Port Adelaide has vowed to learn the lessons of its disappointing Round 2 loss to Essendon.
Turnovers caused by skill errors proved costly for the Power, as it went down by 25 points to the Bombers at Etihad Stadium.
Assistant coach Josh Carr said Port paid the price for its wayward disposal, especially early in the game.
“The disappointment was that the first half especially we didn’t really play well and we didn’t use the ball well,” Carr told ABC radio on Sunday.
“We couldn’t find any uncontested marks which I thought Essendon were getting away pretty easily.”
Port Adelaide reduced a 21-point half-time deficit to just two points at three-quarter-time, but the team failed to sustain its fightback.
“For the team to come back in the third quarter I thought was a terrific effort, but still I thought the first half let us down,” Carr said.
“Some people could say that it was fantastic that you stayed in the game, but from our point of view we’re disappointed with the loss.”
Port Adelaide’s defence came under heavy pressure through the Bombers’ ability to capitalise on Port’s decision making and skill shortcomings.
Assistant coach Brad Gotch, who has charge of the Power’s back six, said the defenders repelled many attacks but were unhappy with the outcome of the game.
Gotch said key position backmen Troy Chaplin and Alipate Carlile were trying to be more attacking.
“They’re really working hard for each other, they’re working hard as individuals and they’re working hard for the team to turn that defence into attack so it’s a credit to them,” Gotch told FIVEaa.
Carr paid credit to Essendon and said the Power would need to learn quickly ahead of next Saturday’s clash with another quality opponent in Sydney, from 1.40pm at AAMI Stadium.
“It’s a challenge for the group now, you’ve got a young group that’s come off a loss and you want to see how they react,” Carr said.
“Everything’s a learning curve for this group at the moment … you’ve got to take a lesson out of it and not take it from too much of a negative point of view.
“Sydney are a very good side and have been for a very long time now and it’s going to be a challenge that’s going to be thrown at the group and I’m looking to see how they go.”
Key forward targets Jay Schulz and Justin Westhoff converted accurately, kicking four goals and three goals respectively. Carr praised the duo, saying they could have scored more had the ball been used better downfield as well as inside the Power attack zone.
“I think the disposal all over the ground let them down, not just in the forward line,” Carr said.
“If we hit our targets when we caught them off guard with the turnovers, you can get into an open forward line. For our forwards it was probably hard work for them to get up the ground and find some ball because we didn’t really use it well coming from the backline either.”
John McCarthy - who kicked the Power’s first goal of the day - said he and his team-mates would work to bounce back from the defeat.
“It was disappointing. We squandered a few opportunities. We didn’t make the most of our decision making and we had plenty of skill errors that we’ll work on this week and hopefully turn it around next weekend,” McCarthy said on Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show.
He said the Power was punished in the first half by gifting Essendon easy possession, before applying more pressure after half-time.
“It was a big focus on our defensive pressure and just taking a bit of time and more composure when we had the ball because we were just turning it over willy-nilly,” he said.
Forwards John Butcher and Robbie Gray are expected to be up for selection consideration this week, after missing the Power’s first road trip of 2012 due to hamstring soreness.
