Port Adelaide players challenged to back-up improbable win against West Coast by doing the “expected” against North Melbourne

Port Adelaide has cleared away one doubt by beating West Coast but now it must show it can deal with expectation by defeating battling North Melbourne on Friday.

• Ryder targeted by racist trolls
• Port no longer Eagles bunny
• Old boys back to haunt Eagles

Port Adelaide has proven it can do the improbable, such as overwhelming AFL premier West Coast in Perth.

Now coach Ken Hinkley wants to see his players do the “expected” — a theme that has repeatedly tripped up the Power. This challenge is immediately presented with lowly North Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on the national Friday Night Football stage.

Just five weeks after declaring the season-opening win against Melbourne was his best in his seven years at Port Adelaide, Hinkley avoided all superlatives in reviewing a far-better win against the Eagles.

“We have to be a little bit cautious (about overstating wins),” Hinkley said.

Ken Hinkley (left) coach of the Port Adelaide Power talks to his players during the win over the Eagles at Optus Stadium in Perth. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright

The Power players say they came off the rain-soaked Perth Stadium to be quickly told to back-up the Eagles win by lifting their win-loss record to 4-2 in the Anzac Round.

Hinkley has a fresh scar from the Round 4 home loss to a makeshift Richmond still stinging — and prodding the Power as it carries the “hot favourite” tag against North Melbourne.

“We know from the last two weeks (with losses to Brisbane and the Tigers) that you lose tight games … and in such an even season, you have to bounce up and go again,” Hinkley said.

“We have belief in the way we want to play. There were questions about how we’d lost a couple of games … games people thought we were going to win.

“We have to continually reflect — and fertilise that courage and that belief that the way we are playing is the right way to play. But it does not guarantee us wins all the time.”

Port Adelaide’s win against the Eagles — that broke West Coast’s dominance on the Power in the past eight years — was notable for both the strong attacking and defensive style that Hinkley labelled as “balanced”.

“Our brand of football this year will be generally more exciting football, more dashing football perhaps,” Hinkley said.

“We give ourselves more opportunity in our (forward) half than the opposition gets,” added Hinkley after scoring a 71-38 dominance with inside-50s. “That gives you the best chance to win.”

Port Adelaide’s quartet of first-year players — Connor Rozee, Xavier Duursma, Zac Butters and Willem Drew — brushed off questions of fatigue or fear in facing the imposing Eagles. And there is no question the energy of these novices is inspiring to the Power’s old guard.

“That is one part of our game that is hard not to get carried away on,” Hinkley said. “It is how well they have joined in with the group. It is a massive big tick for the connection in the group.”

Port Adelaide’s players achieved multiple gains with their first win in the new Perth Stadium — the most meaningful being ending a curse with West Coast and finding new confidence levels.

“We’ve spoken about it a bit, how West Coast have had the wood over us,” Power midfielder-forward Sam Gray told The Sunday Mail. “Those tight ones (with last-kick defeats), we try to forget. But they stay in the back of your mind.

“We felt we needed to get one back. What better way to do it than here in Perth?

“That gives us a lot of belief as a group. We know we can play good footy — and take it up to some of the best in the competition.”

Port Adelaide midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper, who found his season-best form against the Eagles, did not finish the match after taking a hit to a calf. The Power expects Powell-Pepper to be available against the Kangaroos.