Port Adelaide midfielder Tom Rockliff has credited a spray from coach Ken Hinkley for the club’s dominant second half in the Qualifying Final win over Geelong.
The game was even on the scoreboard at half-time thanks mostly to the Cats’ inaccuracy in front of goal.
However, the third quarter was all Port, kicking three goals and locking the ball in their forward half.
Geelong’s only goal came from an incredible Patrick Dangerfield play, beating multiple Power defenders in the middle of the ground and running into an open goal.
Rockliff said they played close to the “perfect” quarter of footy.
“I think every team had a mulligan at some stage and ours was against (Geelong) so we knew that we had to go to school on what they did that night and what we did and I think we executed it pretty well,” Rockliff told SEN Breakfast.
“I think Geelong played some really good footy in that first half, all night really, but they were definitely on top in that first half.
“Then in that third quarter Kenny (Hinkley) came down and told the midfielders we needed a little lift and we got our fair bake at half-time and I think we turned it around and played front-half footy.
“I think at one stage (in the third quarter) we were at 85 per cent in our front half. We almost played the perfect quarter of finals footy, bar that one goal that Dangerfield got through that we feel like probably should have been stopped at half back.”
Rockliff was dropped earlier in the year by the Power, but has been in strong form since returning to the side.
The former Brisbane captain says he is playing with a desperation to keep his spot in the team.
“(I was) obviously disappointed, you always want to play senior footy. I had a quiet game against Brisbane and Ryan Burton was coming back into the team and we wanted to play Dan Houston in the midfield at that stage as well so I knew I was in a bit of strife,” Rockliff said.
“I just had to go back and show him how hungry I was and I think I did that. It was obviously challenging because we didn’t have a reserves competition to go back and perform in.
“We played a 15 on 15 against the Crows and I felt like I played pretty well and I knew when I got my opportunity to come back in I just had to grab it.
“We played Melbourne and for me it was just making sure I set up the stoppage the right way and I think that’s a strength of mine, I see the game reasonably well and I can help others out in that and also play that defensive type mid for us that just gets a hand in or gets a tackle and try to get the ball to bobble around so we can get it to the outside.
“That’s my game in a nutshell, it’s inside the contest and making sure I feed it to the outside runners and get them involved. It’s never going to be me streaming down the wing taking three or four bounces.
“I’ve just got to make sure my game is where it needs to be. At AFL level there’s so much pressure you’ve got to be one-touch and for a little period I wasn’t that.
“I wasn’t taking the ball as cleanly as I would have liked and so I made that a focus since I came back in to make that a strength of mine.”
Port Adelaide will take on the winner of St Kilda and Richmond’s Semi Final in the third week of finals.