MIDFIELD coach Ben Mathews says it’s no fluke Port Adelaide is on top of the ladder, given its ability to play a strong brand of football, highlighted by tackling and contested football.
Speaking to Dee TV in the lead-up to Melbourne’s clash against the Power at TIO Traeger Park Oval on Saturday, Mathews said Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley influence had been evident in his first two seasons at the club.
“They’re a strong, tackling, contested footy side and Ken Hinkley has really brought that over to them in the previous year and a half,” he said.
“We’re going to have to match them in that area – and they run really well – and it’s been well-documented how they finish off games.
“They also start games really well – they’ve won seven of their first nine quarters in games, so apart from their run and their last quarters, which has been very, very strong … so we need to start well.
“It’ll be a different crowd to Adelaide Oval, where it could’ve been in front of 50,000 [supporters] … it’ll be a tough game for us and a really competitive game. We want to make it a really tight contest from minute one to minute 120.”
Although the Demons have won two of their past three matches, Mathews said it was going to be a big test for the Demons this round.
“Port Power is flying at the moment. They’ve had three big wins against Freo, Geelong and the Hawks last weekend,” he said.
“They’re playing a good style of football and a good brand of football, so it’s a good challenge for our boys.
“We’re coming up against the top side in the competition and we’ve made some strong gains in the last five or six weeks we feel. It’s always good to give yourself a real test against the best and see where you’re at and the players are looking forward to it.”
Reflecting on last weekend’s break, Mathews said the timing of it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Demons.
“We’ve had nine weeks of some positives and some learning, and we feel they tried to embrace everything that we’ve been teaching,” he said.
“We almost feel like we’ve started another mini-season after the break … it’s [another] eight weeks until our next break of the season. The guys have come back with really positive attitudes and they’re refreshed.
“While they enjoyed the break, they’re happy to get back to work on the back of a strong win against Richmond previous.”
Mathews said he had been pleased with the progress of his midfield brigade and it was shaping up well for the second half of the season.
“We’ve been really positive with the way they’ve gone about their footy – the midfield group, in the first nine rounds and certainly over the pre-season as well,” he said.
Mathews also highlighted the importance of ball winners Jack Viney, Dom Tyson, Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince this season.
“Young Jack Viney’s made improvements [and] Dom Tyson’s last two or three rounds have shown some significant improvement – he’s really adapting to the game and the way the game flows, so he’s had a real impact,” he said.
“Nathan Jones, we feel, has been playing on very good players’ week in, week out and playing great football for us, as he has been for the previous two years. We’ve really valued the way he’s gone about fitting into the team and still playing his role and having a huge impact.
“Bernie Vince, for the first couple of rounds, was finding his way in a new side and he’s really come to the fore in the last month or so. He’s a great character around the club and he’s a bit of a jokester. He’s really finding his niche in this club and he’s a great user of the football and we really value his input – certainly around the club, but on game day as well.
“Daniel Cross … he’s just setting the standards day in, day out with the way he approaches his footy. His preparation and all those extra things … he’s brought them to our club. He’s shown the way to the Vineys, Tysons and even young Dom Barry in the reserve grade – they’re all feeding off what Daniel Cross is doing.
“We’ve got a great group and we’re still learning and we’re still developing, but this will give us a good test this weekend.”
