PORT ADELAIDE has solidified its hold on a top-four spot, three young stars got through unscathed after returning from injury and his tall forwards fired. They’re just some of the positives Port coach Ken Hinkley has taken from his side’s 28-point win over Collingwood at Marvel Stadium.
After an interrupted week which saw his side forced into two separate periods of isolation either side of a hasty exit from South Australia, and Friday night’s game shifted from Adelaide Oval to the Melbourne Docklands, Hinkley was pleased to bank the four points more than anything.
The 14.13 (97) to 10.9 (69) victory came in the milestone 300th AFL game for club great Travis Boak.
“We’re really pleased to win and really pleased with the result,” Hinkley said after the game. “There’s been a bit going on for us as a footy club and everyone in the competition. We’ve had some distractions that have caused us some not great preparation.
“In Trav’s milestone game, we’re pleased that we were able to put that all together and come off a winner in his 300th game, which was an outstanding result for him as a player and for us as a team, equally it was important for where we sit at the moment.”
Port trailed early but put the foot down in the second quarter to turn a five-point quarter time deficit into a 32-point lead before Collingwood responded and closed to within eight points in the third quarter.
Hinkley was clear on what went wrong at points but happy that his side found a way to kick away again.
“I think we got overly aggressive at times. We were in a position where at times it felt like it was going to be a really strong performance on the scoreboard for us,” he explained.
“At times we probably got a bit ahead of where the game should have stayed, which was keep the contest going, keep running the ball and not get too far ahead of it.
“To Collingwood’s credit and particularly around stoppage, both teams scored pretty freely around stoppage, which was not ideal for us and I’m sure it wasn’t for them as well but at the end of the day we managed to win the game convincingly at the end.”
Some questioned whether Port might have gone in too tall, with Charlie Dixon, Todd Marshall, Mitch Georgiades and Peter Ladhams in the forward line.
The group combined for nine goals including four from Dixon and three from Marshall.
Hinkley said he would consider using the quartet going forward depending on the availability of other personnel and the opposition.
“I think it’s really important that you have multiple options,” he said. “I know we go to Charlie a lot when it’s an aerial contest but it’s good to have other players out there.
“We had Ladhams and Marshall hit the scoreboard, Charlie did as well and Mitch didn’t have the night he would have liked but you take your turns and when you’ve got multiple options it’s tough for the opposition to defend.
“They’ll be a key part of our side going forward, not just for this year but going forward, which is exciting for us. We’ve just got to make it work more consistently.”
Port was well served by its midfield, particularly after half time with Willem Drew (32 disposals, five tackles, eight clearances), Boak (30, seven clearances) and Ollie Wines (30, seven clearances and a goal) all getting plenty of the ball.
Drew in particular stood out, while Wines was kept to just 17 touches to three quarter time but finished strongly.
“Drewy’s had a fantastic season when you consider how much footy he’s played prior to this season and the injuries that he’s dealt with,” Hinkley said of the 28-game 22-year-old.
“You sort of half expect him to start to run out of steam but he seems to be building into a stronger position in the side.
“I thought equally as important was the role of Ollie who went onto Adams who had had 21 disposals to half time and Ollie was probably not finding as much of the ball as he normally would so that allowed Drewy to go to work with a bit more freedom, because we’d typically have Willem control that dangerous mid.
“What is shows is each player is prepared to do whatever they need to for the team. I think when you get a team-first mentality, you obviously get some success.”
The game saw the return to the field of 2018 draft trio Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Xavier Duursma from respective knee injuries.
Hinkley admitted during the week there was an element of risk in bringing all three back together, but said they had come through the game well and would only benefit from the run heading into the business end of the season.
“It’s exciting for us (to have them back). We knew that game time was going to be important. It just so happened that we put them all out on the same night,” the coach said.
“Connor hasn’t had as many problems as the other two, but the other boys have had really big challenges this year. But they’ll create some opportunities for us to improve.
“We’ve got Orazio Fantasia and Robbie Gray to come back in the next two weeks. That will create more pressure for performance which is good for our team and good for our performance.”
Port Adelaide will remain in Melbourne indefinitely, awaiting details of its Round 20 game, scheduled to be against Greater Western Sydney next Sunday, with a time and venue still to be confirmed.
