Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley says his side have to stay grounded after picking up their first victory of the season with an emphatic 84-point win over the West Coast Eagles on Saturday.
The Power still hold out hope to go on and make the eight this season and they can take plenty of heart from the victory over the Eagles.
Much-needed lift
After losing their opening five games of the season, the worst start to a season in the club’s history, Port were in need of a boost and got just that.
However next up they face high-flying St Kilda and last season’s runners-up the Western Bulldogs, so Hinkley is keen for his players to keep focused.
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"We just need to continue to work and stay in the moment," Hinkley told reporters after the game.
"We can't get distracted. We haven't been distracted even though we've had a few opportunities to get distracted by what's going on.
“We have just got to stay in the moment and stay focused on how we can continually turn up and improve ourselves as players and coaches and staff and we'll be OK.”
St Kilda challenge
Hinkley insists he has always kept faith in his group during the tough start to the season and is backing them to build on the win over West Coast.
"I'm confident in the group, I've said that all the way through. There will be challenges, there always will be but we will stick to task and we will keep our focus on now and we won't get too far away from that,” he added. "So yes, we can look forward to the challenge next week (St Kilda). It's a pretty big challenge.”
