PORT ADELAIDE coach Ken Hinkley has given his side a B grading for its first half of the season, but warned it has significant improvement to come.
Port entered its mid-season bye with eight wins and three losses and Hinkley admitted his side had not been able to put together a full four-quarter effort so far.
During an interview on Adelaide radio station FIVEaa, Hinkley was asked to give his side a grade for its performance so far and said it would have to be a B.
“Ever the optimist, I’d love to be 11-0, but to be 8-3 at the half way mark puts you in a position, gives you an opportunity to push strongly into the back half of the year,” he said.
“We can’t go with A because that’s 11-0 so we’ll go with B.”
Hinkley said his side had been “a bit short on” putting together “a solid four quarters” but said much of that was down to the competition improving and injuries to key personnel.
Despite poor showings in the losses to West Coast and Brisbane and falling short to the Western Bulldogs, Hinkley said he knew his side was capable of more, and expected it to improve towards the business end of the season.
“Every year you look back at the sides who have won the flag and they’re not always playing at their best for all parts of the season,” he explained.
“It’s about making sure you’re closer to your best as the season gets longer and for us, we know that our best football is hopefully still to come. We’ve got some significant improvement in us.
“There’s no doubt our game revolves around the contest and when we’re a little off in that we find ourselves behind the eight ball a bit so we’ve got to continue to work on our contest and our ability to move the ball with speed when we get an opportunity.”
Next up Port Adelaide has a Thursday night blockbuster against Geelong at Adelaide Oval.
It will be another test against a top-four side and Hinkley said his side was feeling fresh and eager to tackle the Cats.
There is some doubt about the future of the fixture given the COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria and border restrictions, but Hinkley said his side was preparing to play on Thursday night and would be flexible enough to adjust if necessary.
“It’s a big game but it’s always a big game when you play against the quality teams in the competition, Hinkley said. “They’re always exciting games and winning or losing them is always important.”
“We’re aware of the possibilities of what could or could not happen.
“All we can do is what we’ve done… be really flexible and ready to go, and embrace whatever opportunities come our way.
“I know our group of players are in the same mind. They’re ready to take on whatever the challenge is and whenever the challenge is so we’ll be nimble and ready to go.”
Port Adelaide faces Geelong at Adelaide Oval from 7:10pm on Thursday 10 June.
