PORT Adelaide is "a long way off what it needs to be AFL standard", according to coach Matthew Primus.
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The Power's disastrous 2011 campaign slumped to a new low after falling to Adelaide by 32 points at AAMI Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
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The loss was Port's seventh consecutive defeat, and leaves the Power stranded at the foot of the AFL ladder.
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"It's too far off what our best is capable of," Primus said following the match.
"Until we learn as a playing group and a coaching group...what it takes to be a good AFL team week in week out, it's going to be a long year for us."
Primus kept his players behind closed doors for a lengthy period after the loss to question the desire of the playing group.
"All year we just haven't played like footy means the absolute world to us," he said.
"We just had a great discussion of why that is, because if footy means absolutely everything to us, we wouldn't be down the bottom with two wins."
Port kicked the first goal of the game through Showdown specialist Chad Cornes, but the Power were quickly overawed by Adelaide and surrendered the lead at the 10-minute mark of the opening term.
From there the Power never looked likely to threaten the Crows, trailing Adelaide in all key areas including contested possessions, clearances and inside 50s.
Primus said there were too many passengers for Port Adelaide to challenge their cross-town rivals.
"We just had players who made poor decisions and didn't take the game by the scruff of the neck when they needed to," he said.
"I thought Hitchcock (three goals) was OK for the amount of limited opportunities he had up forward. Apart from that, that was really about it.
"In the end, we deserved the result we got."
The result was further soured with injuries to utility Jackson Trengove (knee), midfielder Tom Logan (foot) and forward Jay Schulz (foot and back strain).
Schulz was one of Port's few shining lights in the match with two goals and six marks before he landed awkwardly in a marking contest during the third term. The 26-year-old was immediately escorted from the field by medical staff and substituted out of the game.
The struggling Power now have a nightmare fortnight ahead against reigning premier Collingwood next Saturday night, followed by Hawthorn at the MCG in round 21.
"We've got to play some big teams and some tough teams, but so be it, that's the hole we've dug ourselves in," said Primus.
"We've got five games to go and we'll get to see what the character is of our place."
"We can show some resilience and show some grit over the next five weeks, or we can have some horrific games for our football club."
Max covers news from AAMI Stadium for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_MaxPhillips
