Port Adelaide defender Ryan Burton has conceded it’s hard to play against teammates after the Power’s intraclub game received internal criticism.
The club’s players hit the track on Friday evening for a final scratch match against themselves before pre-season games start this week. Following the hit-out, defensive coach Chad Cornes called out the game as “scrappy” and said the effort wasn’t reflective of the team’s training standards.
“There wasn’t a lot to love about it, a typical internal I guess,” he said.
“The boys have been having those kind of hit-outs pretty much since we got back from Christmas break so whether there is a bit of internal trial fatigue.
“There were some good signs from some players but all in all it was a bit scrappy, it wasn’t the way we have trained over the last month or so.
“It might be a good one to move on from and good thing no real injury apart from Charlie’s (Dixon) little niggle but apart from that no injuries and we move onto next week.”
Dixon suffered a knock to the ribs that isn’t likely to cost him any footy.
The black guernsey team featured most of the Power’s likely best 22 and the side defeated the white guernseys by 27 points. Cornes again called out his senior midfielders.
“I thought the white mids dominated the black mids and their hunt and desperation was better than the black mids,” he added.
But Burton, entering his fourth campaign with Port Adelaide in 2023, saw the game a different way.
“When you play yourself it’s hard because they (teammates) know exactly what you want to do and you know exactly what they want to do,” he explained to SEN SA’s The Run Home.
“Playing against your mates, it's a little bit different. But I didn’t think it was too bad.
“I thought it was a good hit out. We got no injuries, we had four 25 minutes quarters, so I think it was a good hit out and now we get to play against a real opposition this week.”
He also suggested the wind was a factor, saying: “I hit a few kicks that I thought were going to be pretty good but they just kept going to the left and running out of bounds.”
The Power started last year 0-5 in a run that famously ended the club’s top eight chances early in the season.
But Burton – who hasn’t missed a game in the last two seasons – said the club has backed in the same processes.
“I haven’t noticed too much different. Every team says they go to a new level every pre-season and we’ve felt that,” the 26-year-old said.
“Personally, I feel as fit as I’ve been, and the team looks really good at the moment. We’ve tinkered a few things with the game plan and the boys are fit and firing, so it’ll be good to see exactly how the new implements come along this Friday.”
The Power will fly to Perth this week to face West Coast on Friday night at Mineral Resources Park in both club’s first pre-season clash.