1. Effort, desire and intensity…
…Are things Port Adelaide prides itself on. They are traits that ‘Port Adelaide football’ is meant to embody. These weren’t shown on Sunday.
Port Adelaide likes to make history, but it did so for the wrong reasons by offering the Giants their record club victory.
It’s not an aberration either - 50 percent of Port Adelaide’s season has thus far been defined by it.
2. When the heat is on, too many go missing
The old military term ‘Missing in Action’ is perhaps most apt this week, heading into the Power’s Anzac Round clash against Geelong.
The players didn’t handle the pressure and the Giants ran riot. The question now is, simply, can a solution be manufactured in one week?
Maybe. Consistency is so crucial in AFL though (see point 4); Port Adelaide has been inconsistent far too consistently.
3. Jasper Pittard
Probably the only player to perform for four quarters, Pittard can hold his head high. His endeavour to create from defence was still there even when the Power was staring down the barrel of defeat. Too often has Pittard been maligned in his career, but his start to 2016 has been determined, reliable and underrated. He’ll be an early contender for Port’s B&F.
KANE: @PAFC fans often critical of Pittard well it's time you shut up! He's being outstanding and one of the only one's having a real crack.
— FIVEaa (@1395FIVEaa) April 17, 2016
4. The difference is huge
Yes, the gap between the Power’s best football and worst football this year is sizeable. The performances of teams leading the competition have been little different, whether they chalk wins or suffer losses.
Port wants the gap to be tiny. To be good in every game, win emphatically, and lose defiantly with honour.
In four games, the Power have rarely exhibited the elite play they defined themselves by for two seasons and the back-end of last year.
They will be defined further by their response, starting on Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval. The nation will be watching.
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