1. It was not a good day
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Losing the Showdown? Never a good day. Losing the way Port Adelaide did on Saturday? Makes it worse. Port Adelaide was comprehensively beaten in every aspect. At times the Power looked sluggish, in others it lacked desperation.
Without doubt the Power crawled back into their shells – players choosing to double back on the mark rather than take the game on, overuse of the handball in attack, and a damning absence of pressure in a ‘finals-like’ game – it was a dirty day for Port.
The positive? Robbie Gray, with Ollie Wines a distant second and a smattering of others having their moments. We could say Gray is an elite player, but that’s well-known. What we’ve learned again that a team needs to win games, not a handful of players.
2. Opposition scoring ease is a worry
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Both St Kilda and Adelaide have scored with relative ease against the Power in the first fortnight of season 2016. While Port was able to remedy that in the final 40 minutes of play against St Kilda, it was all at sea against a 2015 finalist that didn’t put the cue in the rack.
That’s not an indictment on the back six though – good performances come on the back of team defence. It was tough watching.
3. Use the footy well, win games
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Port Adelaide’s efficiency in previous years has been pretty reasonable. Right now it’s performance by hand and foot is critical. The Power’s kicking efficiency was little over 50 per cent on Saturday, it was well down on its overall ball use compared to the week before, (which wasn’t great either).
Under Hinkley’s previous seasons the Power has averaged at least 70 percent efficiency, it’s currently at 65.
4. Aaron Young as a forward?
Four goals – over a third of your team’s score – is worth a mention. Young came into the team as a late inclusion for Hamish Hartlett and was one of few to fly the flag for the Power. He put an effort in throughout the day, at times battling to have an impact early, but his persistence when the game was over is a credit to him.
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