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PORT Adelaide is flying at four wins and two losses, the team’s playing fast footy, and coach Ken Hinkley loves it.
The Power's two losses have come against pacesetters Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney, but Saturday’s 84-point thumping of the Brisbane Lions takes their average winning margin for the season to a massive 72.5 points, and Hinkley is very happy with their performance.
"We'd love to play 120 minutes straight, play it all on our terms, but we know AFL football doesn't allow that, the competition's too even," Hinkley said.
"I thought today was pretty comprehensive in the amount of time we controlled the game.
"I love it when we play fast footy, like everyone does. I think everyone loves their team playing a fast, exciting brand of football, but just to have the composure at the right moments, and I think we're getting better at that."
Key forward Charlie Dixon had his best game for the season and probably his best performance in Port Adelaide colours, stamping his authority on the match with 20 disposals, 12 marks and four goals.
Hinkley was so excited about Dixon's performance he interrupted a question about the forward in the post-match press conference.
"Yeah he was good, wasn't he?"
"He's been really strong for us this year and he's really in with what we're doing. He knows what he needs to do, he's performing really strongly and I think the boys recognise it as well."
Chad Wingard, who finished 2016 as Port Adelaide's leading goal-kicker with 38, played well again in his new midfield role against the Lions.
Hinkley said it was a balancing act between Wingard's strengths as a forward compared to as a midfielder, but the move has given the Power greater versatility.
"The last two weeks he's been in the midfield, almost predominately the whole time. He's been able to influence the game in a different way, not so much on the scoreboard.
"That's allowed Robbie (Gray) to stay forward too and some other players to play some slightly different roles.
“Our whole pre-season we trained Chad in the midfield region for that reason, and we've started with a couple of games where we've wanted him in different spots.
"He works off Ollie (Wines) and Brad (Ebert) and (Sam) Powell-Pepper really well, those bigger-body mids who have a fair bit of grunt; but Chad and Poley (Jared Polec) also go in and get the ground ball themselves, but they put a bit of polish around the outside which is important."
