PORT Adelaide knew last year's success would be hard to replicate.

The Power were everyone's darling last year, piling on an astonishing eight-game winning streak to make it all the way to an unlikely preliminary final appearance.

They played fast, fun footy – it was helter-skelter, and there wasn't a clear plan B, but the irresistible momentum overcame such trivialities.

But even after such a successful breakthrough season, coach Lauren Arnell was wary of a reversion to the mean.

AFL.com.au spent a day during pre-season at Port Adelaide's Alberton base, curious if the Power could indeed back it up.

"The reality of where we are is we're still a developing program – I've seen other teams who have finished where we did last year, and then the following year literally just fall off the cliff," Arnell said on that day in August.

"That was an upfront conversation we had, literally the week after we lost that prelim to North Melbourne, which was a nice reality check, too.

"Let's not be that team that gets ahead of themselves, and let's really focus on the consistency of what we do day-to-day. And those things end up paying off in time, but expecting anything this year because of anything that happened last year is ridiculous. It doesn't get you anywhere in high-performance sport."

There's been moments of complete and utter sheer brilliance this season – piling on 94 points against Hawthorn last week was the biggest score the Hawks have conceded – coupled with puzzling and faltering decisions with ball in hand, consistent with a young, developing side.

While back-to-back finals appearances is nearly impossible at this point, the Power have re-found their groove following a tough start to the season.

Chief among the righting of the ship has been new skipper Justine Mules-Robinson, who plays a hassling, high-pressure game across half-forward.

Her on-field passion and exuberance also help generate the momentum that drives the Power forward, and she manages to find enormous reserves of energy, despite still starting her full-time job as a project manager at the City of Adelaide council at 6:30am every day.

"She's had some pretty significant challenges the last couple of years (the death of her father, Phil) and listening to her speak about how she's evolved as a person – she was a three-time premiership player at the Crows, and she's come here to Port Adelaide and found a different purpose in footy," Arnell said.

"She speaks about wanting to leave a legacy for the younger players in the group. I think that's really, really special, and so authentic and genuine, and that's the type of person she is."

Indy Tahau is another Port player who has burst onto the scene in 2025.

Fresh off a two-year ACL rehabilitation, the defender-turned-forward is currently leading the AFLW goalkicking tally with 21 majors.

She's so laid back, she is yet to celebrate a single major, instead looking somewhat bemused as teammates mob her after every goal.

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Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Arnell couldn't help but smile when asked about her new-found key forward.

"We look to play a team brand of footy at Port Adelaide, that's for sure, but certainly couldn't be more pleased for Indy and her season so far," Arnell said on Thursday.

"She played the first few weeks as a defender, coming back from that long ACL injury, and I'm told just this morning that I think the AFLW record for goals each season – obviously there's only ever been [11] rounds, this year there's 12 – and I think she's equal with the record of most goals of any season by an individual player."

In the first half of this season, with a much tougher fixture after a top-six finish, Arnell's side was somewhat found out.

There were losses to Fremantle and North Melbourne, a thumping win over lowly Gold Coast, a loss to West Coast, scraping over the line against Melbourne, a loss to Geelong and then St Kilda.

Then things started to turn around – they beat the scrappy Dogs, didn’t drop their bundle too badly against Brisbane, before thumping Hawthorn in emphatic style last week.

While they seemed to have finally found a stop-go mechanism, they are yet to win consecutive games this year.

Which brings us to Friday night's Showdown, which could mark yet another turning point in Port Adelaide's AFLW history.

The Power lost their first AFLW Showdown by 60 points, the second by 30, and last year by 14.

This year is the Power's best chance yet to smash the annual 50 per cent decrease in margin, and secure a breakthrough victory, up against a Crows side that hasn't found its domineering best in 2025.

"It's certainly been the aspiration over the past three years, and now our fourth crack at it, so we're very much looking forward to playing out here at Norwood," Arnell said on Thursday.

"The Showdown is the Showdown. The growth in it in terms of the W space continues to be exciting – to put it really simply, we can't wait for the opportunity again."