“This profile is real”: What the Power are doing to become serious contenders… but what they lose without Houston

Port Adelaide are somewhat flying under the radar when the conversation centres around premiership contenders.

Despite sitting second on the ladder and with a top four spot locked away, there remain some doubts from outside circles when it comes to assessing Ken Hinkley’s Power.

But it must be said that they have strung five wins together and in that time have scored 476 points at 95 per game while conceding 285 points at an average of 57.

Champion Data’s Daniel Hoyne says Port’s “profile is real”, outlining the areas where the Power are excelling as they strive to secure a position on the top two with a win over Fremantle on Sunday.

He suggests they should be taken very seriously.

“I want to give Port Adelaide a bit of love for what they’re doing defensively which we weren’t able to say at any stage last year,” Hoyne said on SEN’s Sportsday.

“Over the last six weeks they’ve got the second best D50 in the competition. I keep talking about how much better I think it looks without Esava Ratugolea down there. They look a bit more mobile behind the footy.

“They’re number one for points against, their clearance game is up and going, their pressure game is the best in the competition and their ball movement both offensively and defensively is top six.

“This profile is real and it’s probably the most real that it’s been since 2020 to 21.”

It’s not all beer and skittles for the Power, however.

One of their most important players in Dan Houston will miss the remainder of the season after being suspended for five games for a bump on Adelaide’s Izak Rankine in the weekend’s Showdown triumph.

While the Power will challenge the lengthy ban, it is expected that Houston will still miss a large chunk of the finals, if not all, meaning Hinkley will be without his main architect out of defence.

“What is this going to do for the number one corridor team in the competition? That is how they play,” Hoyne added.

“This bloke (Houston) is the third highest rated player in the comp off our 100X ratings system. He has the number one kick rating in the competition.

“When he goes short he’s the third best kick in the competition, when he goes long he’s the fourth best kick in the competition. He gets you both ways.

“Exiting D50 he’s the second best kick in the competition. How do you replace that?”

Port 300-gamer Kane Cornes admits Houston’s will lead to a significant downgrade in his position.

“Ryan Burton goes back and he is the Ritz version of the Jatz (cracker) which is Dan Houston,” Cornes said.

“Burton at his best is very good. Burton at his worst is horrible. Which Ryan Burton are you going to get? Who knows, but it’s not going to be Dan Houston.”

Hoyne asked Cornes if he is at all worried for the Power as they get set to embark on a finals campaign.

He believes some deficiencies remain despite their run of winning form.

“I’ve kind of always been worried about them,” Cornes added.

“I look at their forward line and think that (Charlie) Dixon is on one leg, Esava is providing a contest but can’t accurately kick a set shot, they’re heavily reliant on Willie Rioli and what sort of version you get from him. He’s excellent when he’s at his best but can go largely missing.

“Then you’ve got (Brandon) Zerk-Thatcher who I’m not sold on across half-back.

“But I did see them play extraordinary football against Sydney. The game against the Western Bulldogs was really good, the second half against Carlton was amazing, I thought they definitely did enough against Adelaide.

“I think their midfield is extraordinary. If they go deep, it will be as a result of what is probably the deepest midfield in it right now.”

Port must defeat Freo in Perth on the final home and away fixture of the season on Sunday evening in order to finish second and secure a home final.

Listen to Full On Footy analysis with Hoyne below: