Port Adelaide in ‘really good spot’ for finals run: Footy boss Chris Davies backs Hinkley’s men in

They’ve been written off as a ‘fake’ top-four side, but Chris Davies isn’t having it. The Port Adelaide footy boss has his say on Charlie Dixon, leaving the SANFL, Jason Dunstall and more.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 18: General Manager of Port Adelaide Chris Davies stands with Senior Coach Ken Hinkley after the win during the 2023 AFL Round 01 match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Brisbane Lions at Adelaide Oval on March 18, 2023 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Port Adelaide has brushed off scepticism about its early-season form, believing it has set a really good platform to attack the second half of the campaign as it chases a flag.

Fox Footy analyst Jason Dunstall labelled the Power a “fake top-four team” after it “leaked like a sieve” in a 36-point home loss to Carlton last round ahead of a bye this weekend.

Port football boss Chris Davies highlighted ball movement and the ability to stop opponents’ scoring runs among the areas that needed improving.

But he said while there was some external negativity, he was happy with the team’s position to be in fourth place with an 8-4 record.

“You can’t win the flag in June but you can certainly put yourself out of contention and right now we’re well and truly still in contention,” Davies said.

“I understand that the expectation on us is reasonably high and that’s not a bad thing that people right now feel a bit negative with us being 8-4.

“We’ve put ourselves in a really good spot, but most importantly teams need to be hitting their straps come the end of the year, not at the mid-season bye.

General Manager of Port Adelaide Chris Davies with Senior Coach Ken Hinkley. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

“We’ve got some things we need to work on and get better at, and hopefully we can do that with the end of the year in mind.”

Davies said he did not hear much of Dunstall’s comments, before adding: “Does that mean we’re a real top-five team?”

“It doesn’t fuss me,” he said.

“We’ve had situations where we’ve qualified really high at the end of the minor round and haven’t been in great shape going into the finals.

“We still need to qualify for the finals.

“I’d far rather be 8-4 than in a situation where we’re chasing our tails.

“We look at the first half of the year as a whole, not just the latest game.

“Our first half of the year has been reasonable.”

The Power’s backline copped external flak after struggling late against the Blues and having ranked 13th for one-on-one contest loss percentage since round 6.

Port recruited Esava Ratugolea and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher to address a perceived key defensive weakness, which remained a work in progress.

“Those guys have brought something different than what we had at the end of last year,” Davies said.

“I think the coaches are still working out what’s the best mix there, but I have no doubt that as a group they’re in a reasonable spot to hit the second half of the year and go further.”

In a 22-minute press conference, Davies covered a wide range of topics, including …

Charlie Dixon:

“He’s in a bit of a battle right now with his form and his body. The coaches have got some decisions to make with the way we handle and manage Charlie. Our ball movement probably needs to be better to help him as well”.

Ollie Lord:

“I think he would’ve started in the AFL team if he was fit at the start of the year and it probably would’ve been Jeremy (Finlayson) who missed out. He’s probably a week away to be seriously up for selection. I think he’ll add something different to that young forward mix if we decide to pick him”.

Ollie Lord is a week away from being considered for selection. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

The first six months of Connor Rozee’s captaincy:

“He’s had a great start. He’s got a fair bit going on – the fantastic birth of his daughter the other day was something we all celebrate – but he’s tried to do it differently to what Tom (Jonas) did, which we think was important. He goes about his business and is not a rah-rah type of captain”.

Jason Horne-Francis:

“He’s probably been our best player over the last month. We forget that he’s still very young (20) and had to carry a fair bit through his career. The coaches have helped him explore a bit of a new role. There’s no doubt if we’re to continue to get better this year he’ll be one it’ll be on the back of.

Jason Horne-Francis has been the Power’s best in the past month. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

Leaving the SANFL:

“Our position is that through competitive balance the AFL have a responsibility to look at the way second-tier competitions around Australia are put together. We’re contracted to play in the SANFL until 2028 and the reality is unless the AFL are able to sought something out, that will be the case. We think it (a national reserves competition) is a fundamental part of competitive balance. If the AFL didn’t go down that path, they’d want to have a really good reason.

Being winless in the SANFL:

“Maybe we’re seeing the culmination of years worth of concern. There’s no way you could honestly say that being in a competition where you’re that far bottom – and that’s not just us (Adelaide is 2-6) – it’s not great for our guys going into games week in, week out, not looking like they’re going to win. Winning is not our sole focus, but we want them to be competitive”.

Ken Hinkley:

“I think he’s doing a good job. He’s ably supported by the people around him and from my standpoint he hasn’t lost any enthusiasm for the job, and continues to evolve”.

Originally published as Port Adelaide in ‘really good spot’ for finals run: Footy boss Chris Davies backs Hinkley’s men in