Port Adelaide might miss finals but is headed towards “a really dominant period’’, says Tom Rockliff
Its coach is under the pump, its players are rolling money over into next year and Port Adelaide might miss the finals — but Tom Rockliff insists the club is on the verge of something special.
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Port Adelaide star Tom Rockliff has taken aim at Ken Hinkley’s critics, claiming the under-fire coach is on the cusp of building something special at Alberton.
While the Power’s focus this week is on beating Fremantle — under caretaker coach David Hale following the ruthless sacking of Ross Lyon — in a final home-and-away series where it needs other results to go its way to play in September, a bullish Rockliff believes Port is moving towards “a really dominant period’’.
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“Obviously we want to win this week and we’re really hopeful of playing finals but looking at the big picture we are really excited about how we are placed and what our future looks like,’’ former Brisbane captain Rockliff said as Hinkley feels the heat of likely missing the finals for the fourth time in five years and failing to trigger an automatic contract extension for 2021.
“Consistency has clearly been an issue for us this year but we feel that we have made some big strides as a football club and are on the right path to sustained success.
“We have to do a little bit of tinkering here and there but internally we are really confident that we’ve got an outstanding coaching group, led by Ken, and an emerging team that can achieve great things.
“When an AFL great like Nick Riewoldt says we’re the most dangerous team outside the eight and has played the best football he’s seen this year, it gives you confidence and I think we're really close to having a dominant period at the Port Adelaide footy club.’’
The Power, sitting 11th with a 10-11 record and a win plus percentage outside of the top eight, was set back on its heels after its 86-point trouncing by North Melbourne last week and has Hinkley fighting for his coaching life after he confirmed that he must make finals by next year to trigger the final year of his contract.
Port’s lack of recent success has also put it under financial pressure with falling membership and crowd figures and resulting in some players being asked to “roll over’’ part of their salaries owed this year to next year to ease the financial burden.
But Rockliff insisted that would all take care of itself with more on-field success, which he is supremely confident will come next season.
He pointed to the emergence of rookie sensations Connor Rozee, Xavier Duursma and Zak Butters and the development of Dan Houston, Darcy Byrne-Jones, Ryan Burton and Peter Ladhams as reasons for great optimism and pointers to future success, saying not too many clubs could boast such an exciting young brigade.
“I think we’re in great shape moving forward,’’ Rockliff told The Advertiser.
“But we do need to become more consistent because the gap between our best and worst has been too great.
“We are aware of that and will continue to work at it because its been our biggest issue this year.’’
Rockliff said the Power was at a loss to explain why it had earned the unwanted Jekyll and Hyde tag because training had been “super’’ all season.
He described the loss to the Kangaroos as “a genuine, old-fashioned smashing’’ and as bad a game as he had played in.
Rockliff said the club had thoroughly reviewed the disaster that will likely cost it a finals spot but that the players’ attention had now switched to the Dockers.
“We let ourselves and the club down last Saturday, so it’s important we rebound against Fremantle and play our way, regardless of whether our season finishes this weekend or not,’’ he said.