PORT ADELAIDE senior coach Ken Hinkley says his side can take plenty of confidence from Saturday night’s win over Geelong, but admits the focus soon shifts to the Western Bulldogs.
Port defeated the Cats by 11 points at Adelaide Oval - dominating clearances and the contested footy, and Hinkley says it is a boost for the club.
“It does a bit in the very immediate future, but it doesn’t last for long,” Hinkley said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.
“You get to Monday and you feel confident about a great performance, but you then look at the draw and know you have to do it again this weekend.”
The senior coach says there was a real focus in the lead up to the clash with the Cats for his side to produce a consistent, four-quarter performance.
“We’ve been that side that hasn’t been able to consistently get the results we would like week after week, and Geelong have been,” he said.
“For us, it was a reminder that we are capable. We go to work again today and make sure we front up big time again Saturday night against the Bulldogs.”
Hinkley admitted it was an extremely tough week at the selection table, and revealed he had a strong conversation with ruckman Scott Lycett before Saturday night’s game.
“The special instruction to Scott (Lycett) was to play well to hold your spot in the team,” he said.
“I think it’s critical to understand, he’s seen what happened to Paddy Ryder going out of the team after the disappointment the week before in Fremantle.
“When you get pressed. When you get challenged - Scott has been great for us for most part of the season, but he’s had a quiet couple of weeks.
The 52-year-old was full of praise for Lycett’s best-on-ground performance against Geelong, where he had 41 hit-outs, 24 disposals (18 contested) and nine clearances.
“He’s a player who needs to play on the edge and I think he definitely played on the edge,” Hinkley said.
“For him to play like that was a great credit to him, but it shows the level he is capable of and what we expect now.”
The Power will once again be at home in Round 15, when they host the Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
