"Shine" Hosking and his fellow "Invincibles" in the Elysian Fields of Australian football always thought their records from 1914 would stand the test of time.

They have been right for more than 100 years.

They acknowledged it would take an extraordinary team to repeat their unbeaten run during an SANFL home-and-away series.

There have been some grand challengers, even in Port Adelaide colours - Fos Williams' dynasty team in 1956, Geof Motley's 1959 Australian record breakers, Sturt in 1978 and now Glenelg in that club's centenary season. 

But for more than a century that perfect record has remained unmatched in South Australian league football history. 

It is more than appropriate that the latest threat to the pedestal that has been the exclusive and divine province of "The Invicibles" of 1914 was dealt with by a Port Adelaide team at Alberton Oval on Saturday afternoon.

It is a different SANFL to that of 1914. Indeed it is a different Port Adelaide too.

But the jumper is the same - and the men who wear it for the Port Adelaide Football Club still live to the same aspirations of Hosking and his men who were champions of South Australian AND Australian league football in 1914.

Those who wish to take issue with the Port Adelaide team on Alberton Oval on Saturday being "loaded with AFL-listed players" might want to answer, "Who else was supposed to play for Port Adelaide?" 

The SANFL has had intriguing qualification rules for many years - and many years before the State league was reconfigured with the floating transfers between South Australian-based AFL teams during the 1990s.

Glenelg had no problem introducing Richmond VFL great Royce Hart into its SANFL grand final line-up against Sturt in 1969, by working the loophole in place for footballers on military service.

And today's Glenelg is not short of talent enhanced by AFL experiences, such as Billy Stretch (ex-Melbourne), Lachie Hosie (North Melbourne), Liam McBean (Richmond), Sam Durdin (North Melbourne), Marlon Motlop (Port Adelaide) ...

But back to "The Invincibles" of 1914 who would have savoured being part of a "Field of Dreams" performance on Saturday to watch Port Adelaide's 36-point win against the previously unbeaten Glenelg.

Their story - while the world was on the edge of war - was to stand the test of time by its sheer dominance of Australian football through brilliance.

The record - that extended beyond the SANFL - tells of a team that:

WON 12 of 12 home-and-away games (the next-best was North Adelaide and Sturt at 6-6)

CHALKED up an average winning edge of 46 points while working a range of margins between the smallest from a 21-point win against North Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on August 22 and the biggest of 75 points against West Adelaide at Alberton Oval on June 13

FINISHED the home-and-away season as the only team with a plus-50 percentage

BEAT Sturt by 54 points in the semi-finals

OVERWHELMED North Adelaide by a phenomenal 93 points - while conceding only one goal - in the grand final

DEFIED VFL premier Carlton by 34 points in the Champions of Australia final at Adelaide Oval

BEAT a combined South Australian team by 58 points at the now-lost Jubilee Oval east of Adelaide Oval

COMPLETED the year with the premiership, the Magarey Medallist (Jack Ashley) and the league's leading goalkicker (Jack Dunn, 33 goals)

HAD seven players - Ashley, Angelo Congear, Frank Magor, Alex McFarlane, Harold Oliver, Jack Robertson and Joseph Watson - represent South Australia at the Australian national carnival in Sydney where Robertson was honoured with the Referee Medal as the best player of the championships.

The stability of the Port Adelaide team in 1914 was highlighted by the club relying on just 21 players - 12 of whom played in all 16 games including the Champions of Australia duel with Carlton and the State challenge match.

The famed men of this team were Hosking, the crowd-thrilling Oliver, "Ongie" Congear and its captain Jack Londrigan.

Their record - and unmatched reputation as "The Invincibles" - lives on.