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PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley took plenty of positives from his side's 17-point Showdown loss, but was disappointed the Power were unable to match Adelaide in contested possession.
Port has made contested ball its key focus in 2017, but lost the count by 31 to a Rory Sloane-inspired Adelaide.
Sloane had 24 contested possessions and won the Showdown Medal following a fierce contest in front of more than 53,000 fans at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
"They were a better team on the night," Hinkley said.
"They were a bit cleaner when they needed to be, they were a bit tougher when they needed to be.
"We didn't quite match them in some crucial moments ... we got smashed at contested possession.
"That's an area of our game that we've worked very hard at. They were far better than us.
"If you lose contested possession like you did tonight you're going to lose most games of football."
However, Hinkley said his side did stick to its method and was pleased his players didn't retreat from the game plan as Adelaide piled on the pressure during the second and third terms.
"We stuck to what we were trying to do and we still weren't good enough to get over the line," he said.
"We're not happy about losing."
Port will face Greater Western Sydney next Saturday and will be sweating on the Match Review Panel's assessment of an incident late in the match involving Paddy Ryder.
The Giants possess one of the most influential big men in the game in Shane Mumford, and Port faces entering the match without its No.1 ruck if Ryder misses games for a clash with Crows forward Riley Knight.
"He got a bump off the ball himself and he reacted to it," Hinkley said.
"You'd prefer he didn't have to react but it's a game of football, it's competitive.
"From what I saw, I don't think there was an enormous amount in it, but we'll let that be and see what happens."
