PORT Adelaide took to the greens on Wednesday afternoon in a bid to lighten the workload and increase morale ahead of this weekend’s tough road trip to WA.
The Power spent their regular main training session practising a variety of different kicking drills before grabbing their clubs and heading out for a game of golf.
Midfielder Kane Cornes, who will reach the 150-game milestone this week, said the novel approach to training was a welcome change for the players.
“We’ve done a few different things at training this week. On Monday, we played some indoor cricket and soccer just to mix it up a little bit and this morning we’ll just be practising our kicking just to change it up,” he said.
“This afternoon we’re just going to have lunch together as a team and then we’re going to have a hit at golf just to keep in line with the theme of a lighter week.
“We always have a light week after Sydney games because they are always very physical and going to Perth this week, it’s a long trip, and it just breaks it up a little.
“We spend every day together doing the same things 80 per cent of the time, so just to mix it up for the other 20 per cent is great for the players.
“It allows us to have a bit of a joke and a laugh while still practising our kicking and trying to improve.”
The Power, despite putting in some solid performances, are still stuck on three wins for the season. Their opponents this week, Fremantle, have incurred the wrath of the Perth media after their equally disappointing start.
Port Adelaide defeated the Dockers at Subiaco in round one last season and, in fact, the Power have a better record at Fremantle’s home ground (62 per cent) than the Dockers themselves (54 per cent).
“Every week we’ve been saying it, but if we happen to lose this one, it puts us in a very ordinary position,” Cornes said.
“We’re approaching it like we have the last month. We play really well over there. They’ve been struggling a bit this year, so they really need to win too, but I think if we play as well as we have been, we’ll get the result.”
On Monday coach Mark Williams lauded his team’s effort against the Swans as one of the “best-ever”, but Cornes said the Power weren’t about to start accepting second-best.
“This footy club is about winning and improving. Let’s make no mistake; no one is happy that we’ve been losing,” he said.
“We’re doing everything we can to get the results. Everyday we come here, we’re trying to improve and it all comes down to one thing and that’s winning games of footy.
“No one is happy and we’ve got to turn it around as quickly as we can.”
Luck played a part in last weekend’s loss to the Swans, but Cornes believed Sydney outpointed the Power in another important area.
“A little bit comes down to luck and we probably haven’t had the luck we had last year,” he said.
“Another little bit comes down to every little thing you do and how much you want to win. On the weekend Sydney probably played that style of footy where they were absolutely desperate and, maybe, wanted to win a little bit more than us.
“But I can guarantee we’ll turn our win-loss record around quickly. This club has showed that during its history and I’m really excited about it to be honest.”
