Port Adelaide’s lack of potency threatens to ruin its premiership hopes
THE alarming statistics that show how the Power is struggling to score and how the issue could derail its 2018 AFL premiership hopes.
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THEY are the alarming statistics that could derail Port Adelaide's premiership hopes.
While the Power has become statistically the equal-second best defensive unit in the AFL, its attack is floundering.
With just six home-and-away rounds remaining, Port ranks 10th in scoring and has a worse offensive record than any other side in the top eight.
One year after averaging the second-most points in the league (98.5), the fifth-placed Power is scoring at a lowly 83.8 points a week.
This is nearly 15 points a game fewer than last year.
And it has prompted coach Ken Hinkley to suggest that Port might have got its mix between defence — a massive focus this season — and attack wrong.
“Maybe we have gone a little bit too far with our defence,’’ Hinkley said.
“We have been able to defend really well but our problem has been that we haven’t been able to hit the scoreboard as well as we would have liked.
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“We understand that and that you can’t win games of football when you don’t hit the scoreboard a bit heavier than we have been.’’
Apart from a 20-goal explosion against the Western Bulldogs in round 13, the Power has managed just 83 goals in its other eight games since round seven at an average of 10.
Its stellar defensive work — Port ranks equal-second in scores conceded with Geelong (72.3) behind premier Richmond (71.2) — has enabled it to win five of those games.
But its seven-goal effort in the terrible loss to Fremantle at Perth Stadium on Sunday featured a scoreless quarter (the second) for the second time in three weeks.
It followed its inability to score in the third term against Carlton at the MCG.
Port’s last scoreless quarter before round 15 was the first against Sydney at the SCG in round 20, 2016.
Its scoring woes are illustrated in it ranking 11th among the 12 teams still in finals contention for total goals among its top three goalkickers, with 62.
Small forward/midfielder Robbie Gray is Port’s leading goalkicker with just 25 ahead of fellow small Sam Gray (20).
The Power’s main key forward Charlie Dixon has booted only 17 after leading the Power’s goalkicking last year with 49.
Surprisingly, given the stats, Port averages 54 inside 50s a game — ranked sixth — and has won an AFL-high 36 per cent of one-on-one contests in it forward 50.
But its shot at goal accuracy is a poor 46 per cent — ranked 12th and seventh of the top eight teams — while it has continually been hurt by turnovers due to poor skills.
Another significant failure is that the Power’s is losing ground balls by 64 this season — ranked 14th and the worst of the sides sitting in the eight.
This has prompted dual Crows premiership captain Mark Bickley to suggest Port should opt for a smaller forward line.
Hinkley acknowledged the Power isn't playing champagne football, despite winning five of its past six matches.
“I’ve been saying regularly that we hope our better football is still to come,’’ he said.
“I think that maybe it (Port’s low scoring) would surprise a few people because when you see us at our best it’s running hard with the footy, using the ball pretty well and turning it into scores.
“But we’ve said since last season that we still want to improve our inside 50 efficiency and we clearly haven’t done that. If anything, we’ve gone backwards.’’
Hinkley said Port’s inability to finish off its work put it under pressure to have a high inside-50 count.
“We understand that we aren’t able to convert our opportunities as well as some other sides,’’ he told FIVEaa.
“That’s just what our DNA is so we have to continue to work hard to make sure we get a good volume of forward entries.’’
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