Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has criticised his team’s poor workrate in crushing loss to Collingwood
PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley will need to quickly address his team’s horror slide in form ahead of Friday’s must-win Round 23 clash with Essendon at Adelaide Oval.
PORT Adelaide Ken Hinkley slammed his side’s workrate after the Power’s finals chances were dealt a savage blow in a crushing 51-point loss to Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.
The Power will now rely on other results and its finals hopes are likely to hinge on Melbourne losing its final two matches for the year — against West Coast today and the fourth-placed GWS next week — and win against Essendon to break into the top eight.
MATCH REPORT: PIES PUT POWER’S SEASON ON LIFE SUPPORT
STATS, SUPERCOACH: PIES RUN AWAY FROM PORT
ANALYSIS: POWER’S FUTILE FIGHT PROVES EFFORT NOT ENOUGH
But Hinkley will have to quickly turn Port Adelaide’s poor form, which has led to five losses from the past six matches with the side struggling to kick a reasonable score.
He also has to find an antidote for a shocking final quarter, in which Collingwood kicked seven goals to one to win in a canter.
“It was really disappointing with so much to play for in that last quarter,” Hinkley said. “Collingwood just kept applying the pressure and kept turning the heat up and we were unable to go with the at any stage in the last quarter.
“We probably hung in as best we could (before that). That’s probably the best description I can give you because we didn’t look convincing at any stage.
“They just kept hunting us and we kept feeling their hunt.”
Hinkley had sensed warning signs before Collingwood put its foot down in the last quarter.
The statistics sheet told him that even though there was life in the match, the Magpies were ahead in the areas that generally win games of football.
“When we get belted up in contested possession we don’t compete very well,” Hinkley said. “Entries were massive against us as well.
“The scoreboard got us right by the end — that was the margin between the teams.
“One team was playing strong, aggressive football and one team was playing quite passive football.
“We looked a bit like a team, I reckon, that’s taken a bit couple of hits in the last couple of weeks and when the last hit came today it didn’t take much to knock us over.
“It’s not winning contests at the moments when you should win contests.
“It’s not working hard enough to outnumber a team.
“That’s what we’re not doing at the moment and when you’re in that space you can look pretty poor.
“If you don’t work to outnumber in defence you feel it on the scoreboard. That happened.
“If you don’t work to outnumber in offence, you don’t get momentum. You don’t get drive.
“You don’t get the opportunity to attack the scoreboard. That’s what happens.”
Hinkley played down a Steven Motlop 50m penalty in the third quarter that began Collingwood’s rampage.
He said if an isolated incident like that could affect the outcome there were something amiss with his players’ mental resolve.
“Undisciplined stuff hurts you, always,” Hinkley said. “It doesn’t matter where the game’s at; you shouldn’t be in that space.
“It certainly hurts but there’s a bit more to fight for isn’t there, than just one moment?
“If that’s the breaker of you your mental toughness is not where it should be.”
Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.