Slow start gives way to onslaught

Carlton's Marc Murphy tries to slow down Power skipper Travis Boak. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Getty Images

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley isn't concerned by his side's poor start in their win over Carlton, despite it being a recurring theme from last season.

Fox Footy crew review Carlton's break down in the 4th quarter of their round one clash with Port Adelaide

PORT Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has added to his AFL team's "never give up" mantra this season: "We will turn up."

If he could get his Power players to turn up 30 minutes earlier ....

The Power's dominant big man Justin Westhoff is tackled by Carlton's Jarrad Waite. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Getty Images

Port's slow starts - a carry over from last season and the pre-season - continued as the new campaign opened last night with a strong-closing 34-point win against Carlton at Etihad Stadium. As concerning as the poor starts are, the Power's big finish with a seven-goal last term reaffirms fitness coach Darren Burgess has built the AFL's strongest-finishing team, and reassures Hinkley his players are mentally sound to not give up.

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So why do they start so poorly?

The one Port player who meets the full script of turning up and never giving up is key forward Justin Westhoff. A stand-out during the Power's five-game winning streak at the start of last season, Westhoff last night was exceptional - first as a defender and then as a beacon in attack where he took four contested marks and kicked four goals in the second term.

Bryce Gibbs and Angus Monfries battling for possession. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Getty Images

After giving up four goals and a 22-point lead to Carlton in the first half-hour, the Power players did live up to Hinkley's promise of never giving up.

They turned up for six minutes at the start of the second term. They blitzed the goalsquare with three goals. And the margin was back to four points after the third goal was scored by key forward Jay Schulz, whose trademark leap in the goalsquare has again offered an early contender for the AFL mark of the year.

Hamish Hartlett of the Power spins out of an attempted tackled by Carlton's Kade Simpson. Picture: Michael Dodge Source: Getty Images

As quickly as the Power responded, they also disappeared again. The Blues counter-punched with their own scoring rush of four unanswered goals that pushed the margin to 24 while underlining how costly turnovers are when Port players chose bad options or were poor with their skills. Carlton's scoring surge was started when defender Jasper Pittard opted to pass from half-back to the centre circle where team-mate Kane Cornes was surrounded by three Blues opponents - and was inevitably swamped for a turnover that set up Bryce Gibbs for a running shot on goal.

Hinkley's explanation of the poor starts on a slack mindset from his players is easy to translate from the scoreboard, the statistic sheets and even the video snaps that showed the Carlton players hunt the ball with greater intensity, move the ball with greater speed and swamp their opponents with suffocating pressure.

The numbers simply did not lie as they again exposed Port for falling short in contested football and efficiency.

But the Port players do not give up - and they have an extraordinary fitness base that allows for far more encouraging finishes than starts. There are two Port Adelaides ... and the one Hinkley likes needs to turn up earlier if the Power is to keep its top-eight ranking this year.

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