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Port Adelaide have finished a game clear in second spot, but their recent finals history suggests they face an uphill battle to reach the grand final.
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley is confident his team's past September heartbreaks won't come back to haunt them, but he concedes they need a slice of luck to go their way.
The Power secured second spot on the ladder and a home qualifying final against Geelong with a 20-point win over Fremantle in Perth on Sunday.
It marked Port's sixth win on the trot in a hot run of form that means they enter September as one of the premiership favourites.
But it's not a new scenario for Port, who have finished in the top four three times since 2020 but are yet to make a grand final over that period.
The pressure on Hinkley to finally lead Port to the Big Dance is huge, and he feels the lead-in to September - including the win over Fremantle - has left his team well placed for success.
"I think playing that brand of football will give us a great chance," Hinkley said. "But also you need a bit of luck.
"People don't realise, we've missed opportunities in our past by a kick, by small margins.
"This game is a bounce of the ball. Last year, (Brisbane) lost the premiership by four points. It's just so hard to get to the end, and it's a real test of endurance.
"But the test that I love the most is the willingness to keep coming back and having a go.
"Because you get asked plenty of times whether you should, and we keep saying, 'Yeah, we want to keep trying', which I love."
Hinkley said his team's "stay in the moment" mantra had been critical in their rise to second spot.
It's another aspect that fills Hinkley with confidence ahead of Port's latest September foray, believing the past failures haven't left scars.
"I can't pretend and tell them that last year didn't happen, or the years before didn't happen," Hinkley said.
"But you would have learned from them, and I think that's preparing us really well and giving us a great opportunity.
"And I think that's what it's about, persistence and willingness to keep turning up.
"You learn along the way. We're still reasonably young as a group, so I'm thinking they're looking forward to the opportunity."
Port will enter the finals series without defender/wingman Kane Farrell after he injured his hamstring against the Dockers.
Farrell's absence is further compounded by the season-ending five-match suspension that was handed down to Dan Houston a week earlier.
PORT ADELAIDE'S FINALS DISAPPOINTMENTS UNDER KEN HINKLEY
*2023 - Finished third on the ladder, knocked out by GWS by 23 points in home semi-final
*2021 - Finished second, knocked out by the Bulldogs by 71 points in home preliminary final
*2020 - Finished first, knocked out by Richmond by six points in home preliminary final
*2017 - Finished fifth, knocked out by West Coast by two points in extra-time in home elimination final
*2014 - Finished fifth, knocked out by Hawthorn by three points in away preliminary final
*2013 - Finished seventh, knocked out by Geelong by 16 points in away semi-final
