AFL 2023: Port Adelaide sitting pretty on the ladder, but their form tells another story

After winning thirteen straight games the Power have now lost three on the trot, is it a form slump, or just the standard ups and downs of a very even AFL season?

Xavier Duursma and Trent McKenzie react as they walk off with the team after the loss. Picture: Getty Images

“Fortunately, the ladder looks the same”.

That’s what Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley pointed out after his side’s 47-point loss in Showdown 54.

And he’s right, the Power sits in second spot, two games behind Collingwood and one game clear of Brisbane, just as it did before the start of Round 20.

“You got to play well every week. You don’t get to be half on, half off, that’s what this competition says to everyone this weekend - not just us, but to everyone,” Hinkley said.

And he’s right again, with the barnstorming Blues surprising the Magpies on Friday night and Steven King’s Suns just far more desperate than the Lions in the QClash.

But is something wrong?

Xavier Duursma and Trent McKenzie react as they walk off with the team after the loss. Picture: Getty Images

After winning a remarkable 13 games on the trot, the Power has now lost its past three matches – and Saturday night’s performance was easily the most concerning.

Adelaide was missing the spark of Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele, both who had a big say in the Round 3 Showdown victory, the latter featuring heavily through the middle that night.

This time, it was just an old fashioned midfield beat-up.

Crows Matt Crouch and Rory Laird applied bone-crunching tackles in the opening minutes and Laird had three of them, to go with four contested possessions, to his name by the time he came off the ground at the 12th minute mark.

The Power was outworked, outmuscled and outhunted.

If it wasn’t obvious enough on the eye, it was stark on the stats sheet with the Power losing the contested-ball battle by 18, the tackle count by 13 and the clearance numbers by eight.

Over the past three weeks, Port’s contested-possession differential is -28 and its clearance differential -15.

Ken Hinkley talks to Sam Powell-Pepper of the Power during the match. Picture: Getty Images

“It was clear we were off, a long way off and they were right on,” Hinkley admitted.

“You can’t lose the fundamentals, you can’t lose contested possession that badly, you can’t lose defensive pressure that badly.

“They played a powerful game tonight and we weren’t up to the standard in matching it.”

Zak Butters was enormous again and Connor Rozee had his moments, but Ollie Wines had just five contested possessions, Willem Drew was unable to contain Jordan Dawson and Jason Horne-Francis gave away three free kicks before he’d had a kick himself.

Despite Adelaide’s midfield dominance, the Power still won the inside-50 count by 15.

But, given the Crows’ already-injury-hit key-defender stocks took another blow in the second term, with Jordon Butts going down, maybe Port’s inability to convert – and its lowest first-half score of the season - is an even bigger concern.

“All phases of the game tonight we were disappointed in,” Hinkey said when quizzed about his forward line which took just seven marks inside-50.

“But that was an outnumber game, the Crows were able to put a lot more numbers there tonight than we were able to cope with.”

Zak Butters tried all night for Port Adelaide. Picture: Getty Images

Matthew Nicks’ Crows were playing to keep their season alive on Saturday night, but it’s still fair to say the Power are going to have to cope with a lot more, if they are to achieve that elusive grand final appearance under Hinkley.

So, is it more than a form slump?

Or just the standard ups and downs of a very even AFL season?

“Fortunately, the footy season is made up of chunks,” Hinkley said after referencing Carlton’s stunning return to form in recent weeks.

“We’re in a little patch at the moment we’d much rather not be in, but we won’t be staying in this patch, we’ll do everything we can to get out of this patch.

“I can’t exactly understand why it would happen right now. A week ago it was much better than tonight.

“All I can reference back to is that it does happen and you got to get over it and move on.”

Geelong at Geelong will be a good indicator if this is, in fact, something Port can get over - and move on in its quest to fulfil its September dream.

Originally published as AFL 2023: Port Adelaide sitting pretty on the ladder, but their form tells another story