Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has warned his players to keep working as hard as they did in their thrilling AFL win over St Kilda, or risk letting slip their strong position.
The season's surprise packets conjured a five-point win over the Saints with a superb first half, followed by a white-knuckle ride as they were put under siege.
The 14.13 (97) to 13.14 (92) victory lifted Port back into the top eight.
Hinkley was thrilled with both how his team performed in an irresistible first half, and in the way they hung on in the second.
While finals are a big chance for Port, whose destiny remains in their own hands right down to a round-23 clash with ninth-placed Carlton, first-year coach Hinkley doesn't want his side to let their workrate slip.
"We know that if we don't work as hard as we did tonight, we'll get ourselves in trouble," he said.
"I almost don't want to talk about the outcome (finals). We'll get what we deserve. We deserved to win the game.
"Yes, it was a game of two halves but we were brave and strong and hung on when we needed to."
Port's clash next weekend with the resurgent Brisbane Lions, who posted their third successive win by beating Melbourne in Darwin on Saturday night, looms as pivotal in shaping the base of the top eight.
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