PORT Adelaide onballer Kane Cornes says he’s confident his side can still make the finals despite going down to cross-town rivals Adelaide by 70 points at AAMI Stadium on Sunday.
Losses by fellow finals aspirants Carlton, Essendon and Hawthorn over the weekend mean the Power missed a golden opportunity to sneak into the eight, but fell no further behind in the race to September.
Cornes described Sunday’s clash with the resurgent Hawks as a massive game for both clubs.
“Adelaide is probably a top-four side, so to lose to them is really disappointing, but I think the door is still open. There are four teams going for two spots, so we’re in the mix,” Cornes said.
“We’re only outside the eight on percentage, so this week’s game against Hawthorn is pretty much an eight-point game. The Hawks had a pretty devastating loss to Geelong on the weekend and we’ve had some good matches against them in the past.
“We just have to put this one behind us and look forward.”
The Power kicked the opening two goals of the game, but struggled to weave their way through Adelaide’s zone after the halfway-mark of the first term.
The Crows slammed on seven unanswered goals to lead by 33 points at half time, before Port Adelaide steadied to claw back within four majors late in the third quarter.
But the Power conceded another seven goals in the final term taking their average losing margin this season to 47 points.
“Usually Showdowns are really close and we pride ourselves on being competitive,” Cornes said.
“But once the Crows got their noses in front in the last quarter, they played some good footy and kicked some important goals. In the end, they just buried us.”
Cornes was one of few Port Adelaide players that could hold his head high following the hefty defeat.
He held Crows’ ball magnet Scott Thompson to just 19 possessions, while gathering a team-high 28 touches, four clearances and a goal.
Coach Mark Williams was full of praise for Cornes after the game.
“If everyone does their job like Kane does, we’d win,” Williams said.