In the wake of another disappointing loss in season 2024, questions around Port Adelaide’s credibility as a top side are rapidly coming into focus.
The Power had more shots at goal (+5) and more inside 50s (+10) than the Crows in Showdown LV but had a 22% scoring accuracy as they blew chance after chance.
North Melbourne champion David King believes coach Ken Hinkley has “massive problems to correct”.
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“They just leave too early, they’re too easy to turn their strength, their forward half press, into a weakness,” King said post-game on Fox Footy.
“Jordan (Dawson) didn’t want to give it away in the post-match, but they clearly planned to get the ball forward quick, as soon as you vacate the source let’s go.
“It’s not a one-person fix, Aliir comes back in, it’s not all sorted.
“Against the best teams, when they have their time in the sun with the ball, this is why they don’t beat top four, top eight teams.”
King broke down multiple clips of vision that showed a lack of application from Port Adelaide defenders, including a lack of tall defenders on the line for a Taylor Walker set shot and a lack of close checking of Crows star Izak Rankine close to goal.
“They can say Aliir Aliir is not there, he’s a major part of that defence,” the Fox Footy analyst said.
“Just look at the simple things, a long shot at goal, where do you expect the ruckman to be? This took them an eternity to go back and take the set shot, so you’ve got time enough, head in the game stuff to be on the goal line. In the end, it’s chest height. If your ruckman’s on the line you save that goal.
“There’s Burton leaving Izak Rankine, there’s only a handful of players that can do this so you can mount a case that you’re a little bit unlucky, but you know that about Rankine coming into the game so don’t get beaten by what you know.
“It’s not a one-person fix, Aliir comes back in, it’s not all sorted.
“Against the best teams, when they have their time in the sun with the ball, this is why they don’t beat top four, top eight teams.’
St Kilda champion Leigh Montagna said there were problems with the system but also of the decision-making skills of some of the defenders.
“We’ve seen it, when other teams have their opportunities inside 50, Port Adelaide can’t contain them,” Montagna said.
“There’s the system element and there’s the decision-making element, the decisions that they make as defenders to go when they don’t impact, to come forward, to roll back when they should come forward, they get it wrong too often and that’s what’s costing them a lot of wins.”
King said the club needs to ask itself where they are really at in 2024.
“Are you a genuine contender or not? Is your plan absolutely that good that it strips the opposition back? I don’t think it does,” he said.
Source Agencies
