BROWNLOW Medallist Gerard Healy dubbed it "The Portress" in 2014 when Port Adelaide returned to Adelaide Oval with AFL games - and started an eight-game winning streak at the redeveloped city ground where the club's history dates to the 1870s with hundreds of matches.

This weekend, with Game No. 103 (of the AFL variety) at Adelaide Oval, Port Adelaide is compelled to "defend the port" while narrowing the gap on its AFL win-loss ledger (currently 4-6).

Since winning Showdown XLIX at the Oval in round 8 last year, Port Adelaide has put together an 8-7 win-loss count.

The sequence in those 15 games tells a few stories. There was the win-loss-win-loss run for six games through the winter months of last season; then three wins in a row capped with the 43-point triumph against Geelong in the qualifying final; and an unprecedented four consecutive AFL  losses - starting with the preliminary final against the Western Bulldogs last year and continuing with the first three matches from rounds 2-4 at the Oval this season.

A new line in the sand has been drawn with the past two home matches delivering wins against West Coast (the first win against the Western Australians at the Oval) and the preliminary final rematch against the Western Bulldogs.

Now it is Essendon, Sunday twilight ... and time to make Adelaide Oval known again as "The Portress".

Port Adelaide midfield coach Brett Montgomery notes so much has been done outside the boundary line - particularly on the terraces where the fans play their part with the pre-bounce Never Tear Us Apart anthem - that it is time to step up the work on the field.

"There is absolutely no doubt (that Port Adelaide should have a better than 53 per cent winning rate at home)," Montgomery said. "We would be least proud of what we have done in the past little while.

"Our supporters, our fans, our town make this environment at Adelaide Oval that is pretty much second to none in terms of making it difficult for the opposition. And clearly we have not been able to back that up.

"There have been some big games against really good teams in finals. We get that. But that record just needs to be set straight - there is no doubt about it."

HE'S BACK

AFTER 260 days - and two rounds of ankle surgery - the big Charlie Dixon will stand tall in the Port Adelaide goalsquare. And there will be a forward combination never seen before with senior coach Ken Hinkley opting to pair Todd Marshall and Greater Western Sydney recruit Jeremy Finlayson with Dixon.

Young forward Mitch Georgiades falls out of the starting line-up with the question - "Can Port Adelaide play all four tall forwards?" - complicated by the forecast of rain and gusty winds to sweep over Adelaide Oval late on Sunday.

It will be Dixon's eighth match against Essendon - and first since round 2 last season when he kicked 4.2 at Adelaide Oval.

Dixon's return - for his 178th AFL match, 113th at Port Adelaide - follows two SANFL matches and Hinkley insisting Dixon would be selected only when he could be assured of having a successful comeback.

"We know that Charlie will be a far better player in two or three weeks' time," Hinkley said of the expectations on Dixon.

"We know that is going to happen because of his preparation. But we had to get him back in the team - we need to get him in the team and playing because we have a bye. Getting a game into Charlie is really important."

Dixon's absence has brought greater attention - and demands - on fellow key forward, Todd Marshall who has become Port Adelaide's most-accurate forward with 19.3 in 10 matches this season.

"Todd has developed as a player - and he looks forward to the opportunity of playing alongside Charlie," Hinkley said. "He also knows his responsibility to the team is not going to change because Charlie is back in the side.”

THEME OF THE WEEK

IF it is not the starts, it is about the most-quoted barometer of Port Adelaide football - contested football.

Port Adelaide last week had its worst differential on contested ball - minus 29 - for the season.

But there was much more than the contested possession numbers being poor against Geelong during the 35-point loss at Kardinia Park last Saturday. It was also the stark contrast in Port Adelaide's work in the first and second halves in dealing with harassing opponents around stoppage.

As Hinkley notes "it is a fluctuating form for us".

"It should not be - and we don't want it to be," Hinkley said on Saturday before the captain's run closed the training week.

"We expect and demand more of that over the ground and we did not deliver on that last week."

In demanding conditions - should the forecast of rain and wind prove accurate - Port Adelaide's willingness to work the blue-collar game will be tested to the limit. By trends, Port Adelaide has been solid in other areas, particularly in defence recently.

During the past five rounds, Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas has led the league's meanest defence that conceded just an average of 54 points. Jonas' men also have given up just seven marks a match during the past month to also lead the league in this category.

OPPO WATCH

HALL of Fame premiership coach Michael Malthouse forecast Essendon as the 2022 premiership winner. At the end of round 10, Essendon was in the bottom four with two wins - against Adelaide at home in round 4 and against Hawthorn in round 8.

"Every club has had their issues at some point through this season," notes Hinkley. "Everyone has had their moments where they have not quite had it right.

"Like any team feeling pressure, they are working really hard. They are like us, they are trying to make sure their contest stuff is at a better level than it has been."

The Champion Data analysts highlight this point by noting that Essendon has struggled in breaking down opposition plays by ranking 16th of 18 on intercept marks and are 18th for pressure on opponents. Essendon is 17th of 18 in the rankings for winning defensive one-on-one contests.

Where Essendon is leading the way - ranking second of 18 - is with marks inside the forward-50 arc.

JUST SAYING ...

IT is a team game. Far-running half-forward Steven Motlop has scored 9.5 this season ... but he also has delivered 19 score assists, the best figure across the AFL.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"We definitely believe. We had to stay connected at the start of the year because teams can really unravel (at 0-5). Ken was really positive and we are a strongly connected group. We believe was have plenty left in the tank - and it has shown (in the four consecutive wins).

"Ken was a big part of (the revival) with his positivity and his belief drove us."

Port Adelaide half-forward Sam Powell-Pepper

BIRD SEED

(the little stuff that matters most)

Where: Adelaide Oval

When: Sunday, May 29, 2022

Time: 4.10pm (SA time)

Last time: Port Adelaide 18.11 (119) d Essendon 9.11 (65) at Adelaide Oval, round 2, March 27, 2022.

Overall: Port Adelaide 19, Essendon 14

Past five games (most recent first): W W W L L

Scoring average: Port Adelaide 100, Essendon 90

Tightest margin - Port Adelaide by three points (109-106) at the Docklands, round 7, May 8, 2010; Essendon by two points (62-60) at Adelaide Oval, round 16, July 5, 2014.

Biggest margin - Port Adelaide by 96 points (158-62) at Football Park, round 1, March 28, 2004; Essendon by 94 points (156-62) at the Docklands, round 1, March 9, 2000.

By venues - Adelaide Oval (3-2), Football Park (8-3), MCG (1-1), Docklands (7-8).

By States - SA (10-5), Victoria (8-9).

Ngadlu Yartapuulti. We are Port Adelaide ... and the team that refused to lose belief at 0-5 is now 5-6 and has more reason to believe the best is still to come.

At the very least, there is the thought that Ken Hinkley has a team that is up for the fight when the script gets messy ... as it did at Adelaide Oval once the rain arrived for Sunday twilight football at the end of the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous round.

Port Adelaide closed the first half of the home-and-away series keeping itself in the conversation as a potential AFL top-eight finalist by beating Essendon by 16 points in a game that went from "safe" with a 31-point lead at half-time to "complicated".

It became more complicated when the goalscoring accuracy of 8.4 in the first half was followed up by a wasteful 1.8 on a damp Adelaide Oval where no goal was scored by either team in the last term. Sam Powell-Pepper came closest by hitting the post at the northern end.

Port Adelaide takes home four invaluable premiership points - and the reassuring thoughts its willingness to be resilient holds up in difficult circumstances. There also is another example of how the contested-ball barometer is so decisive in Port Adelaide games with this key performance indicator swinging during the game.

MG MVP | Vote for your best afield against the Bombers

Port Adelaide ultimately won this count 140-129 with Brownlow Medallist and vice-captain Ollie Wines showing the way with 18 contested possessions - 10 in the first half when the agenda had to be set.

The chase for at least 12 wins to be a finals qualifier would seem to carry greater optimism for a team that is regaining key players - and that has never lost focus nor the want to work harder to clear away the mess of the 0-5 start.

Port Adelaide showed some of its best ball movement of the season in the dry first half. It kicked with precision to players finding the right spots. It was accurate on the scoreboard. It had crisp plays - none sharper than those of defender Dan Houston's whose kicking to advantage and to a team-mate remains at an extraordinary efficiency rate of 82 per cent.

However, the rain that had the Port Adelaide coaching staff concerned from Monday did change so much after half-time. It made for a game that would be decided on the ground - and further complicated by that contentious rule on "insufficient intent" with plays that finished out of bounds. The chase for territory with a rushed kick off the ground became a risky play.

Port Adelaide was challenged in the wet after half-time by Essendon scoring the first three goals of the third term. Essendon later had the margin at just eight points as a reward for winning the territory battle under rain until time-on. No surprise that Essendon won the contested barometer 43-26 in this drenched quarter.

The new-look attack featuring the return of All-Australian key forward Charlie Dixon did not crowd the stage for fellow tall forwards Todd Marshall nor Jeremy Finlayson. The second-half rain did challenge this theme, however.

Marshall is more and more interesting to watch, even when a kick away from the play - either looking for the hole in a zone defence or to mark a defender. And with Dixon back in command of the goalsquare and the pockets, Marshall is starting to show that Justin Westhoff theme of covering more territory.

As a new combination, this trio delivered four of Port Adelaide's nine goals. They had 4.1 on the scoreboard in the first half. They managed no score during the second half. 

Dixon's return for his first AFL game -  after two rounds of ankle surgery from a pre-season training accident and two recent SANFL matches - finished with 2.0. Finlayson and Marshall scored a goal each. 

It took 15 minutes for Dixon to remind all why he can lead the AFL for contested marks. He held off Essendon defender Jake Kelly to grab the long pass from Connor Rozee just outside the goalsquare - and kick his first AFL goal since last year's preliminary final. His second goal, from a free kick after being pushed in the back by Essendon opponent Jayden Laverde, also was from a set shot at close range to open the scoring for the second term.

Dixon went to the bench late in the second quarter as his minutes were managed. He was there for more time during the second half when it was tougher for Port Adelaide to move the ball to his domain at the goalsquare.

After the most-watched round of weather forecasts - "I have (monitored the forecasts) since Monday this week ... wondering what is it going to look like," Hinkley said in the pre-game - the match started at 4.10pm under a tame sky. There was even sunshine. No rain, no gusty winds from the north with the flags at the Oval's northern end moving gently ...

Port Adelaide captain Tom Jonas was left, after losing the toss, to have his team start by attacking the southern end - leaving Essendon with the last-quarter advantage of the anticipated pick up in wind speed.

The conditions certainly played no part in the strange opening. The weather gods left it to the football gods - and 44 men with differing playbooks. They left the field at half-time - with Port Adelaide leading by five goals - with a dry track. They returned at 5.30pm with Adelaide Oval being drenched. 

In the dry, the attacking paths of the two teams could not have been at greater extremes at the opening. Port Adelaide worked to finding its forwards and they delivered four goals from six shots; Essendon left its forwards facing very hard work with misguided delivery - and worked their first "goal" with six consecutive behinds.

Essendon's first three forward sorties ended with kicks that went twice out-of-bounds on the full and once bounced out of bounds. Port Adelaide's first four had the usually accurate Todd Marshall miss his set shot from 20 metres, Connor Rozee scored the opening goal from 35 metres, Charlie Dixon not hold a mark on the fringe of the goalsquare and Jeremy Finlayson nail his set shot.

Port Adelaide had seven goals from six players before Essendon had its first goal, 12 minutes into the second term with Andrew Phillips finishing a set shot after being found inside-50 by Archie Perkins. At that stage, Port Adelaide led by 30 points (7.2 to 1.8).

In the wet, Essendon adjusted better - and Port Adelaide developed the scoring yips. Essendon significantly changed the tone of the game with its four-goal third term while Port Adelaide achieved only 1.4 from its six attempts to score - and a moment for the blooper reel when ruckman Sam Hayes celebrated an opportunistic kick at the goalfront thinking he had scored a goal when the ball had previously crossed the goal line before Dixon tapped it to Hayes.

Port Adelaide's start - that delivered four goals - was to be judged as a response to last week's key issues from the 35-point loss to Geelong at Kardinia Park, particularly in the contested numbers. The 22-point lead was achieved without winning a centre clearance (0-5) despite Sam Hayes setting up a win on hit-outs (6-5), losing the clearances 3-12 overall but winning the contested possessions by three, 33-30.

The contested pendulum turned to Port Adelaide favour at half-time when the home team had extended its lead to 31 points despite Essendon having the advantage on inside-50 entries (26-20). Remarkably, Essendon had missed every shot from close range and scored its two first-half goals from opportunities near the top of the 50-metre arc.

For all the talls to support Sam Hayes in the ruck duels, half-forward Sam Powell-Pepper remained in the ruck rotations while having to battle Essendon captain Dyson Heppell when inside-50. 

Powell-Pepper had three shots on goal in three minutes during the second term, scoring 1.2 but showing the enthusiasm that has underwritten his return to top form after a challenging 2021 season. He even survived - probably won - the head-on collision with strongly built Essendon ruckman Sam Draper midway through the third term.

Port Adelaide enters the bye ranked 11th - a win outside the top eight - and with Richmond next on the agenda at the MCG on Thursday week.

PORT ADELAIDE v ESSENDON

PORT ADELAIDE         4.2   8.4    9.8    9.12 (66)

ESSENDON                  0.6    2.9    6.12  6.14 (50)

BEST - Port Adelaide: Wines, Rozee, Butters, Houston, Powell-Pepper, Amon, Marshall.

GOALS - Port Adelaide: Dixon 2, Butters, Dumont, Finlayson, Marshall, Motlop, Powell-Pepper, Rozee.

INJURY - None.

MEDICAL SUBSTITUTE: Lachie Jones (not activated).

CROWD: 25,877 at Adelaide Oval.

NEXT: After the bye, Richmond at the MCG on Thursday week.