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Pathetic Port anything but a Power

16th August, 2016
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The wolves at Ken Hinkley's door are retreating after a 2-0 start. (Image: AFL Media)
Expert
16th August, 2016
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Where to now for Port Adelaide? The Power were the darlings of the competition in 2013 and 2014, coinciding with Ken Hinkley’s first two seasons when he took over one of the bigger basket-cases we’ve seen since the demise of Fitzroy.

Their game was built on extreme fitness and hard running, best summed up by Hinkley himself when he said “If you come and play against Port Adelaide, then you’re going to have to run. And you’re going to have to run really hard for four quarters.”

It is interesting to note that in the years the Power played finals, they were ranked sixth and seventh in uncontested possession. That dropped to 12th in 2015, and they currently rank 17th this year.

Uncontested possessions counts are built on two main aspects – players running hard into space, and the player with the ball being able to deliver accurately.

Watching the Power, it feels they are not the hard-running side that they once were, or have at least lost whatever competitive advantage they may have had. The one thing they certainly don’t do is play hard for four quarters.

Port are ranked 18th for disposal efficiency this season, and have never ranked higher than 14th under Ken Hinkley.

As we’ve seen with Hawthorn over recent years, the ability to create space and overlap run is a key to today’s game. The more players you have in space, the more options you have, and the easier it is to hit a target. The more space you have when receiving the ball, the less pressure you are under to deliver, and disposal efficiency should rise accordingly.

The Hawks have ranked in the top two for disposal efficiency every year from 2011 onwards, to coincide with their dominant period of success. Port have simply never delivered the ball well enough, and if they’re not running hard enough or long enough to find space and create options, we can see why it is all breaking down.

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When it comes to classy Port players, we think of Robbie Gray through the middle, Chad Wingard up forward, and Jasper Pittard from half-back (if you can get his howlers out of your mind).

Travis Boak has never been silky, Brad Ebert even less so, and Ollie Wines is the inside bull and clearance specialist. Prime movers, and all have their place on an AFL field, so they need more outside deliverers to complement them.

Hamish Hartlett simply doesn’t get enough of the ball, and his AFL career will be filed under ‘D’ for disappointment. Jared Polec offers something when not injured, players like he and Sam Gray might be part of the problem more than the solution.

Sides like the Western Bulldogs, Adelaide, GWS and Geelong have ten or more players averaging 20 disposals a game, while Port has five, with only one Robbie Gray, you’d consider as class.

And the problem with that is because Robbie’s ability to win the ball at stoppages is so great, and his contested possession rate is so high, he isn’t able to provide the outside run that he could.

The Power’s inconsistency is also well summed up by the fact they have a losing record at home this year (4-7 from 11 matches at Adelaide Oval) but a winning record away (5-4 interstate), which flies in the face of their home ground being some kind of fortress.

People have long been seduced by the best of Port, and the peak games or big moments we see from individuals. But that story has long since turned the last page.

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The sequel is not nearly as thrilling, nor full of hope. This pre-season looms as a big one for Hinkley and the players. By landing Paddy Ryder and Charlie Dixon, both questionable acquisitions, they sent a message they were ready to keep climbing and contend, but they are a long way from it.

If Hinkley can’t manufacture a winning game-plan for 2017, and the players can’t deliver it, the media scrutiny and turmoil which they have thus far avoided will come hard.

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