PORT ADELAIDE senior coach Ken Hinkley isn’t shying away from the fact his side is expected to play finals football in season 2019.
Hinkley says his side is up for the fight, as it looks to return to the top eight at the business end of the season.
“It’s incredibly important (for the club),” Hinkley told SEN SA’s Breakfast program on Tuesday morning.
“None of us will shy away from that conversation. Just because we sit ninth on the ladder now, doesn’t make me any more intimidated.
“Finals is what we set out to do at the start of the year. That’s where our mark is, and it’s not just a pass mark, that’s our minimum.
“The big picture is to be not just part of the finals, but a significant part of the finals. For us, we get that. We are working bloody hard today to make sure we are part of the finals this year.”
Hinkley says while the ladder position is reflective of his side’s inconsistency this year, he knows and believes in the group that has been assembled at Alberton.
“At the moment, you can’t argue with the ladder position,” he said.
“We’ve had 17 games to set ourselves up and prove ourselves in an area on the ladder - that’s where it says we are.
“We know we are better than that. We know we need to be better than that. We are still going hard to be better now.”
The senior coach understands the form of a few players isn’t helping his side become a more consistent team, but he says they are up for the fight and very aware of how important the rest of the season is.
“We are concerned about players who are not in form,” Hinkley said.
“They are too - let’s not hide away from the fact that most people have a fair understanding of where they’re at themselves.
“There are certainly players in our team who aren’t playing as consistently well as we need them to, and that’s a reflection of why we aren’t playing as well as we need, as a team.
“The players appreciate and understand how their form looks and how they’re tracking. They have a great awareness of it.”
The Power have a chance to respond against Greater Western Sydney when they host the Giants at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night in Round 19.
