That guarantees nothing, and it risks everything, though, for the fall from loftier heights will always have a harder landing.
You only need to look at what's the club confronts further up the climb to see how hard this playing group will be tested.
There's Sydney - twice - another high-pressure Showdown against the Crows, Fremantle in Perth, Gold Coast at Metricon, Collingwood at the 'G.
And that's naming just a few of the challenges this most elite of sports will throw at the Power.
And that's naming just a few of the challenges this most elite of sports will throw at the Power.
No, the season is half done and that is one of the few certainties a Port Adelaide supporter can take away here in June.
The true uncertainty is what the final 11 home-and-away fixtures will throw at them.
That said, Port Adelaide's rise to the top of the ladder, its ability to absorb a Round 3 loss to North Melbourne and use it as motivation for the next two months of games - including resisting the inevitable mid-game response from every team it has faced - is a testament to the new-found consistency of work rate that was demanded of the playing group in the pre-season.
Where the Port Adelaide of 2013 was exciting to watch and drew praise for the way it played the game, it was inconsistent - winning five games and then losing as many before the mid-season bye.
The Port Adelaide of 2014 has, at least, found reliability and consistency to mix with the exciting way its wants to play the game.
Combined with the spectacle of playing at a remarkable new Adelaide Oval with its passionate army of true believers, it has been a start to the season perhaps only matched by the hype of the club's first in the AFL.
But hype aside, senior coach Ken Hinkley and his coaching panel, while pleased with the season so far, are not taking anything for granted.
Why should they? There have been plenty of surprises so far this season, and there always are in any given year.
That's AFL football.
What they will ensure, and Travis Boak and his panel of leadership players will impress on the whole playing group, is the responsibility they have to work hard every session of every week until the season is over.
You get what you deserve in this game - Hinkley still lives that philosophy and wants his players to control what they can and aspire to achieve whatever they're capable of.
There are no limits - that's another mantra from 2013 that is still lived at the club today.
Port Adelaide is only halfway up the mountain and there is a lot of climbing still to come.
With an ambitious, elite and equally enthusiastic pack climbing with it, Hinkley won't spend too long looking in the rear view mirror.
In fact, it was probably this interview for portadelaidefc.com.au's mid-season review that gave him the opportunity to do so...
Matthew Agius: 10 wins, 1 loss, sitting on top of the ladder and seeing off some big challenges in traditional powerhouses like Geelong, Fremantle and Hawthorn – it’s been a good start to the year on paper, but we are really only halfway up the pretty big mountain that is the home-and-away season. How do you view the way things have gone in the first half of this campaign?
Ken Hinkley: It’s a great result for what we’ve been able to do thus far, but we totally understand there’s so much more that has to be done. Anything you do is an adventure, but the hardest part of that adventure is usually the finishing part. You can’t put yourself in the position to have a good finish without a good start, fortunately though we’ve produced a great start to the season and we’re really proud of that. We’ve played some high quality opponents, had great support at the Adelaide Oval and the boys have delivered. Right now I think we deserve where we sit, and we just have to continue to work as hard as we can to keep ourselves in that position.
MA: In your first year the club won its first five and then loss its next five – this year it dropped one game against North Melbourne and looked to rebound with strength and desire. What’s the difference between the start of 2013 and the start of 2014, aside from the win-loss ledger?
KH: I think clubs need to be able to rebound from losses if they want to be regarded as a good football side. When you face a tough period or a tough game where you don’t get the result you want, the response is critical to making progress. I think it’s important to come back after any loss and demonstrate by your actions that you’re not pleased with what you did in the last game you played. It doesn’t mean you’ll get a better result, but you can see effort. Fortunately our effort produced a good result.
In terms of the difference to this time last year, I think we’re just a little bit better prepared in a lot of respects. We understand what we’re capable of, the game plan we’re playing and the personnel we’ve got in our side. And of course we’re a little more experienced, so when you put all those things together, you’re able to produce better results.
Last year we played Hawthorn and Geelong over here at AAMI Stadium early in the season, and did so again, this time at the Adelaide Oval, about the same time this year. The difference when we’ve played them in 2014 is that we’ve been able to maintain a really consistent work rate, and I think we were less surprised by what they were able to do to us.
MA: There is only one loss – against North Melbourne – in a game that probably characterised the benefit of momentum in modern footy more than most. What did you take away from that game that’s helped you since?
We understand it’s a four-quarter game, and we took away the fact that we were leading at three-quarter time. But while we’ve been a strong finishing team, we know that we can’t rely on that. We actually need to put the finishing touches on every quarter, we simply can’t rely on running games out well.
Our finishing touches on that game, the little things I talk about a lot, weren't quite on in that last quarter. It demonstrated that if we aren’t able to get the little things right, then a quality side like North Melbourne will knock you off.
MA: Injuries. We’ve actually had a few key players go missing this year at various stages – Monfries, Boak, White recently for example – can you tell us how the loss of first-choice players impacts the way you make decisions on the team, and on the day?
KH: The key message for us as a team is that we’re not personnel-based. We don’t want to rely on individuals, and while we understand there is a tipping point as a team – you can’t take five or six first-pick players out of a team and expect to deliver the same – we want to be able to cover players.
Take Travis Boak for example: if he was out of the team for one week, we’d like to think we can cover that loss. I tell the boys all the time, "If we’re one player away from being a great side, then we’re not a great side." Normally, having one or two players out in one week shouldn’t have too big an impact on team performance.
MA: The beauty, I suppose, about those exclusions is that the inclusions we’ve had have fit into the team and played their role. How has the integrated football structure with the Magpies been of benefit to you?
KH: We couldn’t be more pleased that we have the Magpies and Power together playing the same brand of football, and demonstrating that we are the Port Adelaide Football Club more than ever.
When you see a guy like Summo, who’s the skipper of the Magpies and not part of our full-time program, play our game plan and understand it, you know that you’ve achieved that ‘One Club’ goal.
Buddha and his team have done a great job bringing all those things together and making sure we really do play like one club - Power and Magpies. In this mid-season review, we can see that the club is sitting first in both competitions and that’s what we want to do, be the very best we can be in both competitions, as often as we possibly can.
MA: You speak of the playing personnel you have, but there's also been change in terms of your coaching panel with Shaun Hart, Garry Hocking, Tyson Edwards, Phil Walsh and Aaron Greaves new to the club or in changed positions. How has the dynamic worked between the coaches so far this year?
KH: We’ve had a significant change in roles, and a few significant personnel changes with Phil Walsh and Shaun Hart coming in, and obviously losing Richo to his position at St Kilda. The key thing for me though is that we have Buddha doing such a good job with the Magpies, Tyson stepping into his shoes as forwards and offense coach and working really smoothly in that role, Josh Carr is working with Phil Walsh in midfield tactics and strategy and giving our players plenty of information to work with, and Nicksy is going well again with the backs.
I think the thing that gets missed at times though is the work that our development coaches do. We talk about how well-developed our younger players are and how quickly they’re coming up, and it’s because of the work Aaron Greaves and Stuey Cochrane do running our development program and working closely with the other coaches. You can see the great benefits we’re getting from that.
When Richo left the club late, we were quite confident we could work without having the ideal candidate in that role. Fortunately we were able to get the ideal replacement for that role and Shaun Hart really does have a total ‘team care’ approach to everything he does with the players, coaches and staff of the Port Adelaide Football Club. He’s been a massive get for us.
MA: The Adelaide Oval. What do you think of it after six games there?
KH: I don’t think we can measure, if we’re really honest, what the success of Adelaide Oval has been. I think we all predicted the Adelaide Oval would be great for South Australia and football in the state for both teams, but I think the extent of what our people have done there is quite immeasurable.
You can just feel the support for the team when you’re on the field before the game, and after the game as well. Our supporters and our team have come together to make a statement and make the ground our own. The more our supporters turn up and fill the Oval up, the more, I think, our players will lift and play for them. It’s an incredible atmosphere and one I think will keep growing for this football club.
MA: Looking forward, what approach to you take over the second half of the season. Do you alter your planning in anyway, or is it quite literally planning one week at a time?
KH: It’s boring, it’s football, but I really do know from experience that there are dangers when you take your eye off the week you’re in. When you look two games ahead and take your eyes off your immediate challenge, your ladder position will reflect what you’ve done in not giving your next opponent and your next game the respect it deserves. If we’re prepared to work hard every week, turn up on Monday and give ourselves the best chance to perform well in our next game then, as I said last year, and I’ll say it again: We’ll get what we deserve.
MA: What have you taken away from the first 11 weeks that will help shape the way you take on the rest of the season?
I think we’ve gotten better. We’ve learned every week as players and coaches, changed little things week-to-week and been prepared to make changes that may or may not work, and we’re prepared to have honest conversations as a playing group, football team and administration staff if we think it will make us better. We’re prepared to take feedback with the view to getting better. Like the players, us coaches want to improve every week to hopefully get better again.
MA: Just finally, what are some things that have really pleased or excited you this year, that you’d like to share with the supporters?
There’s been nothing more exciting for me as a coach than being at the Adelaide Oval and seeing our supporters and members fill the place up. Simple as that. We’ve actually been lucky enough to have the Adelaide Oval tagged as ‘The Portress’ by outsiders, and I think it’s exactly what we’ve done. From a coaching point-of-view, I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to do as a club. It’s easy for me to say as a coach that I’m proud of a player, the awesome plays our team does or the team itself, but the whole club and what it’s doing is what I’m most proud of.
It’s quite satisfying to feel that suddenly we earned some respect from the football community because of the way our whole club – players, coaches, staff, volunteers, supporters - has come together.
MA: Thanks Ken, and good luck with the rest of season 2014.
KH: Thank you.
Next week, Keith Thomas will go through his mid-season review with portadelaidefc.com.au.
Stay tuned over the coming days for our exclusive line reviews with the club's midfield and defensive coaches.
In fact, it was probably this interview for portadelaidefc.com.au's mid-season review that gave him the opportunity to do so...
Matthew Agius: 10 wins, 1 loss, sitting on top of the ladder and seeing off some big challenges in traditional powerhouses like Geelong, Fremantle and Hawthorn – it’s been a good start to the year on paper, but we are really only halfway up the pretty big mountain that is the home-and-away season. How do you view the way things have gone in the first half of this campaign?
Ken Hinkley: It’s a great result for what we’ve been able to do thus far, but we totally understand there’s so much more that has to be done. Anything you do is an adventure, but the hardest part of that adventure is usually the finishing part. You can’t put yourself in the position to have a good finish without a good start, fortunately though we’ve produced a great start to the season and we’re really proud of that. We’ve played some high quality opponents, had great support at the Adelaide Oval and the boys have delivered. Right now I think we deserve where we sit, and we just have to continue to work as hard as we can to keep ourselves in that position.
MA: In your first year the club won its first five and then loss its next five – this year it dropped one game against North Melbourne and looked to rebound with strength and desire. What’s the difference between the start of 2013 and the start of 2014, aside from the win-loss ledger?
KH: I think clubs need to be able to rebound from losses if they want to be regarded as a good football side. When you face a tough period or a tough game where you don’t get the result you want, the response is critical to making progress. I think it’s important to come back after any loss and demonstrate by your actions that you’re not pleased with what you did in the last game you played. It doesn’t mean you’ll get a better result, but you can see effort. Fortunately our effort produced a good result.
In terms of the difference to this time last year, I think we’re just a little bit better prepared in a lot of respects. We understand what we’re capable of, the game plan we’re playing and the personnel we’ve got in our side. And of course we’re a little more experienced, so when you put all those things together, you’re able to produce better results.
Last year we played Hawthorn and Geelong over here at AAMI Stadium early in the season, and did so again, this time at the Adelaide Oval, about the same time this year. The difference when we’ve played them in 2014 is that we’ve been able to maintain a really consistent work rate, and I think we were less surprised by what they were able to do to us.
MA: There is only one loss – against North Melbourne – in a game that probably characterised the benefit of momentum in modern footy more than most. What did you take away from that game that’s helped you since?
We understand it’s a four-quarter game, and we took away the fact that we were leading at three-quarter time. But while we’ve been a strong finishing team, we know that we can’t rely on that. We actually need to put the finishing touches on every quarter, we simply can’t rely on running games out well.
Our finishing touches on that game, the little things I talk about a lot, weren't quite on in that last quarter. It demonstrated that if we aren’t able to get the little things right, then a quality side like North Melbourne will knock you off.
MA: Injuries. We’ve actually had a few key players go missing this year at various stages – Monfries, Boak, White recently for example – can you tell us how the loss of first-choice players impacts the way you make decisions on the team, and on the day?
KH: The key message for us as a team is that we’re not personnel-based. We don’t want to rely on individuals, and while we understand there is a tipping point as a team – you can’t take five or six first-pick players out of a team and expect to deliver the same – we want to be able to cover players.
Take Travis Boak for example: if he was out of the team for one week, we’d like to think we can cover that loss. I tell the boys all the time, "If we’re one player away from being a great side, then we’re not a great side." Normally, having one or two players out in one week shouldn’t have too big an impact on team performance.
MA: The beauty, I suppose, about those exclusions is that the inclusions we’ve had have fit into the team and played their role. How has the integrated football structure with the Magpies been of benefit to you?
KH: We couldn’t be more pleased that we have the Magpies and Power together playing the same brand of football, and demonstrating that we are the Port Adelaide Football Club more than ever.
When you see a guy like Summo, who’s the skipper of the Magpies and not part of our full-time program, play our game plan and understand it, you know that you’ve achieved that ‘One Club’ goal.
Buddha and his team have done a great job bringing all those things together and making sure we really do play like one club - Power and Magpies. In this mid-season review, we can see that the club is sitting first in both competitions and that’s what we want to do, be the very best we can be in both competitions, as often as we possibly can.
MA: You speak of the playing personnel you have, but there's also been change in terms of your coaching panel with Shaun Hart, Garry Hocking, Tyson Edwards, Phil Walsh and Aaron Greaves new to the club or in changed positions. How has the dynamic worked between the coaches so far this year?
KH: We’ve had a significant change in roles, and a few significant personnel changes with Phil Walsh and Shaun Hart coming in, and obviously losing Richo to his position at St Kilda. The key thing for me though is that we have Buddha doing such a good job with the Magpies, Tyson stepping into his shoes as forwards and offense coach and working really smoothly in that role, Josh Carr is working with Phil Walsh in midfield tactics and strategy and giving our players plenty of information to work with, and Nicksy is going well again with the backs.
I think the thing that gets missed at times though is the work that our development coaches do. We talk about how well-developed our younger players are and how quickly they’re coming up, and it’s because of the work Aaron Greaves and Stuey Cochrane do running our development program and working closely with the other coaches. You can see the great benefits we’re getting from that.
When Richo left the club late, we were quite confident we could work without having the ideal candidate in that role. Fortunately we were able to get the ideal replacement for that role and Shaun Hart really does have a total ‘team care’ approach to everything he does with the players, coaches and staff of the Port Adelaide Football Club. He’s been a massive get for us.
MA: The Adelaide Oval. What do you think of it after six games there?
KH: I don’t think we can measure, if we’re really honest, what the success of Adelaide Oval has been. I think we all predicted the Adelaide Oval would be great for South Australia and football in the state for both teams, but I think the extent of what our people have done there is quite immeasurable.
You can just feel the support for the team when you’re on the field before the game, and after the game as well. Our supporters and our team have come together to make a statement and make the ground our own. The more our supporters turn up and fill the Oval up, the more, I think, our players will lift and play for them. It’s an incredible atmosphere and one I think will keep growing for this football club.
MA: Looking forward, what approach to you take over the second half of the season. Do you alter your planning in anyway, or is it quite literally planning one week at a time?
KH: It’s boring, it’s football, but I really do know from experience that there are dangers when you take your eye off the week you’re in. When you look two games ahead and take your eyes off your immediate challenge, your ladder position will reflect what you’ve done in not giving your next opponent and your next game the respect it deserves. If we’re prepared to work hard every week, turn up on Monday and give ourselves the best chance to perform well in our next game then, as I said last year, and I’ll say it again: We’ll get what we deserve.
MA: What have you taken away from the first 11 weeks that will help shape the way you take on the rest of the season?
I think we’ve gotten better. We’ve learned every week as players and coaches, changed little things week-to-week and been prepared to make changes that may or may not work, and we’re prepared to have honest conversations as a playing group, football team and administration staff if we think it will make us better. We’re prepared to take feedback with the view to getting better. Like the players, us coaches want to improve every week to hopefully get better again.
MA: Just finally, what are some things that have really pleased or excited you this year, that you’d like to share with the supporters?
There’s been nothing more exciting for me as a coach than being at the Adelaide Oval and seeing our supporters and members fill the place up. Simple as that. We’ve actually been lucky enough to have the Adelaide Oval tagged as ‘The Portress’ by outsiders, and I think it’s exactly what we’ve done. From a coaching point-of-view, I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to do as a club. It’s easy for me to say as a coach that I’m proud of a player, the awesome plays our team does or the team itself, but the whole club and what it’s doing is what I’m most proud of.
It’s quite satisfying to feel that suddenly we earned some respect from the football community because of the way our whole club – players, coaches, staff, volunteers, supporters - has come together.
MA: Thanks Ken, and good luck with the rest of season 2014.
KH: Thank you.
Next week, Keith Thomas will go through his mid-season review with portadelaidefc.com.au.
Stay tuned over the coming days for our exclusive line reviews with the club's midfield and defensive coaches.
