PORT ADELAIDE will commemorate the centenary of its all-conquering 1914 team on the national stage in Round 22 when it hosts Carlton in Friday night football at the Adelaide Oval.
Despite not wearing a replica heritage guernsey against the Blues on Friday night, Port Adelaide will commemorate the team which won every game of the 1914 South Australian Football League season, including the grand final against North Adelaide, before defeating Carlton to be crowned ‘Champions of Australia’ for a second consecutive year.
Buy your own 1914 replica guernsey as worn by the Magpies in the SANFL earlier this year
Such was the strength of this Port Adelaide team that the rest of the South Australian league threw together a ‘best of the rest’ combined state team, which failed by 34 points.
Port Adelaide is encouraging its supporters to wear only black and white to the Round 22 Friday night blockbuster against the Blues and to join the club in the celebrations which double with its traditional end-of-year member recognition events.
The club will unfurl a giant replica guernsey banner to be passed across the crowd in attendance at the ground and play a video on the big screens leading up to the game in celebration of the achievement.
A special final ‘Power Surge’ for the players’ run out and 1914 themed version of ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ will also feature in the lead-up to the first bounce.
Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas says Round 22 presents an opportunity for supporters to turn the Adelaide Oval into a hub of Port Adelaide energy for the club’s final home-and-away game at the ground for the year.
“Not every club gets to celebrate these achievements and for us it’s a great opportunity to get all our people in one place – a pretty good place actually – and get today’s players over the line,” says Mr Thomas.
“We want to turn the Adelaide Oval into a cauldron of black and white power against the Blues as we remember the achievements of 1914.
“The Adelaide Oval has been a fantastic stadium for us since moving there this year and Round 22 is also an opportunity for us to thank all our members before the finals as part of our Member Appreciation Round.
“And we’ll have plenty of 1914 commemorations on, on-field flames, a ‘Power Surge’ before the run-out and of course, ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ before the first bounce.”
Port Adelaide plays Carlton at 7:20pm on Friday 22 August at the Adelaide Oval.
If you have an ancestor who played for Port Adelaide's League team in 1914, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an e-mail at digital@pafc.com.au.
