Advertisement

Has the Power flicked the switch on its season?

Port Adelaide are still craving consistency, with vice-captain Hamish Hartlett saying it’s too early to say whether the AFL club has turned the corner.

May 03, 2016, updated May 03, 2016
Dougal Howard had his first AFL win with the young Power side. Photo: Tracey Nearmy, AAP.

Dougal Howard had his first AFL win with the young Power side. Photo: Tracey Nearmy, AAP.

An undermanned Port upset Richmond at the MCG in round six, squaring their season at 3-3 to sit 11th on the ladder.

The 35-point victory followed heavy losses to Greater Western Sydney and Geelong, the former being described as a “disgrace” by Power president David Koch.

Hartlett noted inconsistency had been an issue for Port since an eye-catching 2014 campaign, calling on his teammates to maintain the same level of pressure against Brisbane at home on Sunday.

“It’s a bit early to say whether it [defeating Richmond] is a turning point or not,” the midfielder said.

The Power celebrates their win during the round 6 AFL match between the Richmond Tigers and the Port Adelaide Power at the MCG in Melbourne, Saturday, April 30, 2016. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Aaron Young celebrates with fans after the win. Photo: Tracey Nearmy, AAP.

“The big challenge for us is whether we can do it again for four quarters next weekend.

“That’s what has been most difficult for us, probably over the last 12 months to be honest, just stringing together consistent efforts.

“If you drop off at any stage, you get found out. If you’re off your game just a little bit, any team can expose you and and make you look really stupid.”

Port’s triumph, which came after they were forced to omit Chad Wingard, Robbie Gray and Jackson Trengove, wasn’t always pretty.

But the way they corralled and harassed the Tigers – to the point where the hosts managed a single behind in the final quarter – was impressive.

“The message before the game was to bring lots of pressure around the ball, all game,” Hartlett said.

“It was something we did against Geelong for probably just over a quarter but we weren’t able to sustain it.

“This time I thought we were able to hang in there and provide that pressure all game.”

The 25-year-old was impressed with the way some of the club’s inexperienced players stepped up in the absence of Wingard, Gray and Trengove.

Coach Ken Hinkley made five changes to the team that Geelong defeated by 48 points at Adelaide Oval.

“Out of all the teams for the round, I think we had the third or fourth youngest,” Hartlett said.

“I guess we were just trying to find the right mix of guys that were going to hang in there and do the right thing at each contest.

“We found that but we’ve got some quality players missing that can come back in and help us in certain areas.”

-AAP

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InDaily.
All rights reserved.