PORT ADELAIDE vice-captain Ollie Wines says shelving aspirations to be a "silky midfielder" has led to his career-best form.
Wines is averaging a personal-high 31 disposals a game in his ninth season and credits his stellar season to a realisation of his strengths: winning contested possessions and doing bullocking pack work.
"At times you probably want to be a different player to what the club needs you to be," Wines told reporters on Thursday.
"And at times I have probably wanted to be the silky midfielder that weaves through packs and does that kind of stuff.
"But in reality that is not me.
"I have got to be inside the contest, I have got to get the ball out to the guys ... it's something that I am really comfortable with now.
"I have probably always known that but you want to be the best you can be, you're always trying to add strings to your bow.
"It's doing the simple things well is what makes you a good player and I think I have been able to do that this year so far."
The Victorian-born Wines was relishing the prospect of playing Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday - his club's second and last visit to the ground he describes as "the home of footy" until any potential finals match-ups at the venue.
Port will be without key defender Tom Clurey (broken jaw) against the Magpies, who are struggling in 16th place with just two wins.
Wines said the fifth-placed Power were still stinging from last week's home loss to the Western Bulldogs - his club's third loss this season.
The others have been in away fixtures against likely finalists West Coast and Brisbane, prompting some pundits to label Port as flat-track bullies.
"We certainly hear them," Wines said of the critics.
"We want to win every game we can, particularly those big games against good opponents.
"But you can't disregarded those opponents we played - Bulldogs, Brisbane and West Coast away.
"When the business end of the season comes you have got to be able to win those games away from home but at the moment we're not up to that level of the Bulldogs...
"But we're striving to get to that point and I think we have got the potential to."
