PORT ADELAIDE coach Ken Hinkley has paid tribute to his side’s ability to beat Greater Western Sydney on Sunday afternoon despite giving up a lot of turnovers in attack.

Port ran away late to win 9.9 (63) to 6.10 (46) after booting four of the last five goals of the game.

After winning the clearances 41-25 and having 51 inside 50s to 33, Hinkley said it was pleasing to see his side overcome its wastefulness.

“I thought we were the better team for the best part of the game. I thought we gave away the ball about 20 times more than they did,” he said after the game which saw him earn AFL life membership for 300 VFL/AFL games as player and coach.

“I think our efficiency going forward really hurt us today and we perhaps could have had a bigger margin.

“To GWS’s credit, they played a really strong third quarter, we expect that, they’re a great team– they were premiership favourites coming into this round.

“But I think we controlled the game for large parts and we didn’t probably have that reflection on the scoreboard because we turned the ball over.

The Giants took the lead in the third term before a goal after the siren to Charlie Dixon saw Port take a three-point advantage into the final change.

Port conceded the first and last goals of the quarter but managed four in a row to pull away on the scoreboard.

“I was really proud of the way we played a really strong game of footy today,” Hinkley said, after ruing missed opportunities last week against Brisbane and saying his side was beaten up around the contest.

“We were good enough to give us enough opportunities, albeit we needed them today to put that scoreboard gap on them in the end."

Among the late goals was a team-lifter from young midfielder Kane Farrell who nailed a long range effort from outside 50 to start the late run.

“When we get big moments, and Kane Farrell is a really good story for us because I think he’s 14 or 15 games in (to his career) and to kick a goal like that… and to do it at big moments, I think that’s important,” Hinkley said of the third-year 21-year-old.

“He’s an elite kick, he’s a really nice finisher of the ball and we know that.

“What I like about him the most is that he’s worked really hard on other parts of his game. His kicking is his weapon. He’s worked really hard on his ground ball contest, his tackle contest, all the things that make you a really good AFL player, and I’m really pleased with his improvement this year.”

The only dampeners out of the game for Port Adelaide were a hamstring injury to Cam Sutcliffe in his first game of the season which saw him ruled out after half time and a match-day report on Brad Ebert for a high bump in the first quarter.

It was an unusual preparation for the side. Having spent over a fortnight in the AFL’s Queensland hub, Port spent the week back in Adelaide before grabbing an early flight back to the Gold Coast on Sunday morning ahead of the game.

Hinkley said it was just another way his side had embraced any challenge thrown at it in this strange season.

“Great credit to our club. Our club has embraced it the whole way, we’ve been prepared to say ‘any time’ and this morning was literally any time,” he said.

“We got up basically in the middle of the night to play a game. GWS did the same so that’s why people watching the game need to understand the challenges the players are going through now.

“A number of people have said over the weekend that it’s just great our players are continuing to play and keep the game going and it’s good for the comp that we’re still out here continuing to play footy.”

After the disappointment of last week’s first loss of the year to Brisbane, Hinkley’s side now sits a game clear on top of the ladder ahead of a game against Carlton at the Gabba next Sunday.

“I think we’re a good team. I think we’re getting to where we want to go and I think good teams respond and I think good teams win after they have had a poor performance,” Hinkley said.

“And against quality opposition that’s really important to take some real credit for that as a club and a team. I think it’s a significant step for us.

“We’re on top of the ladder and we deserve to be on top of the ladder.”