Power preparing for trips to Melbourne, Perth, Shanghai and Tasmania in a month on the road
PORT Adelaide says it is not daunted by a monster month on the road - playing in three states and overseas - as it looks to snap out of an early-season form slump.
Port Adelaide
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PORT Adelaide says it is not daunted by a monster month on the road with trips to Melbourne, Perth, Shanghai and Tasmania as it looks to snap out of an early-season form slump.
The Power has just one game at Adelaide Oval in its next five and that’s the Round 8 Showdown against the Crows, separated by games against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, West Coast in Perth, Gold Coast in Shanghai and Hawthorn in Tasmania.
Having dropped their past two games to come back to the pack with a 3-2 record, defender Jack Hombsch said the team had not discussed the next month as a block of games it had to navigate.
“We did China last year and it’s not new to us now, and we’ll get a block of homes games towards the end of the year so it works both ways,” Hombsch said.
“Judging on this week and last week we’re obviously not in the greatest form so it’s pretty much get back on the winners’ list.
“We can’t look too far ahead because we have to find some form again.
“If we can get a win next week and get some pep in our step again we’ll take on the week after that.
“It really is about rectifying those issues as soon as possible.”
Last year’s successful trip to China was preceded by a home game against West Coast and followed by a trip to Geelong before returning to Adelaide Oval to play Hawthorn.
After beating Fremantle, Sydney and Brisbane to start this season, Port has lost to Essendon and Geelong in consecutive weeks.
“We were really good for a couple of weeks at the start and have now had a couple of weeks where we’re off our game,” coach Ken Hinkley said.
“We’re not in terrific form but how quickly it does change. It goes from today ‘bad’ and hopefully next week in better nick and we’re ready to go again because the season doesn’t allow you to get out of form for a long period of time.”
Hombsch, who played his first AFL game for the year against the Cats on Saturday night, said the endeavour was there but conversion was again the problem.
Hombsch went back with the flight of the ball to take a mark and crash into teammate Tom Jonas, and Hamish Hartlett put his body and head on the line to spoil Patrick Dangerfield but it was to no avail on the scoreboard.
“Hamish in front of Danger and a few boys had some stitches tonight, they had a crack, but sometimes that’s not enough,” Hombsch said.
“The effort definitely was there and that’s why it was so disappointing, we weren’t up to scratch with our skills.
“Obviously we wanted to set a tone after last week’s game and respond, and we were pretty good in the contest but sloppy going inside 50 again.
“It’s been well noted that it has been an issue for us in the past, we get the ball in there but the opposition use their out-number really well and we can’t seem to quite get those clean one-on-ones.
“That’s the major thing we’ve got to rectify.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au
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