ADELAIDE OVAL -- Port Adelaide put last week's 84-point humiliation in the rear view mirror, edging Hawthorn in a September classic to advance to the preliminary finals for the fourth time in the Ken Hinkley era.
The Power will face Sydney at the SCG next Friday night for a place in the AFL Grand Final, while the Hawks bow out after the club's best season since it won the premiership in 2015.
Here's four things we learned from the game:
Ken Hinkley cops far too much criticism and nowhere near enough praise
Ken Hinkley might be the most analysed and criticised coach in the AFL. When Port Adelaide's winning, his sceptics remain awfully quiet. But the moment there's even the slightest sign of turmoil at the club, out they come in full force.
Hinkley was crushed for Port's horror showing in last week's qualifying final against Geelong, forced to field questions all week about his coaching future despite being contracted until the end of 2025. But will he be given the credit he deserves for his side's rebound performance this week against the Hawks? Likely not to the level he deserves.
It's only fair both the footy media and footy public are consistent. If Hinkley's to blame for the losses, then he must be praised for the wins. Of course, nothing's black and white, and footy is a bit more nuanced than that. The reality lies somewhere in the middle.
Hinkley is a brilliant coach. His players simply adore him and play for him. His win-loss record speaks for itself.
"I love him like a father. He just cops a ridiculous amount of criticism he probably doesn't deserve," skipper Connor Rozee told Seven. "From where he came in, where that club was ... and [now] I've played finals four out of my six years I've been here. What a man. It'll be interesting to see what everyone says this week, but we really wanted to get this one done, especially for him."
Sure, Hinkley isn't a premiership coach, but there are 12 others currently in the league who haven't tasted the ultimate AFL success, and none of them boast a better resume. Okay, Ross Lyon has an argument, but that's it.
Since taking over at Port in 2013, Hinkley has amassed a club record 165 wins at a rate of 60.4%, only trailing current coaches Craig McRae, John Longmire, and Chris Scott. Friday night's win over the Hawks has also secured Hinkley an enviable fourth trip to a preliminary final, though it's a stage he's yet to advance past.
But it's a timely reminder that premierships are tough to win. We don't view Nathan Buckley or Nick Riewoldt as lesser players for failing to win one, we shouldn't with Hinkley as a coach, either. Give the man some respect.
Relax, Hinkley's chirp was just him showing passion
Now, to the matter at hand. Should Hinkley be antagonising Hawthorn's players after his side's narrow win? Probably not. But is it the worst thing we've seen on a footy field? Hardly.
The footy world would be lapping this up and labelling it 'banter' if a player acted in such a way, but when it's a coach, that seems to be taboo. We cannot seem to get our heads around it. Once again, can we please get a skerrick of consistency.
🗣️ "He's a 60-year-old man, act your age. You don't go and start stuff like that."
— 7AFL (@7AFL) September 13, 2024
- Luke Hodge on Ken Hinkley post-match pic.twitter.com/ZcbXhpJFLc
We cry out for passion in sports and when we get anything remotely close we immediately shoot the culprit down.
The moment Jack Ginnivan sent that tweet to Brodie Grundy, this type of reaction become fair game. It's not embarrassing. It's not petulant. It's simply a coach of a footy side responding in a passionate manner to what he perceived as disrespect. That's all. Move on, there's nothing to see here.
We must never question the resilience of this Port Adelaide team
Could the Power have mounted a serious comeback in last weekend's qualifying final against Geelong? Possibly. But throwing in the towel five minutes after half time -- while it may have appeared fragile and pathetic -- may well have been the heads-up play with the long term in mind.
Port opted to conserve its energy and shift its focus to Friday night's do-or-die semifinal against the Hawks, knowing a win would have them playing off against the Swans for a spot in the Grand Final. Any queries about this team's mettle and how they might respond to that 84-point drubbing were answered in the opening minutes.
The work rate and pressure from the home side was through the roof. They were hungry and fierce, at times, maybe even too fierce. The tone for the evening was set by captain Connor Rozee. In the first 10 minutes he won three clearances, laid a crushing tackle, and kicked the first goal of the game.
By quarter time, Port Adelaide was +14 in contested possession, +7 in inside 50s, and +4 in clearances. They had also amassed double the amount of one-percenters and laid more tackles, despite having enjoyed significantly more possession, emphasizing the contrasting work rate from eight nights earlier. This was a totally different team; one that was inspired to return to the AFL's last four.
The energy conservation against the Cats also paid dividends late against the Hawks. It was the home side running on top of the ground to begin the final term. In the space of four minutes they kicked three goals to open up an 18-point gap, one the Hawks could never fully close.
Port Adelaide proved Friday that on any night it can beat anyone, and for that, this side can never be written off. The fulltime stat sheet far happier reading than a week ago with Port finishing up +17 in contested possession, +9 in inside 50s, and +4 in intercepts, something that had been Hawthorn's calling card in the back half of the season.
No matter what happens from here, Hawthorn's the biggest winner of 2024
No team in AFL history has ever had their season ended in September and not felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment. But when the dust settles on 2024, the Hawks should reflect with extreme positivity, knowing they might well have been the year's biggest winners.
For a five-month stretch, Hawthorn has been the best team in the competition. That's no hyperbole. Since Round 6, they've scored the most points and conceded the fewest. They've won more games than anyone else in the league, nine of them by at least a six-goal margin.
This young group, led expertly by the tactically brilliant Sam Mitchell, just got the perfect taste of finals football. In eight days, they've experienced the highs and lows of September footy, something that will surely hold them in good stead over the coming years.
And soon, that's exactly where their attention will turn to, specifically 2025. Hawthorn might enter next season with the best defensive six in the league, with the club almost guaranteed to secure the services of both Tom Barrass and Josh Battle. They have a top three dynamic, young midfield group; don't forget, Will Day didn't suit up these finals. The same can be said about forgotten key forward Mitch Lewis, who's played just one game since Round 3.
The Hawks are in the midst of a staggeringly expedited revival, and regardless of how the remaining four finals play out, Mitchell's side will enter next season with, at worst, the third-best premiership odds. And it will be totally justified.