Port Adelaide and Melbourne are expecting a tough AFL battle when they go head to head in Darwin on Saturday.
Despite languishing at 15th and 16th on the ladder, players from both clubs say they haven’t lost the passion for a win.
Port player Tom Logan, who spent 12 years in the Northern Territory as a child, is hoping for plenty of crowd support.
“I am the only Territorian playing tomorrow night, so hopefully the fans embrace that and get behind us,” Logan said on Friday.
He said Adelaide was cold during this time of the year and his team had concentrated during training on how to adapt to the warmer conditions.
Port only managed to add two points in the fourth quarter during last weekends’s 50-point drubbing at the hands of Essendon.
“Last week we really did let ourselves down in the last quarter,” Logan said.
“We didn’t play well in all areas of the game, so we have really got to improve that,” he said.
The defender will be playing his 99th game and said his team had a lot to prove in Darwin.
Last time the two clubs clashed in Darwin, the Demons edged home by 21 points.
Melbourne’s Clint Bartram said he was expecting another good contest.
“Against Port Adelaide we have had some really tough contests and it is something we are looking forward to,” Bartram said.
“The ultimate winner will be the team that wants to win most,” he said.
He said the match would be physically difficult for the players, coming from the colder south.
“It is one of those games where you just have to grind,” Bartram said.
“Everyone is going to be uncomfortable and everyone is going to be a bit dehydrated.”
Port skipper Domenic Cassisi returns on Saturday after battling a niggling hip injury.