An ultimatum was placed on Ken Hinkley at the start of the season by Power president David Koch, with Koch suggesting he wouldn't stand for a third consecutive finish outside the top eight.
Hinkley managed to guide Port Adelaide to a home elimination final, but after one of the most exciting finishes to a final in history, the Power fell at the first hurdle.
With doubt surrounding Hinkley's position, a push from the Gold Coast Suns gave the Power a scare, but the coach signed on for another three years, as the Port Adelaide plan to build on season 2017.
Despite finishing fifth, it was one that showed just how far away the Power were from the top four sides, with Port Adelaide only beating Sydney and West Coast inside the top eight, with most of their wins coming against inferior sides.
When the challengers against the game's best presented themselves, the Power more often then not fell short of their opponents, and that's sure to be their first point of call in 2018.
Best win:
Often seen as flat-track bullies, Port Adelaide marched into Subiaco and took control of this game from the outset. The Eagles challenged relentlessly, but the Power stood firm on their way to a strong 32-point win.
It came on the back of five straight losses against top eight opponents as Paddy Ryder and Charlie Dixon led the Power to a top four birth.
Worst loss:
It was arguably the worst performance of any side in 2017.
They were smashed from pillar to post and the ugly 84-point margin could've been a lot worse had the Crows kicked straight that 1.9 in the opening term and 18.22 overall.
Port couldn't have looked anything more like a little brother to the Crows on that Sunday afternoon.
Most improved: Paddy Ryder
Despite not playing at all during 2016 due to the fallout of the Essendon supplements saga, Paddy Ryder came back with a bang this season, and had the best year of his career to date.
Ryder was named to his first All-Australian side this season, after averaging 12.6 disposals, 3.2 marks, 4.2 clearances and 37.8 hitouts per game.
The 29-year-old improved his ruck work this season and brought it up to an elite level, as he doubled his career average in hitouts in 2017.
His around the ground work stepped up as well this season, and the ruckman not only became one of his side's most important players in the middle, but also all over the ground.
Best and fairest: Robbie Gray/Ollie Wines
This pair are too hard to split.
Both Gray and Wines had terrific seasons in the Power side and despite Gray spending more time up forward than in recent seasons, his impact was still clear and concise.
From his 19 touches per game, Gray averaged 2 goals and 1.3 goal assists across all 23 games this season, ranking first in the league for goal assists and fifth for total score involvements, none more memorable than his game-winning goal against the Saints in Round 19.
Wines continued his stellar growth in the league by averaging a career high in disposals (27.3) while ranking fifth in the league for total contested possessions and 11th for total clearances.
What the off-season could look like:ย
After committing to sign Ken Hinkley long-term, the Power are primed for a big off-season.
Restricted free agent Jackson Trengove has received interest from other clubs as a decision on his future nears as that could leave a hole in Port Adelaide's backline. They do appear to be well and truly in the race for Brisbane midfielder Tom Rockliff in what would be an excellent pick up for the side.
With their first pick in the draft coming deep into the second round (pick 29), the Power will look into free agency to top up their list in a bid to break into the top four next season.
2018 crystal ball:ย
Port Adelaide could be in for a tough 2018 if their recent trends of inconsistency continue.
Their top six finish means the they'll potentially draw three fellow top six teams twice next season meaning they'll quite simply have to improve their record against other finalists to (at the very least) maintain their grip on a finals position.
In order to take the next step, Charlie Dixon needs to become a 50-goal-a-season forward and while he's more than capable of that, Port Adelaide need to bring a more consistent brand of football to the 2018 season to be considered a serious chance at a premiership tilt.
