The Hawthorn-Port Adelaide feud reached a new fiery high on Sunday night as tempers flared late in the game as the Power beat the Hawks 121-91 at Adelaide Oval in the Gather Round finale.

The Power had Hawthorn on the ropes and facing an embarrassing defeat with an opening half blitz that saw them lead 79-20 at the main break.

Hawthorn rallied in the final quarter to draw within four goals, but the Power kicked two goals via Sam Powell-Pepper and Willie Rioli to put the game beyond doubt.

After Rioli received the ball in the goal square, he taunted Changkuoth Jiath by showing him the ball before booting the major. Jiath pushed him in the back, sending the small forward to the ground and Power players pouring in to defend their teammate.

Mitch Georgiades forcefully pushed Jiath into the boundary fence before more players got involved.

Rioli was awarded a free kick in the goal square and kicked another goal.

Six goals from Hawks veteran Jack Gunston was not enough to drive a miracle Hawks’ come-from-behind win and avoid their first loss of the season.

The Power restricted Hawthorn to just three first half goals as they piled on 12 of their own, but the Hawks kicked 11 second half goals to Port Adelaide’s six to make it a contest late in the piece.

Port’s much-maligned stars all stepped up with Zak Butters (33) the leading ball-getter, while Jason Horne-Francis and Connor Rozee both had 29 touches.

Rioli and Georgiades kicked three goals apiece.

Port coach Ken Hinkley fanned the rivalry flames last May in celebrating the Power’s greatest escape, when Darcy Byrne-Jones soccered the winning goal with two seconds remaining.

The fire escaped containment lines after their semifinal in Adelaide when the Power pipped the Hawks by three points.

Hinkley taunted Hawthorn players post-game and was fined $20,000 by the AFL - a sanction which still has the Power privately fuming.

The AFL grabbed the grudge and made it the Sunday night finale to another wildly successful Gather Round in Adelaide and surrounds.

“No matter who we were playing, we just needed to find a win,” Hinkley said.

“Rivalry in sport is great ... sometimes we overplay it a little bit.”

And the on-field theatre began with a Port bang: six goals to one in the first quarter.

The Power’s dual All Australian Butters - the AFL’s most fined player - sparked a small melee and the pro-Power crowd repeatedly jeered Hawk captain James Sicily, who was central to last year’s finals stoush with Hinkley.

With ex-Magpie Jack Richards slotting two goals and setting up Georgiades for another, Port were slick in their 6.3 to 1.2 opening.

But that proved a mere entree to Port’s main course: a match-defining second-term feast of six consecutive goals.

Power skipper Rozee, revelling in a new halfback role, twice drifted up-field to goal.

And his teammates Powell-Pepper and Willem Drew scored with remarkable snaps in Port’s party which created a 71-point lead, 12.7 to 1.2.

The hapless Hawks mustered two late goals to reduce their deficit to 59 points at halftime and were 47 down at the last change.

“The first half of that game was unacceptable and not the way we want to play,” Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said.

“We’re trying to work out why ... we’re 4-1, we’re not in a terrible position in the year but it doesn’t feel like that right at this moment.”

Hawthorn made a belated five-goal charge to sneak within 22 points with eight minutes remaining.

Port, now with a 2-3 win-loss record, were brilliantly led by Butters and Rozee, who starred with a strong support cast featuring Horne-Francis, Drew (26 disposals, one goal) and Ollie Wines (26).

And the Power attack fully exploited their plentiful supply, with Powell-Pepper (two) Rozee, Richards and Jackson Mead (two goals) all contributing on the scoreboard.

Hawk midfielder Jai Newcombe (29 disposals, one goal) and skipper Sicily battled against the flow, while ruckman Lloyd Meek scored two goals.

With AAP