WORDS weren't minced after the game, and there's plenty for Port Adelaide to think about ahead of this week's clash with the Tigers. Here's what we learned from the loss to Brisbane...

1. ‘Team’ MIA…

Robbie Gray tries to get a kick away on Sunday night. As Ken Hinkley reinforced - no single player makes a team [AFL Photos]

Ken Hinkley hammered home the word ‘team’ in reference to Port Adelaide not playing like one throughout his post-game press conference – that ‘team’ aspect has gone missing in action, quite literally, and the coaches aren’t pleased. Individualistic football, devoid of the Power’s expected work rate was the key theme of his debrief, and few pundits would disagree they saw it at the ground, or on TV. Brisbane hunted the ball, attacked with multiple jumpers and got numbers to contests inside Port’s attacking 50 to belt away the Power’s hopes up forward. In contrast the Power looked slow, uncompetitive and reactive.

To coin a Hinkleyism, Port Adelaide got what it deserved.

PTV: Hinkley post-match presser
Hinkley: We weren't hard enough

2. Consistently inconsistent

Not quite right. Port Adelaide's grip on games has slipped and it needs to find consistency [pic: AFL Photos]

Consistency has been a real problem for the Power for the past month. Since its first quarter blitz against Hawthorn, it hasn’t really put in a total football performance in any quarter, and certainly hasn’t played what could be described as a full game, with possible exceptions of its hard-fought battles against North and Freo. That inconsistency had Hinkley pointing to the Power’s lack of work rate, hardness and desire to compete for nearly three hours of football.

Hinkley prophesied the Power would get found out if it kept this patchwork game going, and he’s been proven, unfortunately, correct.

Match report: Power shocked, Lion's roar
Talking points: Power v Lions

3. Turning up is still as true as ever

The Lions turned up on Sunday. [AFL Photos]

Brisbane came to play and after a close first quarter, turned on the taps with a six-to-one-goal second term. With five consecutive goals on the board to half time, Brisbane not only played the game on its terms on-field, but heaped the scoreboard pressure on to create a significant mountain for the Power to climb in an often scrappy game. Football is a simple game, and a score on the board can make a big impact.

After another week of upsets, it goes to show the AFL’s dream of any team winning on any given day has held up.

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4. Power is on the brink

It's black and white. Port Adelaide's needs to rediscover its 'team'; quick smart . [AFL Photos]

“Nearly” football, lack of desire to compete, individuals playing ahead of ‘team’; these aren’t the Port Adelaide values – contemporary or traditional. Hinkley was livid in his press conference and when you consider the basic football values of the Power – ones that haven’t been produced with consistency and predictability for several weeks now – few would blame him. Port Adelaide is on the brink and Hinkley has instructed the world inside and outside of Alberton’s walls to consider Port’s biggest challenge as not winning games to get it inside the top eight, but to return to the inclusive team football that has characterised the last 2.5 years, and the lack thereof that has the Power stagnating in 12^th position.

The first test of that is the Tigers…