoyne reached impressive form on the wing and off the Power's backline across 22 games in 2024 after a combined 13 senior performances the previous two years.
Hinkley also reminded media present of Rioli's potency in front of goals this season. The 29-year-old has averaged 1.7 majors a game - 32 from 19 appearances, for the year.
"I mean, he's clearly a really, really top end talent," Hinkley said, adding All Australian honours could have been in the picture had he played the entire season.
"He plays in the moment, and I know he reflects on his family history and his dad's words to him through the journey, and that is to make the most moments, and he makes the most of those moments. I'm really, really proud of Junior."
Jason Horne-Francis is expected to be named in the Power's line-up to face the Swans telling SEN Radio "I've recovered well and feel good for this week" after heading for the sidelines with injury scares on occasions against the Hawks.
Speaking to ABC Radio in the sheds post-match on Friday, the 21-year-old said the midfield group sat through a "hard" and "embarrassing" meeting going over their loss to the Cats ahead of responding against the Hawks.
"It was very confronting, but I think that's what we needed to see. Some of our efforts in the Geelong game just weren't good enough, and weren't up to standard and we needed to rectify that," Horne-Francis said.
"We needed to get our pressure up...that's when we play our best footy."
He said there was work to be done on their defensive game as a group ahead of the task against Sydney's strong midfield group.
The Power and Swans face off for a grand final spot at the SCG on Friday night.
