PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says Saturday's 11-goal defeat at the hands of the Sydney Swans highlights how far the club has to go if it wants to be a finals contender in 2017.
The Power was never in the contest at the SCG, failing to score in the opening term on the way to a 67-point thumping that ended any faint hopes of making the post-season.
It was another loss to a finals-bound side – of the Power's nine wins in 2016 only one has been against a team currently inside the top eight, when they overcame North Melbourne in Round 17.
"When we've been up against the best teams we've failed to be able to compete as well as we need to," Hinkley said.
"If you're going to move up the ladder, you've got to be able to compete against the best teams. You've got to make some adjustments."
Hinkley said the Swans "outworked, outmuscled, (and) outplayed" his team.
"We had a side that was unconditional in the way they went about it and we had another side that was not able to go anywhere near matching them in those contested situations and work rate situations," Hinkley said.
"They are a top-four side. They rightly own their position and as bad as it sounds we rightly own our position outside the eight."
So as the focus switches from this season to next, Hinkley said the club would aim to use the final three games of 2016 to give some younger members of the list more game time in a bid to find out a bit more about them heading into the off-season.
"We are actually putting quite a few young ones out there, we've got maybe one or two others that we would hopefully get a look at, at some point," Hinkley said.
"Why not have a look and see what they can and can't do and make some decisions based on a bit more about the future."
The Port coach said one youngster that did well on a disappointing day for the club was 22-year-old defender Tom Clurey, who held veteran Swans forward Lance Franklin to just two goals despite the Swans having a massive 69 inside 50s compared with the Power's 36 entries into the forward arc.
"He did really well, Tommy," Hinkley said.
"That's a real positive for us."
Hinkley said Port's skill level would also be a focus in preparation for the 2017 season.
"Over the course of the year ... we probably haven't been at the level of a AFL-skilled side," Hinkley said.
"Our skill level is not at the level it needs to be to be consistently a good AFL side and if we are going to want to push into the eight we have to improve in that area."
The Power hosts red-hot Melbourne, which beat Hawthorn at the MCG on Saturday afternoon, next weekend.
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