Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley reviews his team’s 84-point loss to the Crows at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
On Port's overall performance…
“It was terrible. A really poor performance. We were dominated from the start to the end. We got smashed in every area, and we can acknowledge that the opposition are a very good side, but (it was) unacceptable.
“We got bashed up. I’m not just a little disappointed, I’m incredibly disappointed. I find it inexcusable to play that poorly in a game of football.”
On Adelaide’s start…
“It disappointed me the way we played the first quarter. We dodged the biggest bullet of all time. Rightly so, in the end we got what we deserved. We got a smacking.”
On Port Adelaide’s form entering the clash…
“It’s been worrying, our form line, particularly around the contest. Our ability to handle heat, it hasn’t stood up as well as we would like it to stand up. We’ve got enough size in there to do that, so I think we haven’t got a hardness about us at the moment that you require to play high level football.”
On the post-China bye influencing their form…
“I’m not an excuses coach and that’d be a really long bow to draw. That’d be a really insipid response by me if I was to say that was the reason. We didn’t work hard enough. There’s a level of work that you’ve got to bring and a level of competitiveness that you have to bring… don’t bring the other fluffy excuses around if you can’t back up effort. That’s what we didn’t back up tonight.
“I’ll say it again, the side we played were a really good side."
On Showdown Medallist Sam Jacobs’ performance…
“It’s really hard on the night. Because the performance was so bad by us as a team, all those things look miles apart. Sam (Jacobs) hit the scoreboard, so when you get a ruckman that can hit the scoreboard that’s really important. In the actual ruck contest, they were probably 50-50, as far as their ruck work went. His ground level players made the most of his opportunities while our ground floor players made nothing of it.”
On making changes…
“You can only go back and focus on it during the week. Say, ‘this just isn’t a level that we’ll accept’. Be prepared to look at some of the positions that are in there and say if you’re not getting it done, we’ll make some changes if that’s what we have to do.
“Your depth is exposed at this time of the year. You know who your players are that are capable of possibly helping you out. It’s a few ins and outs, but it’s not wholesale. It can’t be wholesale at this stage of the year. It’s got to be ‘get back to work, do what you’re supposed to do and own your position better’.
“I got a response from a group that knew how poor they were. They would feel embarrassed, and we should collectively as a club feel embarrassed by our performance tonight. It’s not good enough.”
