PORT ADELAIDE senior coach Ken Hinkley says the club’s inconsistent performances stem from the midfield battle.

Port has failed to win consecutive games since Rounds 5 and 6 and backed up a win over ladder leaders Geelong with a loss to the 15^th placed Western Bulldogs last weekend.

Hinkley was firm in the belief that when the Power is winning the contested football in the middle of the ground, it is a dangerous side, but it becomes vulnerable when beaten in that area.

“Our frustration - in what people assume we didn’t have the answers - was more around the frustration of the opportunity that was there, not that we didn’t know what happened and why it happened,” Hinkley said on SEN SA’s Breakfast program.

“We knew we got beaten around the ball and it’s pretty clear evidence to us that when we get beaten around the ball, we put ourselves in a dangerous position.

“If we go back a few weeks ago to Freo, in the last quarter we were in a really strong contest, we get beaten badly around contest and clearance in the last quarter, and then the week after we play Geelong and we were strong in that area.

“This week against the Bulldogs, we have a first quarter where we get equal first-possession but we lose clearances by a significant margin, so we just didn’t handle the conditions and the pressure of the Bulldogs well enough.”

Hinkley knows the evenness of the AFL competition means it is difficult to dictate terms in every game, and the inconsistency from teams around the Power on the ladder is a testament to that.

“The opposition put you in a position where you don’t always get what you want, our challenge is to break through that when it’s going against us,” he said.

“From 5-14 on the ladder, we’ve all faced similar scenarios. Ours has been up and down each week five or six weeks, but most teams have had their up and down moments.

“We are no different, but we are trying to break through that like every other side in that position.”

The Power has the opportunity to bounce back in a twilight blockbuster clash against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in Showdown XLVII on Saturday.