The five words at the heart of a furious exchange between Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley and a number of Hawthorn players has been revealed.

Hinkley copped a $20,000 fine after taunting Hawthorn players during his club’s three-point semi-final win on Friday night.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Ken Hinkley explodes at Hawthorn players

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The senior coach, who has been at the helm of the Power for more than a decade, was seen making gestures towards several Hawthorn players, including livewire forward Jack Ginnivan and captain James Sicily.

A source familiar with the exchange told 7NEWS.com.au that Sicily erupted at Hinkley, telling him Port Adelaide had been a “nowhere club for eight years”.

The feud between the two clubs was building off the field in the lead-up to last Friday’s semi-final.

Ginnivan replied to a social media post by former teammate and current Swans player Brodie Grundy that he’d “see (Grundy) in 14 days”, inferring that Port Adelaide weren’t a threat to the Hawks’ finals hopes.

Hinkley was seen gesturing in Ginnivan’s direction, imitating a plane and mouthing “you’re not flying” after his side sent Hawthorn packing.

South Australian football legend Graham Cornes told 7NEWS.com.au that Hinkley’s initial act was innocent, and the Hawthorn response was what deserved a slapdown by the AFL.

“He (Hinkley) gently waved his arm and said ‘you’re not flying’,” Cornes said.

“And it’s Sicily that comes back ferociously.

“Ken Hinkley was just responding to Ginnivan’s comments in a benign way.”

Cornes said Hinkley was the “calmest of them all” and described the AFL’s sanction as an “abuse of power”.

“If you have a crack, he can have a crack back,” he said.

“But it was just an exchange of words.”

Hinkley’s side face minor premiers Sydney at the SCG on Friday night to play for a spot in the Grand Final.

Asked by reporters at Adelaide Oval whether the fine was a distraction, Hinkley simply replied: “No.”

During his 12-year tenure, Port Adelaide have lost six finals that saw them eliminated, including three in the past four years.

“The reality is it’s a prelim final. We’ve been here four times before in my time — we’re desperate to get through this. We’re desperate to get our opportunity.”

Sydney, meanwhile, haven’t beaten Port Adelaide in eight years.

Most recently, the Power thrashed the Swans in Round 21 by 112 points.

Coach John Longmire leaned into the narrative that the “season starts again” in the finals.

“It doesn’t really help you. We know we weren’t good enough and Port Adelaide were terrific,” Longmire said.

“That’s where it’s at … this week’s a new week.”