The 2001 Ansett Australia Cup was contested by all sixteen clubs of the Australian Football League prior to the beginning of the 2001 AFL season.
The win over Geelong that secured Port Adelaide a place in the semi-finals was marred however by a serious broken leg suffered by key ruckman Brendon Lade.
In the knockout semi-finals, Brisbane Lions and Port Adelaide beat Hawthorn and Kangaroos respectively to qualify for the Grand Final.
Port Adelaide trailed Kangaroos at three-quarter time but kicked the first 5 goals of the final term to secure a 16-point victory in front of their own fans at Football Park.
In the other semi-final at Colonial Stadium, the Brisbane Lions kicked the final 4 goals of the game against Hawthorn to win by 15 points.