‘It’s hard to hide from’: Hinkley delivers honest truths after Collingwood ‘reality check’

Port Adelaide cannot hide from the fact that they currently do not have one of the strongest midfields in the AFL and they received a “reality check” from Collingwood on Saturday that they are still a fair way off the pace, according to coach Ken Hinkley.

For the second game in a row at the MCG against the Magpies, the Power’s on-ball brigade were thumped by the opposition.

Fresh from losing the clearances 40-31 and contested possessions 138-127 to Fremantle, Port Adelaide were smashed by Collingwood in contested ball after quarter-time 122-79 as the Magpies turned a 31-point deficit into a seven-goal win.

Hinkley described it as a “super concerning” result and that while he knows his side is a good team, it would be “foolish” to say so after the loss to Collingwood.

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“Our last two weeks would suggest that’s perhaps not quite as accurate as we would like it to be,” Hinkley said post-match when it was put to him that he had one of the league’s strongest midfields at his disposal.

“We think we have got a very good midfield group, but in the last two weeks we haven’t been at the level we need.

“We have been in patches … but then after quarter-time we got showed up by Collingwood.

“It’s a stat we have to live with. It’s hard to hide from that one.

“It’s concerning for today. It’s not consistent with what we’ve been … we get a reality check that there’s a gap that we’re chasing still.”

The Power generated a little bit of momentum early in the final quarter and could’ve cut the deficit to 23 points when Willie Rioli collected the ball and ran towards goal from 35m out.

But instead of making a certainty of it by passing it to Darcy Byrne-Jones all by himself 20m out, Rioli selfishly went for goal himself and missed.

“Emotionally people do some strange things at different times,” Hinkley said.

“Willie’s a very, very sharing player more often than not and if he didn’t get that right, I’m sure he would understand that.”

Hinkley said the Power couldn’t have asked for a better start to the match when they kicked six of the first seven goals, but that his team’s energy nosedived thereafter.

“Those (contested possession) numbers pretty much work into work rate and contest and I think that would be fair,” Hinkley said.

“I’m not going to hide from it. Collingwood were much better at turning up more reliably, more consistently and in the contest they were more predictable.

“They were playing aggressive and they continue to play aggressive, but what they did when they played aggressive was continue to turn up and that makes it much easier for them to play their style of football which is pretty powerful.”

Hinkley was hopeful that Jason Horne-Francis (cramp) and Miles Bergman (ankle) would be fit to face St Kilda next week, and that they could regain veterans Charlie Dixon (managed) and Travis Boak (back).

However, Lachie Jones (hamstring) will be in doubt.