The Suns after the round 24 match between Port Adelaide and Gold Coast at Adelaide Oval, August 22, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

AFTER watching one chance to secure a maiden finals berth for his club disappear on Friday night, Damien Hardwick wasn’t taking anything for granted as he prepares Gold Coast for a second, and last, fling at September.

The Suns will go into next Wednesday’s rescheduled Opening Round clash with Essendon knowing a win will send them into the playoffs, while a loss will finish their season.

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While Gold Coast will start short odds favourites for that game, Hardwick knows his side can take nothing for granted after falling to Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

“We get one last chance to try and strive for something that … I think we deserve,” Hardwick said post-match.

“But nothing’s given in this league at the end of the day.

“We’ve been disappointing the last two weeks, but we get one last opportunity.”

Having watched the Suns be overcome by an injury-riddled Port Adelaide side driven by the emotion of coach Ken Hinkley and veteran Travis Boak’s last match, Hardwick said he hoped his players had a similar inner resolve to lift themselves up for the all-important Bombers clash.

“You’re playing for a finals campaign. If you need me to sit there and give a motivational speech to want to play your first finals campaign in your organisation’s history, then you’re playing the wrong game,” he said.

“Our players have got to pick themselves up, they’ve got to lead from the front, they’ve got to take charge. 

“I’m going to hand it over to them and we’re going to see what this group’s made of, because they are made out of something special. 

“Tonight they didn’t show it, but I think they’re capable of doing some really good things.”

Friday night’s match was played at a high level of intensity and physicality, leaving question marks over whether Gold Coast will be able to bounce back with a short break between games.

The Suns took no new injuries from the match, although Oscar Adams did appear to suffer a head knock in a collision with Port forward Ollie Lord. Adams regained his feet and played out the match while Lord was helped from the ground.

“It (the five-day break) is a non-issue,” Hardwick said. 

“Our guys are really fit, they cover the ground really well. The five-day break is no concern for us.

“We get Dan (Rioli) and Bailey Humphrey back, which will be nice.”

While Gold Coast lives to fight another day, Port Adelaide’s season ended on Friday night, as did the immediate careers of coach Ken Hinkley and former captain Travis Boak.

The pair fronted media after the match, with Hinkley positively glowing over the result.

“I could not be more proud of our footy club, of my players – I can call them my players still,” he said.

“In 2013 I said ‘you get what you deserve’. It hasn’t always felt like that but tonight, the footy gods, they were watching … and they gave us something that we deserve.”

Asked how he thought his young side would fare against a Suns team playing for finals, Hinkley suggested he wasn’t expecting great things.

“I didn’t think we had any chance – I can say that now. 

“I’m sitting there going ‘I’ve got six first year (players) in this team, I’ve got a warrior old fella (Boak), crippled, going around. I’ve got a young fella, (Harrison) Ramm at full-back playing on (Ben) King, I’ve got Aliir with a rolled ankle and a busted medial ligament and hanging on’. And we won! 

“Couldn’t be more proud.

“Tomorrow morning I’m not the coach, but tonight I’m still the coach and I’m the proudest coach the world has ever seen tonight.”

Boak was one of the Power’s best on Friday night, gathering 22 disposals and laying a game-high nine tackles to set the tone in the tough win, but asked if he thought his retirement might be premature he said he had no doubt he’d made the right decision.

“I’m absolutely gassed,” the 387-game veteran said.

“I’m exhausted, but my main emotion now is pride in this group.”