Number crunch: Port Adelaide must find its targets in back half and stop turnovers

IT NEARLY brought about its shock round one demise but Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has vowed his team will continue to roll the dice and play “brave’’ football in Showdown 40.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 27: Ollie Wines of the Power gets a kick away during the round one AFL match between the Port Adelaide Power and the St Kilda Saints at Adelaide Oval on March 27, 2016 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

IT NEARLY brought about its shock round one demise but Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has vowed his team will continue to roll the dice and play “brave’’ football in Showdown 40.

The Power conceded a remarkable 58 points from turnovers in the first half against St Kilda on Sunday in what became a dangerous game of Russian roulette.

Port’s desire to throw the ball around but inability to hit targets in the back half saw the upstart Saints put themselves on the verge of pulling off a stunning upset before Hinkley’s side righted some wrongs and flexed its muscle.

But the alarm bells have sounded and alerted the Crows to a possible weakness they will try to exploit in the 40th SA derby.

“Yeah, I did watch that,’’ star Adelaide defender Daniel Talia said of how easily St Kilda was able to force Port into back half turnovers and convert them into easy goals.

In a damning statistic for the Power, 12 of the Saints 15 goals came from inside 30 metres and seven from within 15m, illustrating how they were able to get behind Port’s back six.

“They got a few goals out the back from (turnovers) and their really quick ball movement,’’ Talia noted.

“That is something we can look at. All the teams are pressing up in defence and there is opportunities to get out the back.

“We will certainly look at that and try to take it into our game this week.’’

Hinkley said Port was its own worst enemy against the Saints but stuck to its guns and was eventually rewarded.

Leigh Montagna boots a goal.

He said he had urged his players to continue to play brave, attacking football after last season getting away from what it does best and paying the price, slumping from third to ninth.

“Let’s acknowledge a couple of things, St Kilda put good pressure on us and we were our own worst enemy at times,’’ Hinkley said.

“At halftime they’d kicked 58 points of their 62 from turnovers. Some of them you’ve got to live with because that’s St Kilda’s great pressure but some of them, I think we maybe missed opportunities that we shouldn’t have missed.

“Some of the goals they got out the back were caused as much by our skill execution as anything else.

“But we can’t afford to get away from it (playing fast) because we got slowed up too much last year, we didn’t remain brave enough with the ball and that’s pretty important with the way we play the game.

“The clear message this year from the players to coaches and back has been to identify what’s going to make us a good side and stick with it.

Nick Riewoldt celebrates kicking a goal.

“We decided to be brave and we’re not going to go away from that. I reckon there will be a few goals kicked out the back against us but people have to realise you’ve got to go fast in offence or the (opposition) defence will smother you.’’

Port turned the tables on the Saints in the second half, keeping the ball locked in its forward line and reaping the turnover and scoreboard reward.

Captain Travis Boak however conceded the Power “left too many gaps’’ in defence against the Saints and needs to tighten up against Adelaide’s potent attack.

“We want to be aggressive in the way we attack the game but we have to be careful to not let too many (balls) slip out the back,’’ he said.

“Whether it’s Tex (Taylor Walker), Eddie Betts or Tom Lynch it’s going to be pretty dangerous.’’

RUSSIAN ROULETTE

Twelve of St Kilda’s 15 goals against Port were kicked inside 30 metres and seven within 15 metres of goal, illustrating how the Saints took advantage of defensive half turnovers to get over the back of the Power defence.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

The Power’s game of chance went horribly wrong in the first half against the Saints but paid dividends in the second.

Port 1st half Port 2nd half

Disposal Diff -36 -11

Cont Poss Diff +1 +10

Uncont Poss Diff -38 -16

Clearance Diff -12 -5

Inside 50 Diff -11 +14

Points Conceded 62 38

Pts Conceded from TO 58 6

TO Committed Def Half 21 7

Pts Conceded Def Half TO 44 6

Points For 56 77

Points from TO 44 50

TO Created Forw Half 11 26

Pts from TO Created Fwd Half 24 32

THE NO: 12 - Goals St Kilda kicked against Port in round one from within 30 metres of goal.