Port Adelaide enhanced their status as flag fancies after doses of Chad Wingard brilliance inspired a 14-point win against reigning premiers Hawthorn on Saturday night.
Wingard kicked three goals and set up two others in a 15.10 (100) to 13.8 (86) triumph before 52,233 spectators at Adelaide Oval - the largest crowd at an AFL game in the South Australian capital.
Port retained top spot and have defeated powerhouses Hawthorn, Geelong and Fremantle in their past four matches.
The Power survived a scare from the injury-hit Hawks, who appeared down and out when five goals behind midway through the third quarter.
Hawthorn then rallied with four unanswered goals in a tick over seven minutes to creep within seven points at three quarter-time.
But Port answered the challenge early in the last term when Hamish Hartlett kicked two precious goals in two minutes to give the home side a match-defining break.
Wingard was heroic, his attacking partner Angus Monfries booted four goals and onballer Jared Polec (26 disposals, one goal) was superb with dash and dare through the midfield.
Port captain Travis Boak (34 disposals, seven tackles) vied for best-afield honours and, with Brad Ebert (28 possessions), helped overwhelm a Hawk midfield driven by veteran Jordan Lewis.
Lewis was a standout with 38 disposals and booted two goals, Matt Suckling collected 28 touches and Shaun Burgoyne (24 possessions, two goals) was prominent.
But the visitors were overly reliant on Luke Bruest and Jack Gunston in attack - the duo potted three goals each for the Hawks, who suffered their third loss this season.
Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge will attract match review panel scrutiny for a bump which stunned Wingard in the second stanza - but he appeared unlucky as initial contact was made arm-to-arm before slipping high.
Hodge's teammate Taylor Duryea's shirtfront some 10 minutes later on Port's Kane Mitchell will also be examined - the blow stunned Mitchell, but he didn't leave the field.
Port coach Ken Hinkley praised the resilience of his players to hold off Hawthorn's challenge.
"It was a pretty solid game of footy ... sometimes you have to find a way to get the job done and, to our credit, we were able to find a way," he said.
Hawthorn won key statistics including overall disposals, inside 50s, tackles and clearances yet lost the game.
"We just lacked a bit of polish with the footy," Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said.
"Some of it was a bit of our inexperience, some of it was the good pressure by the Port Adelaide side. We just made some errors."
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