This story originally appeared on afl.com.au
A "SHOCKED" Ken Hinkley says Saturday night's 70-point loss to Essendon at Etihad Stadium was a "big wake-up call".
The Power's percentage dropped from an AFL-leading 148.6 to 133 per cent in a performance far different to the dominating wins and competitive losses they have shown this season.
Hinkley did not see the lacklustre display coming.
"I'm shocked by the outcome, the performance, because I trust this group," Hinkley said after the game.
"I've been getting those questions now for three or four weeks: this group's more trustworthy, this group's more consistent, you know what's going to happen.
"It just happens, doesn't it? Football comes and goes 'whack, cop that'."
The result came after Port dominated Hawthorn, winning by 51 points in round 11.
In that game, the Power led by 41 points at the first break. On Saturday night, it trailed by 39 at quarter-time.
"It was like watching a different performance, wasn't it? We did it last week and this week it happened to us," Hinkley said.
"From our point of view, it was so far away from what we've been.
"We've got to probably understand that first - that's not what we've been.
Five talking points: Essendon v Port Adelaide
“We've got a big sample size now. It's not just one or two weeks that we've been pretty consistent, we've been really honest and consistent for 10 out of 11 games.
"Tonight, we got a real big wake-up call."
The Bombers ran in waves off half-back with Conor McKenna and Michael Hurley particularly damaging in the opening term, with 272m and 227m gained respectively.
That aspect disappointed Hinkley.
"(Essendon's transition) was ridiculously easy. They handballed the ball around us and through us and ran and bounced it, and then exposed our defenders to some nearly undefendable opportunities to their forwards," Hinkley said.
The coach didn't shy away from effort being the problem. Despite Port losing the disposal count by 86, it only had four more tackles than Essendon.
WATCH: Ken Hinkley's full media conference
"As much as anything, we didn't defend with enough effort," Hinkley said.
"For large parts of the game, once they got through, they were able to keep running.
"You don't get great days all the time. You don't have football played on your terms every week, but when you don't, you've got to maintain a consistency about your effort, your contest.
"If we had have won enough ball in the contest, they wouldn't have been able to flick it around as well as they did."
At 6-5, Port Adelaide faces the Brisbane Lions at Adelaide Oval next Saturday. The coach expected his team would respond.
"I reckon I'm going to back them and say: 'You know what? That's a little unusual for us'," Hinkley said.
"Every team in the competition's done it (dropped a game it shouldn't have).
"I'll back them in to respond."
