AFL round 18: Gold Coast Suns v Port Adelaide, news, analysis and SuperCoach scores

The competition is as even as it’s ever been this late into an AFL season, and Ken Hinkley knows how much his side’s loss to the Gold Coast means.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 06: Jason Horne-Francis of the Power celebrates a goal during the round 17 AFL match between Port Adelaide Power and Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval, on July 06, 2024, in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley conceded his team lost a chance to “put a gap” on the chasing pack and put the acid on Jason Horne-Francis to “be better” when it mattered as a top-four spot went begging in Sunday’s loss to the Gold Coast.

Lamenting the loss of key forward Todd Marshall, who will need scans to determine the extent of a hip injury suffered when he got tangled with teammate Charlie Dickson, Hinkley said his team was a “little bit off” as they slipped into a congested pack of top-four hopefuls.

While the loss of Marshall and Lachie Jones, to concussion, proved problematic for Port, Hinkley said the defeat “keeps building the pressure” that makes every match, firstly next week’s clash with battlers Richmond, crucial in the bid to not make the top four, but make the eight.

Jason Horne-Francis celebrates a goal against the Suns. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

“The competition is incredibly even, I’m not sure what’s going to happen for the remaining six games of the season. You are going to have to win games that are really important,” he said.

“When you get your opportunity to get a gap you have to take it, we didn’t take that today.

“We’re really looking in the moment right now because we can’t afford to go past it.

“It (the ladder congestion) keeps building the pressure you need to perform under each week. We’re deep in it; it’s just a matter of who’s going to be able to break through.”

Asked about the performance of Horne-Francis, who didn’t touch the ball in the first quarter, gave away four free kicks, including a 50m penalty early in the second that led to a Sam Flanders goal, and finished with just nine disposals playing forward for most of the second-half, Hinkley was blunt.

“Jason is a young player and he’s learning all the time and he’s got to be better than he was today in some moments, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“We won’t accept that it is OK. He’s learned a lot but he still has a lot more to learn and that’s clear when you’ve got a young player who is developing, he’s an aggressive player who seeks out body contact and once the oppo get a look at it they tend to come after you a little bit more.

“Jason is learning to deal with that, and he has to get better.”

Hinkley said Jones would miss at least one game after suffering a concussion but the Marshall injury was not as clear cut.

“Charlie really landed on top of his leg and really jammed his hip down which he has had history with over the last couple of years, we will have to wait and scan that. It looks like he has hurt him a little bit,” he said.

“I’ve been around a long time and seen lots of strange things happen on the footy field and that’s another one to add to the collection.

“Ultimately, we paid a big price and when you play up here in the conditions, having a few numbers down, particularly in front of the ball for us, certainly hurts us.”

PORT’S FINALS QUEST NOW HANGING IN THE BALANCE

A Sunday lunchtime bounce on the Gold Coast against a side that was 13th.

It doesn’t exactly scream ‘a big game’ on paper.

But it was a massive one for Port Adelaide, and again the Power couldn’t get the job done. And it now makes an already daunting run home for Ken Hinkley’s side even harder.

The win over the Western Bulldogs last week had it looking like the Power had snapped out of its funk of late, and showed some signs that it could actually play and win finals.

Zak Butters of the Power celebrates a goal against Gold Coast. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

But with a place in the top four up for grabs, after Carlton, Fremantle and Essendon all went down themselves, the Power couldn’t handle the heat the Suns brought on the Gold Coast and need a Richmond or West Coast miracle to end the weekend still in the top eight.

The annoying thing for Power fans would be was that it was a defeat largely of Port’s own making.

Yes the Suns are a serious outfit at People First Stadium, and master coach Damien Hardwick always has a plan up his sleeve.

But yet again in 2024, Port’s execution and decision making seriously hurt Hinkley’s side.

Gold Coast were able to create nine forward turnovers in the first quarter.

The Power, who love to use the corridor, then appeared to be wary of going to its preferred ball movement – until it had to really take the game on in the fourth quarter.

For three-quarters the Power had more inside 50s than the Suns, but Port’s efficiency inside 50 was just not good enough.

Todd Marshall of the Power is assessed by a club physio on the Gold Coast. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

The Suns have a tremendous defence, who played out of their skins, but this has been an issue for the Power for most of 2024.

When the Power did kick a goal and looked to be making serious inroads into the Suns’ lead, Gold Coast would almost immediately go and kick a goal and half all the momentum Port might have built up.

Two moments summed this up.

Just after Jason Horne-Francis, who played angry for most of the day as the Suns got under his skin, got it back to 11-points with a little more than a minute to go until halftime – Aliir Aliir took out Miles Bergman and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher in a marking contest and Malcolm Rosas was able to kick an easy goal.

And after Francis Evans got it back to five-points in the third, after the Power came out with far better ball movement going forward than what it had produced in the first half, Port turned the ball over in the corridor and Bailey Humphrey kicked a goal.

That was as close as the Power got for the rest of the match.

And to further compound the loss, Todd Marshall was injured in a genuinely bizarre moment when teammate Charlie Dixon’s weight hurt his hip while Lachie Jones was concussed.

It leaves the Power in quite the precarious position going into the run home.

The Power are still in touch with top eight rivals, on the same points as Melbourne and GWS should the Giants win.

But now the Bulldogs, Suns, Collingwood and Hawthorn are just the one win behind the Power.

And after cellar-dwellers Richmond at Adelaide Oval next week, which you’d bank as a Power win, there’s few runs home that are harder.

Noah Anderson of the Suns celebrates a goal in his side’s win over Port Adelaide. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

Carlton at Marvel Stadium is followed by Sydney at Adelaide Oval.

Then it’s the Demons, who have breathed new life into their season, at the MCG before Adelaide in the Showdown.

The Crows aren’t challenging for finals, but they look to be turning the corner and have caused the Power trouble in the Showdown for the past two years.

It is then Fremantle at Optus Stadium to finish the season for the Power.

Outside of the Tigers and the Crows, they are all matches against a side that is in the top eight right now.

But we know ladder positions don’t matter when it comes to the Showdown.

So it is five ‘big games’ to end the Power’s season.

After failing to get the win in the massive game against the Suns, Port are going to have to shake the tag on the Power if it is to be a chance of playing finals.

Originally published as AFL round 18: Gold Coast Suns v Port Adelaide, news, analysis and SuperCoach scores