Not many pundits had Port Adelaide in their top eight at the start of the season, let alone making a preliminary final. 

That was a fair projection given they had only notched three wins and two draws in their previous two seasons in the competition.

Their semifinal win over Hawthorn on Saturday night at Princes Park defied that; their one-point victory was touted as a stunning upset by the wider AFLW community.

The Power came back from being 22 points down at three-quarter time, to kick four goals to one in the final term and clinch a one-point victory in a tense thriller. 

It was the biggest fourth quarter comeback in AFLW history and backed up Port’s comprehensive 24-point victory over Richmond the week prior.

Speaking on ABC’s Offsiders, Corbin Middlemas labelled Port’s rise as the “feel good” story of the competition, particularly considering this time last season head coach Lauren Arnell was heavily pregnant and in charge of a struggling side.

But more than that, Port’s somewhat unexpected success is emblematic of a competition capable of surprising.

The league has been heavily criticised externally for its competitive imbalance since inception. A fair assessment, given that more than half of all eight AFLW premiership trophies are shared between Adelaide (three) and Brisbane (two) and we’re yet to see a grand final in which one of the side’s don’t feature.

At least one of the dominant pair will again feature in this year’s decider after being pitted against each other in this week’s preliminary final.

But Port Adelaide’s rise, and Hawthorn’s for that matter, usher in a seed of hope for fans of opposition sides watching on in envy and/or admiration: perhaps next year that could be their team. Why not?

‘A game to be really proud of’

Port Adelaide isn’t the first to cause a deep finals upset, just one of the least anticipated.

Even at the start of finals, when the Power had won six games in a row to round out the home-and-away season, few experts had them in the final four. 

Perhaps this was due to some residue of doubt from the previous years. They finished last season at 15th, just one rung below Hawthorn at 14th, mind you.

But this makes them a great example of how the competition is shifting competitively.

Port’s rise this season mirrors that of Hawthorn, which pulled off an almighty feat this season, winning 10 out of its 11 season proper games to finish second of the ladder, and going down by just one goal to the reigning premiers Brisbane in the first weekend of finals.

The Hawks look to be ushering in an era of success under their new coach Daniel Webster, despite being in just their third season in the competition.

Last year it was Geelong who were the finals underdogs that made a deep run, upsetting then reigning premiers Melbourne in a semifinal, to send the Dees out in straight sets, and book their maiden preliminary final in the process.

That season also saw Sydney win a qualifying final against Gold Coast in just their second season in the competition. The other last-expansion side Essendon has now made finals in two of their three seasons, however, still yet to win one.

Even North Melbourne, the heavy frontrunners for this year’s premiership all year, have only featured in one previous grand final: last year’s decider.

When the siren sounded on Port Adelaide’s win on Saturday, Arnell beamed with pride — and not just for her side, but the competition as a whole.

“I think Hawthorn played an amazing game of footy, didn’t they? I think they really threw everything at us, similar to Richmond last week,” Arnell told Channel Seven post-match.

“And it was tough shaking Daniel Webster’s hand at the end of the game because you know his group were fantastic — and had way more scoring shots than we did — and again, a game to be really proud of for both teams.

Roos still the favourites

Port Adelaide will undoubtedly go into its preliminary final meeting with North Melbourne as underdogs. The Kangaroos are still undefeated, and claimed the minor premiership, with their only blemish a draw with Geelong early in the season.

But the competition’s fans can take a lot out of the Power’s run, whichever way their next game goes, that there shouldn’t be a ceiling placed on any team in the league.

If Hawthorn can go from 14th to second on the ladder and Port Adelaide 15th to a preliminary final, perhaps the competitive imbalance is working itself out.

If they can do it, why can’t the Western Bulldogs, Carlton or West Coast?

While it’d be an upset for the ages if the Power can beat the Roos, and then take out either the Crows or Lions in the grand final, they’ve proved they are more than capable of having a crack.