PORT Adelaide today is the equivalent of the "standby" passenger in an airport lounge. The price of its ticket to the desired destination is four wins - and it needs all of the Western Bulldogs, Richmond and St Kilda to move out of the queue to eighth spot on the AFL plane to September glory.
As tough as the script has become for 11th-placed Port Adelaide to book its third consecutive berth to the AFL finals, Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley notes his players are not moving aside while the pundits rule them out of contention.
"The mood of the group has been really positive - and the mood of the group is we are still in the fight and still have a challenge," said Hinkley before the main training session at Alberton on Thursday amid preparations for Saturday's clash with the finals-bound Collingwood at the MCG.
"We are going to keep chasing.
"We are chasing as hard as we have ever chased. We are going to keep going. We will stay in it as long as we possibly can. And what I am proud of with this group is they bring the same attitude to work every week. From the start of the year to today, they are here with enthusiasm."
And Hinkley's crew will - amid fan frustration - stay focused on finding four wins from the remaining home-and-away clashes with Collingwood, Richmond, Essendon and Adelaide.
"We are all on the same page here - there is not one bit of divide," said Hinkley.
Port Adelaide will name its line-up on Thursday evening with two rather than one forced change. Half-back Riley Bonner, who was expected to cover the loss of Dan Houston by the concussion protocols, is unavailable by the health and safety protocols.
The versatile Lachie Jones, who can return to half-back after being paired with Sam Powell-Pepper in attack before being sidelined with a hamstring strain, is expected to resume in the AFL after missing three matches.
"All things are on the table for us," Hinkley said.
Out of training (by illness, but not COVID-related symptoms) at Alberton on Thursday was specialist forward Orazio Fantasia. He remains on the match committee whiteboard for the clash with Collingwood that would mark his first AFL game (as a field player rather than medical substitute) this season.
Also in consideration are novice ruckmen Sam Hayes and Brynn Teakle, but experienced ruckman Scott Lycett is unlikely to play again this year after medical tests have confirmed he has an infection to the shoulder that was rebuilt after his round four injury.
"There is a small infection and the likelihood is Scott probably won't play any football for the remainder of the season," Hinkley said. "We won't rule him out totally. He has an anti-biotic treatment and it takes a bit of time to get through that."
Port Adelaide's match committee will seek the best combination to deliver on Hinkley's gameplan more so than counter Craig McRae's new themes at Collingwood. And this leaves the ruck question - a specialist ruckman such as Hayes or Teakle or the makeshift but effective tandem of Charlie Dixon and Jeremy Finlayson?
"We will look at Teakle/Hayes/Finlayson and Dixon which has been working pretty well for us," said Hinkley. "It is pretty close (between Hayes and Teakle). Sam Hayes' past couple of weeks has been pretty strong. Brynn was very unlucky with what happened to him (broken collarbone after 35 minutes in his AFL debut game against Sydney) and he has shown enough that we are excited with what he may bring to our footy team.
"Ultimately, we would like it to be a (dedicated, specialist) ruckman picked in the team. We have not had that (option) through injury or form. We typically play with a genuine ruck.
"Our selection will be based on what we need, first and foremost," Hinkley added while Collingwood works through its own question on the fitness and readiness of ruckmen Brodie Grundy and Mason Cox.
"We have seen Collingwood play a really strong brand of football all season; they are quite an aggressive football team. They have a good squad available themselves. They are challenging everyone. They have won nine in a row ... and they are a real challenge at the MCG in front of their fans."
Collingwood's move from an ultra-defensive game has McRae's team averaging 14 points more than was being put on the scoreboard last year. Port Adelaide vice-captain Ollie Wines, who will mark his 200th AFL game with captain Tom Jonas this weekend, hopes the more attacking Collingwood playbook falls into the traps of Port Adelaide's noted defensive strategies.
"It will be a high-pressure game, a turnover game at the MCG giving plenty of space," Hinkley said. "It will be a challenging game for both teams. Collingwood are strong behind the ball too. They have some great defenders - Maynard, Howe, Moore ... and young Diacos has been a marvellous player in his first year. Nick Daicos has drawn a lot of attention, but it is not working too well. He is a fantastic first-year player - and no-one is surprised by what he has been able to do this season. He is a highly talented player who has an amazing future. But we would be foolish to think there is one player we need to focus on more than the rest because there are so many (threatening) players at Collingwood ... DeGoey, Elliott, Adams, Sidebottom, Pendlebury. There is a fair list of players in that team.
"We can provide equally as many challenges for any team in the competition, as we have shown in the past couple of weeks (against league leader Geelong and AFL premier Melbourne) without getting a result.
"We want to maximise our opportunities going forward," added Hinkley who at the weekend again lamented Port Adelaide being inefficient when compared with Geelong in the decisive last term at Adelaide Oval after an eight-goal third quarter.
Hinkley paid tribute to Jonas and Wines - and noted the way destiny has paired their milestones at 150 and 200 games.
"They are great people," Hinkley said. "There are not two people at our footy club who the team would not want to give their absolute all for.
"It is such a great milestone. They are such great mates - captain and vice-captain. They have done a lot of things together at this football club for a long period of time. It is remarkable that they play their 150th and 200th together. It is a pretty special day for them.
"I have seen enormous growth in Tom. As a player, he always has been pretty solid and very honest; he gives absolutely everything. As a captain - and a leader of young men - he has grown and grown and grown. He is a really rounded person now. He has good balance in his life with a young family. He does it very well."
The focus at Alberton has not shifted while there has been the prospect of distraction with debate on Port Adelaide's status in the premiership race - and the work of Hinkley, who is on contract to the club next season.
"We are all on the same page here - there is not one bit of divide," Hinkley said. "Right now, we (are united) in getting this win (against Collingwood) this week.
"We have worked really hard to make sure we are in this together. We support each other. We have each other's back at all times. In good or bad times, you have to be there for each other. This group of young men I coach has an enormous amount of care and that goes both ways.
"Football clubs deal with that (external pressure) all the time. You would be surprised how much lack of notice we take of that stuff. We come to work to work with each other - and we enjoy working with each other. Our job and our responsibility is to perform at our best this week.
"Every football club has great passion within it. We work in this environment (of high scrutiny and strong fan reaction). We all accept that. We all know that when we sign on. That is not an issue for us. We turn up with a really mature attitude about what we have to do - and understand that no matter how long I am in the game, our players are in the game, that we will not please everyone.
"We never stop putting expectation on ourselves. And once I stop - and the team stops having the expectation of high-level performance - we should all walk away. I don't feel the team or myself or anyone at this football club feels that way. We know exactly what we need to work at. This year has not gone the way we would have liked.
"I know my role. I know my job. And I will do it to my absolute best."
As the home-and-away series enters its last month there are more and more announcements on player futures across the AFL. But the question of whether gamebreaking midfielder-forward Robbie Gray continues at Port Adelaide for his 17th season remains off the table for now.
"That is for further down the track," said Hinkley of the 34-year-old, 268-game Gray, who has had an interrupted season after injuring a knee in the season-opener against Brisbane. "Robbie is one member of our list - and all the decisions will be made though (list manager) Jason Cripps and the team later. They will not be happening now. We have enough things to focus on - starting with Collingwood."
