Ken Hinkley denies Power waved the white flag in Showdown humiliation

Ken Hinkley says his players did not wave the white flag in their historic Showdown defeat to the Crows, saying the result indicated just how big the gulf between the two rivals is at the moment.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley denied his players waved the white flag late in their Showdown capitulation to rampant Adelaide.

Matthew Nicks’ ruthless men brushed their opponents aside and piled on the misery with an eight-goals-to-none final term at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night to charge to a history-making 98-point win.

That losing margin is the highest of Hinkley’s tenure at Port, and the coach was asked in the aftermath if his players had given up.

“We don’t wave the white flag, but I get the question based on the margin at the end,” Hinkley replied.

“But I think that’s just the gulf between the two teams at the moment … no one gives up, no one stops trying.

“But it can look a little bit like that, and it just looks like every mistake’s got a bad outcome on it, so people feel the pressure a little bit more.

“It was definitely a sign of where the two teams are.

“Clearly, one team is on top of the ladder tonight, and the other team is battling to get to the line each week with a few different reasons, whether they be injury or whether they be performance.

“Tonight, they both come together, and you end up getting beaten badly in lots of fundamental parts of the game.”

It was another dirty night in a dirtier season for the Power. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The dire display left the Power with an 8-11 record with four games left in a season that has failed to live up to expectations.

Despite finals being off the table, Hinkley said his players will have no trouble finding motivation to finish the season as strongly as they can.

“You’re an AFL footballer, you turn up and you work hard and you play hard,” the coach said.

“And you get every chance to perform every game you turn up, and you should represent yourself and the team with absolute confidence and that you really want to earn your opportunities, and that’s the way you play football.

“You don’t give up.

“You never stop trying in AFL footy. For players, every game you play, you should honour that game, and you should bring your absolute best, and you shouldn’t ever give up.

“Whether you’ve got four (games) left or you’ve got eight left, for some teams, you still should turn up and play in the right way.”

Originally published as Ken Hinkley denies Power waved the white flag in Showdown humiliation