"WE will never give up on the chase."
As firm as Ken Hinkley was in starting as Port Adelaide senior coach in 2013 with his "We will never, ever give up" mantra, he remains resolute that his squad is not putting up any white flags after a tough first half to the AFL season.
Port Adelaide resumes from its mid-season bye with Hinkley noting there is no margin for error - "none," he says - while the mathematics say there must be at least nine wins from the next 12 games to qualify for finals.
The chase begins against Greater Western Sydney in Canberra on Saturday night with Hinkley still seeing the path to the top-eight finals in September.
"I have never been lacking in confidence. And as a football club we have been aggressive enough to back ourselves in and go after it," Hinkley said at Alberton on Wednesday morning before training.
"The bye was a circuit-breaker and we are really clear on the issue we need to fix. It is a tough competition so it will be a challenge to go to work and fix those things, but I am really confident in this group and what they are capable of doing.
"This year, so far, we haven't but (across time) we have been a pretty consistent footy club. And we have been pretty reliable. I back in the evidence that we have and trust this group of players - I always do."
SELECTION BONUS: If there is no setback from Wednesday's training session at Alberton, Port Adelaide's match committee will have half-forward Darcy Byrne-Jones (concussion), Kane Farrell (knee), key defender Esava Ratugolea (hamstring) and Josh Sinn (hip) come off the injury list.
But not midfielder Jason Horne-Francis (hamstring) nor key forward Jack Lukosius (back).
"We are pretty optimistic we might get three or four available for us," Hinkley said.
"We don't make any spur-of-the-moment decisions because it might be too cold in Canberra (to pose a risk to hamstrings) or because we need to win. We base our decisions on evidence. We go on that alone."
Horne-Francis is "one session short," added Hinkley.
"That is how close it was. If we were into taking risks or if we were nervous, we might have pushed it. But we are composed and calm while acknowledging we are not playing as we need to play."
REFRESH, RESET: Port Adelaide exits its mid-season break having assessed and reassessed all that came from its 4-7 start to the 23-game home-and-away start.
"It gave us the chance to dive in what the first half of the year has been like and know that it has been nowhere near the level we want it to be, particularly in the last month," Hinkley said. "We looked at some of the issues that were presenting themselves pretty clearly.
"Contest ... efficiency ... bits and pieces of our game that show up in our stats. We get to look at it in more detail and we know the challenges around some of those key areas.
"Now we have the chance to rectify those things. The only way is to put your head down and go to work."
Hinkley is encouraged by the attitude shown at training, in particular from last Saturday.
"We trained really, really well," Hinkley said. "We have our focus on those areas we have talked about. Get those in the right position then we go to Canberra with a chance to start with confidence and belief in what we can still do."
NEW FACES: Port Adelaide took three picks in the mid-season draft, all from SANFL clubs, last week. Hinkley does not doubt the trio could break into AFL ranks during the second half of the season.
"There could be an opportunity very quickly," Hinkley said of Mani Liddy, Harrison Ramm and Ewan Mackinlay.
"Our history says we do put them in pretty quick. They have played really well to get drafted. That would suggest they are in good SANFL form. We pick really good SANFL form when we need AFL players. They are at the top of the pops when it comes to how they have played in the SANFL."
ON HOLD: Gold Coast recruit Jack Lukosius will be sidelined for at least another two weeks after hurting his back while recuperating from a fractured kneecap suffered in his second game with Port Adelaide.
The reality of a high injury count at Alberton this season is highlighted by the absence of Lukosius and Todd Marshall (Achilles) as key forwards in a new-look attack without Charlie Dixon.
"I thought Jack was back this week," Hinkley said. "It obviously hurts. Marshall, Lukosius ... that hurts; there is no denying that. Mitch Georgiades has been outstanding for us to step up and play the lead role more than he or we would have thought he would have needed to do.
"Some clubs have coped with injuries, some have not. Confidence, form, injuries ... they all play a part."
Alongside Georgiades is Ollie Lord with the challenge to deliver more.
"Ollie's last three to four weeks have not been at his absolute best," Hinkley said. "But what we do like about Ollie is he brings contest. He brings great effort all the time. We trust him to perform a role for us. It is not always just about marks and goals, but it certainly helps when we are struggling to score. Ollie is like quite a few in the team - he is not flying."
NO EARLY EXIT: Hinkley dismissed reports of seeking an early ending to his tenure should Port Adelaide fall out of finals contention.
"My commitment is to fulfil my obligation through the rest of this year to give the club the best position it can possibly be in for the next 12 months," Hinkley said. "My focus is strongly on playing GWS and winning that game to keep us going in this season.
"We will never give up on the chase ... and I will never give up."
OPPO WATCH: Greater Western Sydney sits in the top eight with a 7-5 win-loss count that offers seventh spot.
"They have been in pretty good form over the last couple of weeks," Hinkley noted. "I am confident in what we can deliver."
The match in Canberra will be Port Adelaide's seventh to the national capital for an AFL game. There has been just one win in the previous six clashes (three against North Melbourne and three against GWS) - in 2014 by 35 points against GWS.
