Port Adelaide has singled out inside grunt as the key ingredient to cement its spot in the top eight against West Coast on Saturday

PORT Adelaide defender Jasper Pittard says improving the Power’s contested ball count will be a top priority as it seeks to rebound from the Showdown loss and make up for its loss in Perth to West Coast at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

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PORT Adelaide defender Jasper Pittard bluntly admitted the Power needs to be harder on the inside to avoid being overrun by West Coast on Saturday night and hang on to its spot in the top eight.

Pittard said there had been many positives to take out of the three-point Showdown loss, among them the Power’s efficiency from fewer inside-50s than the Crows, but the lack of hardness around the ball was what hurt Port against the Crows and when it last played West Coast in Perth.

“Scoring-wise we were as efficient as we’ve been all year and that was a real positive because we have struggled to score, to the frustration of us as players, coaches and fans,” Pittard said. “We looked dangerous and Kane Farrell (three goals) added something different to our forward line.

“And we were in it to the end. They’re the games you want to consistently play in because when you get to the pointy end of the season you want to know that you can compete for a full game.

“It was probably the last five last minutes that we lacked some composure. That was the game; it wasn’t the point or the goal or whatever it was.

“And contested ball was something we looked at going into the game. We let ourselves down in that area but they were very good. That was disappointing but we get a good opportunity this week.”

Port’s players have already had a look at the footage from the round 7 clash.

It brought back memories of an inside effort labelled “soft” by coach Ken Hinkley but also had some encouraging passages.

“We got smashed in the contested in that game,” Pittard said. “But there was also a 15-20 minute patch where we really fought back and played some good footy and looked like we were right back in it.”