PORT ADELAIDE assistant coach Dean Brogan was impressed with Hamish Hartlett’s ability to run out the game in his side’s disappointing loss to Fremantle on Saturday evening.
Hartlett played his first AFL game in more than 400 days having fought back to full fitness after a knee reconstruction and minor hamstring issues.
The Power vice-captain finished with 23 disposals, five marks and three tackles playing across half back as his side went down by 21 points at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Despite the result, Brogan was thrilled that Hartlett was able to perform so well.
“Hammer has pulled up really well,” the ruck coach explained at Adelaide Airport on Sunday after the side returned to Adelaide.
“He got a lot of the footy. He probably didn’t kick it as well as he would have liked but he didn’t look out of place, especially having missed so much footy.
“He’ll be better for the run and it was good for him to get through the game.”
While Hartlett was good, the Power’s final quarter was not.
After a see-sawing first three quarters, the visitors led by a single point at the final change before the Dockers began to dominate.
The Power was held scoreless as the Dockers piled on three goals four.
“To be a point up at three quarter time in a dog fight with Fremantle, who were five and one at home this year, and to perform like that in the last quarter was very disappointing,” Brogan said.
“They knocked off Collingwood at the G a couple of weeks ago so they’re in good form.
“It’ll be a tough review this week for the boys but you’ve got to take some positives out of it.
“You go over there, you play pretty well for three quarters against a really good side who we think potentially are going to make the eight, but unfortunately, we come back without the four points.”
Brogan said the game would be thoroughly reviewed ahead of Saturday night’s match-up against ladder leader’s Geelong at Adelaide Oval.
He said the review would include how inexperienced Dockers ruckman Sean Darcy was able to dominate in the last term.
“Full credit to him, he’s played hardly any footy this year and from out point of view it was disappointing,” Brogan said.
“Scotty and Paddy played okay but in the last quarter I think Darcy probably got them.
“When we look at the tape, I think you’ll find it’s a lot of things, not just the ruckmen.
“Our intensity just wasn’t there in the last quarter and guys like Fyfe and Walters and Hill took it to another level and unfortunately, we couldn’t go with them.”
At 6-6, and after trips to Launceston, Shanghai and Perth, the Power now returns to Adelaide Oval to tackle Geelong for its first home game since the Round 9 win over Gold Coast.
“It’s a big month of footy ahead and the good news is we’re playing at home and we all know we love playing at home,” Brogan said.
“It doesn’t get any easier, playing the ladder leaders on Saturday night, but our boys will get ourselves up and be in for a dogfight on Saturday night.
“We’ve had some big scalps this year and we’ll aim to get another one on Saturday night.”
