KEEP working hard, back yourself and the game plan - it may seem a simple message, but that was Chad Cornes’s advice to his playing group following Port Adelaide’s loss to Sturt on Sunday.
The Magpies languish in ninth place on the SANFL ladder after the Double Blues handed them a 63-point loss at Peter Motley Oval, but Cornes remained positive as he encouraged his players to improve their deficiencies.
"The boys have to continue to believe in themselves and continue to believe in what we are doing is the right way to go about things,” Cornes said.
"We will continue to do all the right things and reassure our supporters that we are trying our absolute best and the boys are putting in their best."
The Magpies were sluggish in the first and third terms having scored just one point during both quarters, while Sturt enjoyed a goal blitz.
The margin then blew out to 87 points midway through the final quarter, but through Mitchell, Biemans and Colquhoun's desperation the final score was cut to a 63-point deficit.
"It's a small thing, but I am pretty happy with the way they ran out the last quarter," Cornes said.
"There were some guys who stood up in the last quarter and showed a bit of passion.
"I thought Kane Mitchell played some really good footy.
"Anthony Biemans showed that he really wanted to fight the game on in that last quarter.”
Cornes also praised ruckman Matt Lobbe's work ethic and his willingness to do the team things before he was forced off the ground after injuring his knee.
He said the playing group and coaches were determined to quickly fix the slow starts as well as the concentration lapses in the third quarters.
"I thought Matty Lobbe's attitude and effort when he was on was great and he was getting his hands on a lot of footy," Cornes said.
"I thought the last two weeks on the training track with the attitude and everything we have talked about has been really good, it's just not translating to that first quarter.
"We have spoken to the boys about what we can control during this week from now to give us the best chance of putting in a good performance.
"The boys came up with some really good ideas and it was a constructive meeting at the end of the game, so we will work on that and keep building and keep training hard.
"Injuries are part of the game and they are challenging, but now someone else has to step up and take that Lobbe position which will be a big challenge for us."
Port Adelaide returns to Alberton Oval next weekend when it hosts West Adelaide on Saturday May 7 at 2.10pm.
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