PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley left the playing group with a simple two-word instruction before they ran out against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday: "play tough".
Embarrassed by last weekend's 64-point loss to the Western Bulldogs, the Power set out to physically assert themselves against a young Giants outfit.
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Travis Boak, Hamish Hartlett, Robbie Gray – the list of players initiating push and shove was long.
Beginning the game in a more aggressive mindset paid off as the Power were able to beat the Giants at the contest to score a well-earned 21-point win.
Gray believed that renewed hardness at the ball and at the man majorly contributed to the victory.
"We felt last week we weren't at that standard. It was pretty disappointing, so we had a big focus on the contested side of the game and bringing a bit of physicality, and I think that went a long way to us winning the game," Gray told AFL.com.au.
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"Win, lose or draw we wanted to play a more physical brand of footy and I thought we were able to do that.
"To be able to finish over the top in the last quarter was really pleasing."
Port's dream of again venturing deep into finals territory might be over, but Gray insisted there was plenty to glean in the final stages of the season.
As well as building momentum to take into the pre-season, there's the chance for some of the club's more inexperienced players to assert themselves.
Robbie's namesake Sam Gray is a prime example. The hard-at-it and natural footballer was superb against the Giants and has averaged almost 23 possessions a game in his last three outings.
Brendon Ah Chee is another who, after re-signing for 2016 during the week, was best on ground in the best performance of his career. Ah Chee managed 25 possessions and booted three goals.
The Power's director of coaching Shaun Hart rates him the club's most improved player this year along with Jack Hombsch.
"He was fantastic, he was really good inside and was able to sneak forward to kick a few goals," Gray said. "A really strong game from Arch and we love having him in the team."
Gray added another strong performance to his consistent season, winning a team-high 26 possessions at 92 per cent efficiency.
The 27-year-old reigning best and fairest is averaging 26 touches a game this year and is right in the mix to make it back-to-back John Cahill Medals once the season's done.
- See more at: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-08-15/power-players-respond-to-coach-demand-play-tough#sthash.xoEIcS5T.dpuf
