Kane Cornes didn’t like what he noticed from his former facet on Saturday evening and has delivered a scathing evaluation of their qualifying remaining efficiency.
Port Adelaide had been comprehensively blown off the park on the Gabba in opposition to the Brisbane Lions in what was the largest defeat within the opening week of the finals collection.
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After ending third on the ladder, many believed the Power may do what no different had carried out in 2023 and report a win on the Gabba.
But the Lions confirmed why they’re a real premiership contender as they ran away with the competition within the second half.
Cornes stated the stress of the ultimate seemed to be displaying on the Port gamers as they butchered a number of key probabilities in entrance of aim.
“I thought it was men against boys sort of stuff last night,” he advised Nine’s AFL Sunday Footy Show.
“Thirteen goals from stoppage they kicked, Brisbane, and that had been Port Adelaide’s strength.
“What also hurt Port Adelaide early were these misses.
“This is the thing about finals, some players can cope with it, others can’t. You could see almost the blood draining from their faces when they were missing.
“This probably doesn’t happen in a home-and-away game. They weren’t able to cope with that pressure in front of goal.
“The routine deserted them and to miss by that far in a big game like that is a real concern.”
North Melbourne nice David King echoed the feedback of Cornes, blasting the Power for his or her paltry displaying in a giant remaining.
“I think they’ve had a horror week. The build-up to this game was poor and they played accordingly,” King advised Fox Footy’s First Crack.
“It’s the falsest finals profile I’ve seen for a top-four team for a long time. And this is not a one-week discussion. It’s not a tonight discussion. It’s about as fake as a $3 note.
“They don’t defend. They can’t defend their D50 [defensive 50] at all. Until you get that right, you are not a premiership contender. I don’t care where you finish on the table.”
The Power will now return to Adelaide the place they’ll welcome the GWS Giants for a semi-final showdown on Saturday evening.
The Giants will enter the conflict stuffed with confidence after producing a barnstorming show in opposition to St Kilda on Saturday.
After their horror displaying in opposition to the Lions, Cornes believes a straight units exit from the finals collection may very well be on the playing cards for the Power.
“If (Jason) Horne-Francis, (Connor) Rozee and (Zak) Butters don’t fire, then that’s all they’ve really got at the moment,” he stated.
“They’re a bit banged up … They look a bit wounded and the Giants would feel like Port Adelaide is a bit vulnerable next week.”
AFL Finals Week 2 schedule
Semi-Final 1: Melbourne vs Carlton, Friday September 15, 7:50pm (AEST) on the MCG.
Semi-Final 2: Port Adelaide vs GWS Giants, Saturday September 16, 7:40pm (AEST) at Adelaide Oval.
Source: www.news.com.au
