Fight a Port plus

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Young gun Jackson Trengove said the third-quarter scuffle between Port Adelaide and Hawthorn players was a positive sign for the Power who have now got their 'fight' back.

In time-on of the Power's upset win at AAMI Stadium on Saturday, a fight between the Hawks' Cyril Rioli and Port's Nick Salter sparked a brawl in the centre square.

Rioli is going to the tribunal to challenge his two-match suspension, while fines were given to Brent Renouf, Jarryd Roughead, Chance Bateman and Brad Sewell from the Hawks and Dean Brogan, Paul Stewart, Robbie Gray and Nick Salter of the Power for their involvement in the melee.

Trengove said it was probably the first time this season where the Port players have stepped in for each other on such a large scale and he said it illustrates where the group is currently at.

"Obviously there was a bit of a scuffle on the weekend, I don't think it was much," he said.

"A couple of fines but that's what happens this day and age. It was good that we all got in there and stuck up for each other and I thought we hadn't really done that for a while and sort of all got in there and around each other and it just shows how close the group is going forward."

The 19-year-old denied the Power go out looking to start stoushes and cause trouble, but said for a team who was low on confidence and results in the last two months, standing up and going toe-to-toe with their more fancied opponents was instrumental in the final-quarter comeback.

"You don't want to go there and fight," he said.

"But I think just to show you are a team and you're not going to get stood over by big teams like Hawthorn. Hawthorn is a big side and by us not getting intimidated, I think the young kids really got a lot of confidence out of that for the last quarter and we ended up proving that with a good win."

The utility said while confidence had reached an all-time low during the club record nine-game losing streak, he admitted the 'fight' was lost but never gone.

"It's been like that the whole year," he said.

"We were unlucky at times not to get the win. We were trying things, we were doing different things and the last couple of weeks it has come off for us."

"Obviously our confidence has risen a little bit and that does help but it's been like that all year. Whether Choc was here or it was Matty, it's been like that all year."

Trengove said the Power's future looks positive after fielding a very young side against the Hawks, but it must build on the consecutive wins and finish the season strongly.

He said the wins will count for little if Port are unable to back up their performances and fall away in the remaining four weeks.

"We're just looking to try and get a couple more wins for the year and get a good boost going into next year," he said.

"We're playing a lot of young players; I think on the weekend there was only one bloke over 27 and that was Dean Brogan. You look at that and it has to be a positive for our team. "

"If we don't do it the week after it doesn't really matter to us. You can't just do it one week and not the next. Over the next few weeks we are concentrating on keeping up the performances each week and this week is no different."

In other positive news for the Power, speculation over Chad Cornes' future has ended with the club confirming the 30-year-old is a required player for season 2011.

Cornes is out for the rest of the season with a finger injury but Trengove admitted his presence around the track during the pre-season will be a huge boost for him and the other young members of the squad.

"Chad is a super player and especially for the younger guys to look up and have someone like Chad Cornes to work off," he said.

"Just his work in the gym and out on the track is going to be good for us and I've already said to him I'll be trying to follow his footsteps in the preseason because he just goes about it in a different level to everyone else."

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