Maturing early: Ollie Wines. Credit:Sebastian Costanzo But it was lost on no one at Port, that the man who was doing just as much heavy lifting in the first-quarter destruction of the Tigers also happened to be the youngest player on the field. Wines was magnificent and, if finals are where true football reputations are forged, when there is nowhere to hide and the stakes are at their highest, Wines emerged an even bigger star than he was heading into the game. And that ability to take all before him with the consummate air of the most assured performers is what makes him one of the more impressive stories of the past two years. And it is a story that has been under-appreciated, outside of Port, because his level of output and consistency is rarely seen in a player so young. There has been no hint of the "second-year blues" for Wines after an enormous debut season in which he played every game and averaged more than 20 possessions playing in the furnace that is the modern midfield.

He rarely makes mistakes, so we have just become accustomed to him, over a short period, playing to the high standard that he set himself since his debut in round one last year. He is so clean when taking possession; he rarely fumbles, almost always gets value for his touches and is never knocked off the ball. There has not been the slightest hesitation in the way he goes about his game, so there has never been cause to revisit his youth or his inexperience. He plays like a 10-year veteran, and Port hasn't had the need to protect or preserve him. Which is part of the reason why he hasn't got the kinds of plaudits that some of his contemporaries, like Jaeger O'Meara, Brad Hill, Jack Macrae and Lachie Whitfield have. Most first or second-year players suffer with injury or the completely understandable fluctuation in form that Wines has avoided, and when they re-emerge or take the big step forward, the football world eulogises them. Wines took a big step in round one, 2013, and just keeps taking them. The other reason might be that, while the above-mentioned are beautiful movers who run and carry the ball with the grace of a gazelle, Wines is on the inside, ferociously winning contested footy and clearances. He is more rhino than gazelle. And while gazelles can be brought to ground, when a rhino gets up a head of steam, it is virtually unstoppable.

But don't for a second mistake his bullocking style as a sign that he is athletically challenged. Far from it. Wines is an unbelievable athlete whose ability to push himself has been evident from a very young age. I was most fortunate to watch him develop as an under-16 footballer, with the Vic Country team, and on first impression you thought you had a stocky midfielder who would need to win contested footy because you were concerned about his ability to cover the ground. He dispelled that myth in the very first trial game, as he constantly willed himself from contest to contest, and from one end of the ground to the other. And to watch him play on the weekend against Richmond was no different. One minute he would be defending in his team's back half, and the next he would be part of that rampaging midfield group who swarmed forward in numbers and proved an irrepressible force. And the quality that I loved in him more than any other, and one that will ultimately define him as a footballer, if it hasn't already, is that he is a competitive animal. It is a quality that separates so many footballers, and on more than one occasion this year I've looked at talented young players struggling to make a mark in the game, and wondered just how good they would be if you were able to transplant Wines' aggression, mindset and desire into their sublimely skilled bodies. You have to take a minute to stop and realise that this young man won't turn 20 until next month. He has stood up big-time in both this year's and last year's elimination finals and has performed brilliantly in three of the four showdowns against Adelaide.

And not once has he looked overawed, intimidated or reluctant. He has played every game since making his debut. That's an extraordinary achievement for someone who plays the way he does. He has been described as a battering ram, a collision player, a hardball-get fanatic. And yet he has not missed a game, nor has he backed away from a single challenge or shown the slightest hint of hesitation. On raw numbers alone, comparing the first two years of the very best players in the competition, he sits at the top of the pile. And I know statistics don't always tell the full story, but it is hard to find any fault in Wines', by comparison. On top of that, he is an outstanding young man who will have made Port Adelaide Football Club a better place the moment he walked in the door. He is humble and modest and has future leader stamped on his forehead. The Dockers will have planned meticulously for this game. Boak, Robbie Gray, Hamish Hartlett, Chad Wingard and Jared Polec would have been the cause for plenty of discussion around the selection table.

Loading But it would not have escaped Ross Lyon's attention that the constant, combative, relentless presence of Ollie Wines has been critical to the success of this side for a couple of years now. How could it? He's one of the very best young players in the game.