Former St Kilda coach Scott Watters believes the Eagles have a structural issue with their heavily hyped midfield.
The group already included stars Nic Naitanui, Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff and Elliot Yeo and added Tim Kelly from Geelong.
It was just assumed they would be one of the dominant midfield groups this season, but they have been beaten in successive weeks by the Suns and Lions.
Watters feels they’re missing a player capable of winning their own ball on the inside of stoppages.
“I don’t think they were ever the best midfield. I think Collingwood has got them covered and they’re starting to show that because it’s the balance of the midfield that is the question,” Watters told Footy SA & WA.
“If you look through Andrew Gaff, Luke Shuey, Tim Kelly, Jack Redden – where is the inside competitive beast at this football club?
“It’s a gap that they’ve had even when they were winning premierships and still had that gap.
“They had Mark Hutchings who could play a defensive tagging role, which was an underrated role.
“Elliot Yeo has been able to fill that role at different times, but right now you’ve got your ruckman Nic Naitanui who had nine clearances.
“That’s an indictment on his midfield. Shuey was the next best at six. There’s not a player in there that’s hunting the ball like a Nathan Fyfe does or a Dustin Martin or a Trent Cotchin does.
“They don’t have that player so it’s a mental issue (being on the Gold Coast), but it’s a structural issue for the club and it is a tough one for Adam Simpson to fix.”
Port Adelaide’s midfield has been in red-hot form since the season resumption, with Travis Boak and Ollie Wines among the AFLCA votes for Round 3.
West Coast will be hoping they can get back on track when they take on the Power this weekend.