PORT ADELAIDE coach Ken Hinkley has described his side's first-half performance against Hawthorn on Saturday as one of the best he’s seen in a long time.
Hinkley’s side powered to an 82-point advantage with the club’s highest scoring first half in AFL company before a determined Hawks outfit narrowed the margin with eight of the last ten goals.
The final score was 23.13 (151) to 14.12 (96) in front of 34,234 people at a sunny Adelaide Oval.
"We played all parts of the game incredibly brutal (in the first half). It's definitely as good a half as I have seen us play for a long, long time," Hinkley said.
"To expect that to continue on was probably me being a bit greedy in some ways, I just couldn't expect that from the boys.
“I don’t worry about the percentage (lost by allowing the Hawks back into it) because you’re not thinking about percentage when the game is going on. You’re thinking about just winning, and I was really pleased that we had the game put away at half time.
"We just spent all the petrol in the first half when we were just so ferocious.”
Jeremy Finlayson and Todd Marshall each equalled their career highs with five goals apiece, while Junior Rioli had four in his best game on the scoreboard since his trade from West Coast in the off-season.
The club’s ninth consecutive victory improves on its eight-straight wins in the seasons of 2002, 2003 and 2014 but Hinkley said while it was a nice achievement, it mattered little.
“It’s great. It’s a pleasing achievement but it’s not a massive thing,” Hinkley explained.
“It’s part of our build this season, that’s what we’re worried about is trying to win as many games as we can. If that happens to be a nine-in-a-row, we’ll take it but it doesn’t mean we’re not going to try and get ten next week, eleven the week after.
“Whatever the number of wins doesn’t really matter to us. It’s the way we play. Ideally, we can keep winning.”
Standing in the Power’s way next week is a Friday night clash in Melbourne with the Western Bulldogs.
It’ll be the second straight six-day break for Hinkley’s men with a third to come before the bye against Geelong.
The big margin on Saturday gave the Power the luxury of subbing out ruckman Scott Lycett with a view to the games ahead, and experienced reinforcements Charlie Dixon (quad) and Travis Boak (ribs) could also be available.
Hinkley said the pair would be tested at training.
“Every week I say yes (they’ll be back), it tends to be no, so maybe,” Hinkley joked.
“We’re optimistic. I mean Charlie was really really close this week but we’ll see what happens.
“I don’t know that they’ll absolutely play or that they absolutely won’t play. I don’t know."
