DESPITE losing to Sydney on Saturday afternoon, Port Adelaide’s young players should take heart from a competitive performance against the stronger home side.
Port’s inexperienced side had the notable absence of some of its most noteworthy best 22 players.
Combined with the debut of a number of new faces against a seasoned Swans outfit, the Power was paying long odds to nab a win by the end of the day.
But the young Power were defiant and took their chances to lead the Swans at half time, and trail narrowly at the final change.
If not for a 20km/h wind against them, or the torrential downpour that swept through in the final quarter, the Power might have come closer than the eventual 21-point deficit.
Ken Hinkley came into the game looking for “effort” and “method” and was pleased with the effort of his young charges.
“I thought they were really competitive, they tried really hard,” Hinkley said.
“For big parts of the game, they delivered on that [effort and method] really well.”
The chance to play less experienced names against Swans with many years of experience was a rare opportunity that Hinkley was keen to take advantage of going into the game.
Despite the loss, he was satisfied with the supportive game played by the team throughout the afternoon.
“For some of those young boys, they got a first-hand look at what a Parker, a Hannebery, a Kennedy, what those type of players can do,” Hinkley said.
“I thought collectively if one young boy did OK I’m sure it was more about the team support that he got.
“Obviously, a number of them did play their roles pretty well but in the end, we lost the game.”
Port Adelaide’s focus now turns to Melbourne, which comes to Adelaide to play the Power at Elizabeth Oval next weekend.
Having played a four-man bench and working closely to the 90-rotation interchange cap, the Power were clearly fatiguing by the end of the match, however Hinkley is confident in the conditioning of his side and would welcome another physical encounter with the Demons.
“That’s our strength,” Hinkley said of Port’s conditioning.
“We don’t mind the game played that way, we like the game being pretty physical - demand on the body – that’s the way we train, the way Burgo and his team train [the players].
“That’s Port Adelaide, that’s the way we’ve got to play - we’re not that attractive to watch, we just like to compete really hard.”
Port Adelaide play Melbourne at Elizabeth Oval on Saturday 27 February at 1.35pm ACDT
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