KEN Hinkley says if Port Adelaide played like it did in defeating Gold Coast for the entire season, it might be playing finals.
The Power coach was thrilled with his team's 37-point win over the plucky Suns – their fifth win in six matches.
Although it can't make the top eight, Port moved into ninth with a victory built on the back of winning contested footy (172-153) and not giving the hosts any time with the ball.
Hinkley praised his team's ability to stay focused despite being out of finals contention and said they'd learned valuable lessons in 2015.
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"I think the most pleasing part is we've played the way Port Adelaide should play, we've played pretty tough," Hinkley said.
"Our supporters would recognise that, they would have watched us play over the last month-and-a-bit and say "that's the team we support, that's the team we're proud of".
"Sometimes it's really, really hard to stay alive in the mind when the season's gone and I think to our boys' credit they've been able to do that, and we are where we deserve to be, but we've at least been strong enough to play out the season."
Hinkley said the win was eerily similar to the corresponding match last season, when his men eked out a nine-point win despite dominating the inside 50s.
"They hung in there and as I said to them, if we had have played that style of football for most parts of the year we might find ourselves in a different position," he said.
The form of some of his younger players also excited the Power mentor.
He said in Sam Gray, who racked up a career-high 37 disposals, Karl Amon, who kicked three very clever left-footed goals, and Brendon Ah Chee (18 disposals), the Power had "found some players".
