AFL 2024: Shaun Burgoyne ‘on fence’ as Port Adelaide and Hawthorn meet

With Port Adelaide and coach Ken Hinkley under the pump, a Power and Hawks great has weighed in on how they should approach the semi-final.

Shaun Burgoyne says Port Adelaide needs to be better prepared for “cutthroat” finals football as the Power tries to snap a four-game September losing streak in a battle of his former sides.

The Hawthorn and Port Adelaide great said he was “sitting on the fence” when it came to a tip for Friday night’s semi-final at the Adelaide Oval but thought it would take improvement “in all areas” for Port to avoid a second consecutive straight-sets finals exit.

Burgoyne said the Hawks were playing with “freedom and excitement”, while the home side needed to find some fun in its own football program this week to avoid more disappointment.

“Try and get some fun into the week because it's very easy as a player to lose and then mope around,” Burgoyne said as he greeted the AFL premiership cup in Darwin on its national tour on Tuesday.

Shaun Burgoyne says he is ‘sitting on the fence’ when his former clubs Port Adelaide and Hawthorn meet in Friday’s semi-final. Picture: Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

“(Port) pretty much lost in all key areas of the game against Geelong – take nothing away from (the Cats), they came out and executed a brilliant game of finals footy.

“All Geelong’s players played their role, and Port were left wanting, really. They need to improve all-round, (but) they finished in the top four for a good reason.”

Burgoyne, who returned to Alberton to work in an off-field role during 2022 after calling time on his 407-game career, praised under-pressure coach Ken Hinkley for delivering another top-four finish.

“I think Ken’s done a great job this year of getting the team into the top four, but finals footy is a different to home-and-away footy. It’s more fierce, it’s more cutthroat, and fans expect more as well,” he said when asked about the scrutiny on Hinkley.

“I don’t think there’s a common link (to previous finals exits) – each year you have a different team, a different list, a different finals opponent, and they just haven’t brought their A-game.

After retiring as a Hawthorn player, Burgoyne returned to Port Adelaide in a development role in 2022. Picture: Tom Huntley

“They need to lift, it’s the second year in a row that they’ve lost their first final, but you can only put yourself in that position every year to have a crack.”

The four-time premiership player stopped short of calling Hawthorn flag favourites, saying Sydney was deservedly fancied, but said the Hawks’ flair had thrilled him in the second half of the season.

“Hawthorn has taken all before them, they’re playing exciting footy and the whole team’s on-board. Sam (Mitchell) has got them peaking at the right time,” he said.

“It’s something different, something players like myself have to get their heads around.

“Personally, myself, I would never celebrate too over the top because there would always be too much attention on myself instead of the team, but they’re embracing it, they’re involving the fans and each other, and it’s making it infectious among the group. I’ll have to get on- board with the new wave of excitement.”

Burgoyne said his main hope was for the match-up to avoid the qualifying final “fizzer” that had Power fans leaving early.

“I just want an exciting game, something that was better than week one,” he said.