Port needs to find some answers
PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says his club has been knocked around by a humiliating AFL loss to arch rivals the Adelaide Crows.
And Hinkley says questions hovering over Port’s largestever loss to the Crows — an 84-point drubbing — won’t be answered until today’s game against Collingwood.
“It’s a definite jolt, there’s no doubt about that, and for people to say anything other than that, it’s not right — it knocks you around,” Hinkley said of last Sunday’s loss to Adelaide.
The Power coach said finding answers to the woeful display was difficult.
“The answers are not that easy when you think about what went wrong,” he said.
“They didn’t go out there deliberately not wanting to compete and contest with the Adelaide side, they just were shown up on that night. So probably more the answer will come on Sunday I hope. And that is what we have got to look forward to ... as a group they have responded usually.”
Port holds fifth spot on percentage entering the Adelaide Oval clash against the Magpies, who worry Hinkley despite being 12th and out of finals contention.
“They have won three and drawn one in their last month, there’s no doubt Collingwood are in pretty good nick,” he said.
“So if we’re not up for the battle, we will be in trouble again.”
A victory for Port would give them 12 wins this year, the historical benchmark for reaching the finals.
“We won’t take nothing for granted,” Hinkley said. We hope to not only get to 12 but get to 13, get to 14.”
■ Port Adelaide v Collingwood, 4.10pm, Adelaide Oval