AFL Run Home: Port Adelaide’s premiership tilt still alive despite dire month
With players returning, Port coach Ken Hinkley is confident the Power is still primed for a flag tilt. But, after Saturday night, nothing is locked in. Here’s how it could play out.
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Port Adelaide is no longer in the top two, and a top four spot isn’t exactly secured.
But there could be cause for optimism at Alberton.
Power senior coach Ken Hinkley is at the very least, confident his side can arrest the factors behind their four-match losing streak.
“I think we are OK, I think we have been there abouts,” he said.
“We were poor last week (in the Showdown) but in between we played Collingwood and Geelong and we played pretty well but we didn’t get the win.
“Ultimately we have set up our season pretty strongly with the run that we got on, now we are on the reverse of that but I’m still confident that we are a pretty good team.”
After what could be described as a brave loss to Geelong at GMHBA Stadium with the Power undermanned when they came into the game with seven players from its best 22 out and then lost key defender Trent McKenzie early on, Western Bulldogs champion Brad Johnson is sharing Hinkley’s optimism.
“Port Adelaide, as much as they’ve lost four in a row now off the back of this, Ken would be pretty proud with the way the team fronted up against Geelong with the depleted numbers they had,” Johnson said on Fox Footy.
“I think he’d be overall quite pleased, not disheartened.
“For Port Adelaide and their fans, you’re still in a really good spot leading into September. You’ve just got to get healthy now – that’s the key. You’re going to be top four, it’s just the health and getting players back to get going.”
The Power are certainly going to get players back.
While it wasn’t the case of half of the SANFL team taking on the reigning premiers in Geelong, with the Power playing five to six players you would consider to not be in its best 22, Port Adelaide were certainly down on bodies.
Despite this the Power looked a lot more like the team that had won 13 straight games this year against Geelong, after two poor performances in its past three games against Adelaide and Carlton.
Sick trio Miles Bergman, Jeremy Finlayson and Kane Farrell should be joined by Aliir Aliir and Lachie Jones, when they clear the AFL’s concussion protocols.
Spearhead Charlie Dixon is also a strong chance to return next week.
They couldn’t return at a better time.
While it is coming off a loss to rivals Sydney, GWS has been one of the competition’s most impressive teams in recent weeks.
And the Giants’ record at Adelaide Oval is also good with four wins in their last six, although the majority of these victories have been against the Crows.
All of a sudden the clash has become a far more juicier one than the AFL thought it would be when it gave it the Sunday twilight slot.
While the Power should be boosted by those additions, it suffered another blow early on against the Cats when Trent McKenzie went down with a suspected PCL injury.
It will mean Tom Jonas retains his spot and the captain, showed some signs of his best against the Cats especially in an undermanned and undersized defence once McKenzie was subbed out.
The Power will be hoping these promising signs continue with the run home nowhere near an easy one.
After the Giants at home, it is a trip to Perth to take on Fremantle.
While the Dockers have been a big disappointment this season, they showed with their victory over Geelong two weeks ago that they can still be a tough team to play on their day.
The Power also have only won once at Optus Stadium, and never beaten Fremantle at the venue.
Following that, the Power ends its home and away season at Adelaide Oval when it hosts Richmond.
The Tigers should be officially out of finals contention by then, so that might be the most straightforward game for the Power in the run home – if there is something as one this season.
Unless Carlton – and to a lesser extent St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and GWS – wins every one of its remaining games this season, one more win should secure the Power a top four spot.
As for Port’s hopes of securing a home qualifying final, the Power needs to get back on the winners list quickly.
Melbourne take on Carlton at the MCG next week, while Port will be hoping fierce rivals Adelaide can do them a favour and upset Brisbane at the Gabba.
The Dees then have Hawthorn at the MCG and the Swans in Sydney to end their season, while the Lions have a testing clash against Collingwood at Marvel Stadium and finish hosting the Saints.
The Power may no longer be in the top two, but its hopes for this finishing position and the benefits it brings aren’t over.
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