PORT ADELAIDE will look to target the draft in an attempt to play finals in 2017.
Coach Ken Hinkley said the Power will hold on to their first-round pick and take the best talent available, after his side held on to beat Gold Coast by 23 points to finish the season in 10th position.
"As a football club we will be aggressive and we have to be aggressive," Hinkley said.
"We need to go to the draft and we will go to the draft and find some young players, because we see some future in the young ones we've played this year too.
"Without boring you, you go for simple talent, you go for the best talent. I'm not telling you whether it's a midfielder or a forward or a back, I think when you get your pick, nine or eight or whatever we'll end up with, we'll just go there and pick the most talented player who can help us."
Hinkley said the success of Ollie Wines (pick seven in 2012) and Chad Wingard (pick 6 in 2011) showed the club's recruiting team know what they're looking for.
"We've had Ollie come in in my time, and before that it was Chad, so our recruiting team have been able to find some pretty good talent at that part of the draft.
"And what I like about first round picks is that typically they come in and give you a little boost immediately, so we can get that."
Hinkley lamented Port Adelaide's inconsistency across the season.
"We never really gave ourselves a chance throughout the year, we were what we were. I always say, you end up where you should after 22 games, you figure out what you are. And for us, we are that inconsistent model," he said.
"We know some of the good stuff is still pretty good, but we know we're not consistent enough to play it for long enough.
"And till you do that, you end up where we ended up, somewhere out of the eight."
He said one of Port Adelaide's biggest weaknesses throughout the season has been their disposal.
"There's no doubt that some of our ball use – our ability to execute under fatigue and pressure – we turn simple things into hard, and sometimes we turn simple things into disaster, which is not ideal when you're trying to defend a full game of football."
Defender Logan Austin did not play out the match, leaving the ground clutching his leg in the third quarter after colliding with several players, but Hinkley said he didn't think the injury was too serious.
"He's got a sore ankle, I don't think it's too much. He won't play next week," he said with a laugh.
Hinkley said the addition of Paddy Ryder and Angus Monfries next year would help his side immensely.
"He's [Ryder] pretty excited I imagine – albeit our season's over – that he's only got less than three weeks to go and he's allowed back at the club with Gus Monfries.
"Most top-end ruckmen – Naitanui, Goldstein, Lynch at the Crows, Max Gawn – I reckon they've won some games for their sides this year, and I think Paddy and ‘Lobes’ [Matthew Lobbe] and ‘Jacko’ [Jackson Trengove] can together win some games for us going forward."
