AFL round 13 GWS Giants vs Port Adelaide: 16-point win eases pressure on under-fire Ken Hinkley

Port Adelaide has eased the pressure on under-fire coach Ken Hinkley, who remains adamant he will not be going anywhere before the 2025 season is officially done and dusted.

Ken Hinkley has shrugged off suggestions he should stand down early as Port Adelaide took a giant step towards saving its season.

With pressure mounting on the outgoing head coach ahead of Josh Carr’s takeover in the role next season, the Power responded with a statement victory in Canberra.

Conditions were testing for both sides, but the Power managed to find a way to edge out the Giants by 16-points in a low-scoring affair that was far from a classic.

But it was a crucial four competition points in the context of their season, with Hinkley looking to finish his tenure with another finals appearance amid talk about his immediate future.

“It’s just going to continue on for the remainder of the season,” he said.

“But what I do know is that it helps us get back on track to where we want to be.

“Clearly we’re a long way off where we thought we would be and need to be, but it felt like we snuck our head around the corner to see what’s next.”

Cold and at times slippery conditions made for a less than ideal spectacle for the viewer, but that didn’t bother Hinkley.

With Port Adelaide’s season on life support, they were able to grind out a win that helped them live to fight another day.

“We didn’t get great looks, we didn’t get great opportunities to score, but we were able to keep the ball in our front half a fair bit,” he said.

The Power scored a critical win away from home. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

“When you do that, what people don’t quite understand is when you play a front and centre game, efficiency goes right through the floor.

“It’s not going to be pretty, but you’ve just got to scrap your way to a win.

“Clearly from where we’ve been in the first half of the year, we just needed to try and find a way to scrap out a win.”

Attention now turns to a home fixture against Melbourne as they look to improve to 6-7 and inch closer towards the top eight.

“We’ve put ourselves in an awkward position, but all we can do is turn up next week, make sure we give a best account of ourselves and try to get another win,” Hinkley said.

“Who knows where the journey takes you, but all I know is in the past we’ve been able to get on decent runs.

“We’re going to live in the space and believe in ourselves.”

POWER EASE PRESSURE ON KEN, PUT GWS FINALS BID IN JEOPARDY

Port Adelaide’s season is alive and kicking after a gritty performance in the nation’s capital saw them remain in the hunt for the top eight.

They were forced to work hard for it, trailing at halftime against a GWS outfit looking for its third-straight victory.

Port had kicked just the one goal in the second half at the midway point of the fourth quarter, before Christian Moraes’ first AFL goal proved to be the match-winner.

Coming on as the sub just minutes prior, Moraes punished the Giants with another score from a turnover, as Willem Drew intercepted Lachie Whitfield as he tried to work the ball out of his defensive 50.

In turn he found Moraes, who played on and kicked Port’s first goal of the term, sparking a run that saw them close out a dour affair in Canberra with a 9.12 (66) to 7.8 (50) victory that marked just their fifth win of the season.

Sam Taylor flies over a pack to spoil.

ROOKIE WATCH

Riverina talent Nick Madden became the newest Giant in the absence of Kieren Briggs, with the ruckman thrown straight into the thick of things.

His task was made easier in coming up against Dante Visentini in just his 10th game.

While the Power big man took a victory on points in the ruck, Madden showed enough in his maiden outing to suggest he belongs at this level.

Out of mid-air from Jesse Hogan 🦵#AFLGiantsPowerpic.twitter.com/jctnmTqUFI

— AFL (@AFL) June 7, 2025

LOCKING DOWN

Port Adelaide’s defence was able to heap the pressure on GWS for large portions of their encounter, keeping them without any scoreboard pressure at key moments.

It took more than 10 minutes for the Giants to get on the scoreboard as the Power piled on the first 13 points of the game.

Then the third quarter was a flex on the dominance of the visitors, with Port keeping GWS scoreless throughout the entire term.

Despite their inside 50 dominance in that period, they could only muster 1.4 themselves in a low-scoring quarter of footy.

In saying that, they were able to keep the Giants to just 10 points in total for the entire second half.

First goal feels for Hugh Jackson 🩵@Toyota_Aus | #AFLGiantsPowerpic.twitter.com/7jV2drm01J

— AFL (@AFL) June 7, 2025

Power players celebrate a goal with Willie Rioli.

TARGET ON HIS BACK

Twice Leek Aleer was the subject of big bumps from Port Adelaide, with the key defender having to compose himself after being rattled.

Kane Farrell hit him with a strong bump that forced him from the field in the first term.

Then it was Visentini that replicated that shot in the third quarter, leaving Aleer slow to get up after the contact.

To his credit, not only did Aleer wear them, but was able to play out the rest of the contest strongly.

Originally published as AFL round 13 GWS Giants vs Port Adelaide: 16-point win eases pressure on under-fire Ken Hinkley