PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley doesn't care Saturday's loss to Melbourne was only a NAB Challenge match, slamming the Power's effort as "unacceptable".
Having brought in 12 senior players for the game the Power were expected to account for the Demons and in the first half it appeared as if they would.
But as the side restricted its own interchange rotations it tired, while the Demons remained far more liberal with their own rotations.
Full of run in the second half, Melbourne took control in the third term and held on.
Uneven interchange rotations and a lopsided free-kick count (17-32) didn't help Hinkley explain the Power's dismal second half, when his side surrendered a 30-point lead to go down by 19.
"You can use all the excuses under the sun, as far as did they rotate 50 or 60 times more than us? Did the free kicks go against us by nearly double or whatever the number was – but that's just a load of stuff that you shouldn't talk about," Hinkley said.
"It's effort – we didn't bring effort … you do that, that's what happens and that's what happened.
"It's unacceptable to play half a game of footy.
"You give them a negative today and you be honest, you say 'that wasn't the style of football we want to play, it's certainly not the way our people want to see us play'.
"We've got to own that this week and we've got to try to rectify that as I said – but we are building up to the start of the season, let's not lose sight."
The club's forward line was just one area Hinkley was dissatisfied with.
Justin Westhoff was the only forward to boot multiple goals (three), with Jay Schulz only bagging one and John Butcher missing several opportunities.
The good news for the Power is that star small forward Chad Wingard is expected to make his first NAB Challenge appearance against Richmond on March 10.
Wingard was omitted from Saturday's game with hamstring tightness but Hinkley insisted it was nothing to worry about.
"We took a no-risk policy with Chad, there's nothing wrong with Chad, he trained this morning," he said.
"He had some hamstring awareness so we said ‘Nah', it's like why you take (Matt) White out of the game – you manage their time."
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