Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes under pressure from Sydney's Dan Hannebery. Source: Getty Images
VETERAN Kane Cornes has hailed Port Adelaide's stunning upset victory against premier Sydney as its greatest triumph in six years.
Cornes said not since its standout 2007 campaign - when it beat eventual premier Geelong at Kardinia Park in round 21 with virtually the last kick of the game - has the Power claimed a bigger AFL scalp.
"We won the Showdown this year and we also beat West Coast, but I reckon this is the biggest scalp that we've taken for six years," said Cornes, who played his part by silencing Swans playmaker Daniel Hannebery.
"I said to (midfield coach and former team-mate) Josh Carr during the week that we hadn't claimed a big scalp since 2007.
"Until now we haven't won that really big game which we haven't been expected to win.
"This is certainly the best win I've played in since '07, just in terms of who we were up against, what was at stake and the conditions, which really should have suited them. We've got so much respect for the Swans and to beat them was amazing.
"It was just a really gutsy win. It wasn't pretty, but we beat them at the footy that they love to play, which made it even more special."
Cornes said the 18-point comeback victory - Port's first against Sydney since 2006 - had strengthened the players' belief that they are on the right track under first-year coach Ken Hinkley.
"It just gives us more belief in everything that we're doing," he said.
"To take it to a good side and win the contested ball and match it with them in tackles, in what everyone would have said were Sydney's conditions, gives a young group a lot of belief.
"The Sydney game was the start of a really tough month for us and to get this one gives us belief that we can compete against the better sides and will do our confidence the world of good."
Port's win pushed it into the top eight with a 7-5 win-loss record.
It has now beaten teams which finished first (Sydney), third (Adelaide) and fifth (West Coast) last year.
The Power's next three games are against powerhouses Collingwood at AAMI Stadium, Essendon at Etihad and Hawthorn at home.
Cornes - who broke Warren Tredrea's Power games record against GWS last week - played a key role in dismantling the Swans by tagging Swans star Hannebery out of the game.
Just two weeks after Hannebery had a career-high 42 disposals in Sydney's 77-point demolition of the Crows at the same venue, Cornes restricted him to 13 disposals and no influence.
Cornes revealed he phoned Fremantle master tagger Ryan Crowley on the eve of the game to get advice on how to stop the Swans star, who is one of the favourites for this year's Brownlow.
"I gave Ryan a call on Friday and asked for a couple of little tips on how to stop Hannebery because Ryan's the best tagger in the comp," Cornes said.
He said he was "nervous" about his tagging role on Hannebery after watching him torch the Crows.
"It was a big challenge for me but I think the key was just concentration when you're up against a great player like that, to make sure you stick close to him."
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