Port Adelaide was embarrassed in showdown 43 on the weekend, which they lost by a showdown record 84 points against the highly fancied Adelaide Crows.
Any loss of that significance is set to trigger the media and pundits into uproar – especially when it comes at the hands of their cross-town rivals.
Port Adelaide was flat for the entire game, dominated from start to finish and at no point did they appear likely to mount any sort of charge. And for a side that has a genuine chance at finishing in the top four at season’s end, this sort of effort is unexplainable.
Over the past two seasons, the Power has had a number of ‘flat’ performances, games where for the most part they seemed disinterested and uncompetitive. Last season in Round 4 GWS defeated them by 86 points at Manuka oval, a performance which came just two weeks after a shellacking at the hands of the Crows.
This season, in recent weeks the Power has put in such efforts against Essendon, Melbourne and now the Crows. Against Melbourne, they came to play for the second half, but were unable to erase the damage done in the first quarter in particular.
And the reason for these lacklustre efforts is simple: they are relying too heavily on too few players.
Robbie Gray at his best was arguably the best player in the AFL. He won the Coaches Association Award in 2014, is a two-time Showdown medallist and a dual All-Australian. But recent troubles with injury and general soreness have rendered him unable to train or play regularly in the midfield, spending most of his time as a full forward.
And with the quality of midfielders that the Power possesses – Travis Boak, Brad Ebert, Ollie Wines and Chad Wingard – Gray should not be called upon to carry the load for long periods of time.
Gray finished Sunday’s game with 33 disposals, ten clear of Port’s next best, Ollie Wines. This is becoming a concerning trend for the Power, with Gray also playing a major role over their previous two games, notching up a combined 50 touches. He had not finished a game with more than 21 touches in the previous eleven weeks.
The form of Brad Ebert and Ollie Wines has also dropped off over the past two weeks, with the pair averaging just 20 touches between them over these games. Beyond the stats, Wines in particular is not having the impact that he does when he is at his best, and his tackling pressure is also down. He has been carrying a knee injury throughout the season, but it has not stopped him from playing.
Sam Powell-Pepper, after his terrific start to his first season of AFL football, has also slowed down in recent weeks. This does not come as much of a surprise given the physical brand of football that he plays and the fact that he has appeared in every game.
Along with Gray, Chad Wingard had been playing tremendous football for Port Adelaide, trusted more with midfield duties than in seasons gone past. He has had four games of 30+ disposals this season, having had just one for his career prior to this season. His absence over the past two weeks has shown, and has forced the Power to rely too heavily on Robbie Gray and their league-best defence.
(AAP Image/David Mariuz)
Part of this decline in midfield production can be attributed to soreness and fatigue. The team had three days without training following their win over St Kilda, something unusual for a team to do this late in the season.
The Power typically does not rest the likes of Powell-Pepper, Wines and Ebert up forward throughout games, in large part due to the inability of Gray to play long stretches in the midfield, meaning they carry a heavier workload than many other inside midfielders.
Ken Hinkely described the performance on Sunday as unacceptable, and said that Robbie Gray was their only player who could hold their head high.
The Power have set themselves up for a big finals run with commanding wins over lower-rung teams, but until they are able to produce against the best teams in the competition there will be question marks over their mentality and how much they can achieve in season 2017.
They are not armed with superstars on each line such as the Crows, Cats, Tigers or Giants, so they rely on a steady showing from each player week in and week out. And until they make the necessary changes at selection to ensure they are playing players who compete at a high level week in week out, the Power will not achieve what they are capable of.
GJ
Guest
I think the reality is that they are just not as good as their ladder position suggests. It debatable whether or not they have actually beaten a genuine top 8 team in the last 2 seasons. That aside, they did look tired and bereft of ideas against Adelaide. They probably have a multitude of problems bubbling away they haven't seen the light of day yet, outside the club anyway.
TomC
Roar Guru
GJ, that makes sense. But then arguably their worst performance of the year came shortly after that bye against the Bombers who'd played 12 consecutive weeks to that point. I think if there's a physical element here, it's something that was within their control to manage.
GJ
Guest
The only people who call it the "Crowvertiser" are whiney, juvenile Power supporters
GJ
Guest
Some have suggested the early bye round after their trip to China is in part responsible.
GJ
Guest
Well thats BS. Chief football journo is a rabid Power supporter. Instead of reporting on the game this weekend, he has chosen to trample along the well worn path and throw more fuel on the Lever and McGovern contract negotiations. He even continues to report negative stories about Adelaide when they have publicly refuted it. He has no credibility ..
Cat
Roar Guru
Yep, with an almost non-existent injury list they should be able to rotate players in and out and manage any niggles anyone is carrying ... unless they have no faith in their list beyond best 22.
TomC
Roar Guru
I'd have thought they're in a better position to manage any fitness issues they're having than other sides. I think Justin's argument that not having injuries means they're not getting a rest is largely without merit. Port, like every side in the league, can choose to rest players if they want. In fact with few injuries they have more scope to do that than other teams.
Cat
Roar Guru
Port Adelaide's injury list is the envy of every other side in the comp.
That's it.TomC
Roar Guru
But they don't have the fewest points against now. I'm not certain it's the best way to determine the league's strongest defence, but if it is, then presumably Richmond and Sydney are better. As for the rest of it, I think all clubs have a few players with some niggles at this time of year. It's just that poor results like the most recent one expose them a bit more. I don't think Port are going through anything the rest of the league aren't going through
Justin Ahrns
Roar Guru
You're spot on there. Port simply couldn't get any sustained period of momentum - they've proven mentally weak when it comes to the showdowns under Hinkley.
Justin Ahrns
Roar Guru
So what I based the statement of them being tired on is: 1. The fact they had three days off after the St Kilda game, and whispers were that they were carefully managing their players. 2. Ryder struggled to jump like he usually does in ruck contests and was out run by Jacobs. 3. Wines has been not right of late, and they have been putting pain killers into his knee all season to enable him to play. I think it has finally caught up with him. 4. Robbie Gray, as mentioned, really struggles to run. 5. Powell Pepper has hit the rookie wall. As you said, they have had few injuries - but the flipside of this is that their players haven't had much rest season long, their bye week was the earliest of any team and coming off the China game also. And as mentioned above, their defence ranked number 1 until this weekend.
Craig Delaney
Guest
Until this round they had the least points against. Now that's Sydney with Adelaide.
TomC
Roar Guru
The idea that they're struggling physically is an interesting one. Sure, it's a long season and their midfield carries a heavy load, but I think that's true for all teams. I don't know if anyone has a truly deep midfield this year - the Crows don't especially - and the Power have probably had the best run with injury of any club so in theory they should have had more opportunity to share the load. The writer's point appears just about undeniable; they look tired. But if that was the main issue I think that would be reflected mostly at the end of games. On another issue, I thought it was a bit odd that the writer described Port as having a 'league-best defence'. I don't think they have the best defence in the league. It seems an odd thing to chuck in there.
dan ced
Guest
They were surprisingly limp on the weekend. I did not expect that. The main thing I saw, apart from the Crows being cleaner with picking up the wet ball (less fumbling) was the defensive zone keeping the ball in Crows 50.. it was working VERY well and broke Port's spirit. Powell-Pepper and Wines got outmuscled, so I feel they are in need of a rest, carrying too heavy a burden as mentioned in this article.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Most thinking people call it the Chadvertiser due to its past and present penchant to run photos of all things called Chad - probably because of all of the Port people that work there in the Sports dept such as Ports Head of Marketing Rucci, and Kane Cornes and Wazza Tredrea and Jasper F, and ...
Gyfox
Guest
"the press is biased heavily in their favour". Rubbish! It's not called the Crowvertiser for nothing :-(
Craig Delaney
Guest
Gray was very clean. Enjoyed his game. P-Pepper started feisty, got outfeistied, and seemed out of it from there. No real blame though for a first year player at this time of the season. He wouldn't like it, but a rest would do him a power of good. The first quarter was where it was lost. Adelaide kept the ball in their half so well that it seemed the Port players lost all hope of momentum. Inertia took over. For example, the kick out was clearly not working, but they went the same route over and over. I like Hinkley but has he the game plan or the players onside? He doesn't seem to have a Fos Williams bone in his body, and that's not Port.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
This mob believes their own press (and in Adelaide the press is biased heavily in their favour). They are simply not that good and have recruited poorly in recent years. Too many players on long term and inflated deals that over value them as players and as a club. Apart from that they are OK!
Franko
Guest
One senses Hinkley has lost the players. At a personal level, it seems that he gets along with them well, but the 'game plan' is shot. There are very talented players out there doing very little and Ken has had years to shape the squad, pretty sure he has only traded one player in that time. Sorry Ken, it's time to go.