CHAD Cornes' career as the new Port Adelaide SANFL coach started well with wins in both of the Magpies' trial matches.
With no premiership points on the line, the victories - against Adelaide last week and West Adelaide last night - were just a warm up for the upcoming season.
But winning is important to Cornes, and he was pleased with both the result and the team's attitude that achieved it.
Speaking to portadelaidefc.com.au after his side's 86-point win over the undermanned Bloods, Cornes said it was the players willingness to work hard for each other that earned the result.
"It's not so much about the two-from-two, it's more about how the boys play," Cornes said.
"I wasn't too rapt with their effort and intent in the first quarter.
"But the way they came out after quarter time and played tough, team footy with the last three quarters is the Port Adelaide way and it was good to see and that's what we expect."
Port Adelaide went into the match against West Adelaide with a near full list to choose from and, with the Power having a week off, Alipate Carlile, Jared Polec and Jay Schulz were all given the opportunity to wear the prison bar jumper.
The experience of these senior players rubbed off on Port's younger ones too, with a number of Port's contracted players showing plenty of promise.
"None of the young guys really looked out of place these last two weeks and all the Magpies boys have come up and done their job and fitted in brilliantly," he said.
"Tom Corcoran was again outstanding on the back line, but they all did their job."
In just his third hit out since injuring his navicular bone and enduring a 10-month absence from the game, Jared Polec was back to his best and it was a fact not lost on Cornes.
"Jared was a class above and came back in and played team footy ... there was a number of times where he squared the footy up when he could've just gone for goal," Cornes said.
"For him to come back and play that way was what we ask for."
The Magpies will play an internal trial on Thursday 10 March before beginning its season against Norwood at The Parade on March 24.
MORE ON PORTADELAIDEFC.COM.AU ...
As it happened: Magpies v Bloods
Female footy: Port takes long view to game development
PTV: Jack Hombsch - leadership group
