PORT Adelaide is debunking the 'Bottom-10 Ken' myth.
A thrilling month of footy has seen the Power surge back into premiership contention, with a host of significant wins over fellow contenders proving that Ken Hinkley's side is a team to be feared in September.
This stretch of footy was headlined by Saturday night's remarkable 112-point win over the ladder-leading Sydney, though it was the culmination of a period where Port Adelaide has gone 5-1 to return to the top-four.
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A long-time criticism of Hinkley has been his inability to register wins over the competition's best teams. In his previous 11 seasons in charge of the Power, they had recorded positive win-loss differentials against top-eight sides only twice.
But his team has now beaten Fremantle, Geelong, the Western Bulldogs, Carlton and Sydney this season – five of the seven other sides in the top-eight – with Hinkley on track to make it three positive win-loss differentials later this year.
The 'Bottom 10 Ken' criticisms were never levelled at Hinkley more than after the side's dismal 79-point home defeat to Brisbane back in June, a loss that saw Port Adelaide drop to eighth on the ladder and 20 points behind Sydney.
But an emotional Hinkley guided the Power to a thrilling win over the Saints the very next week, a victory that has inspired his team to third spot on the ladder just one game behind the Swans as things stand.
Within that stretch there have been wins over the current seventh-placed Western Bulldogs, eighth-placed Carlton and first-placed Sydney, adding to victories over sixth-placed Fremantle and fifth-placed Geelong.
Port Adelaide has also beaten finals contenders Essendon and Hawthorn this year, with the club's 300-game great Kane Cornes praising the side's response on AFL.com.au's The Round So Far over the weekend.
"They've beaten some good sides this year," Cornes said.
"You can chuck Essendon in there, because Essendon looked like a better side than they are now. They've beaten Hawthorn, who are the hottest team in it right now. Their record really stacks up against the best in it.
"It's amazing that the Port Adelaide fans were booing him in round 16 against Brisbane. It's genuinely embarrassing, I feel embarrassed for those supporters who went there on that day and booed him and then turned up tonight and cheered. It's amazing.
"You know I'm a fan, but I think he's been pretty resilient. The next game against St Kilda, after Brisbane, he's almost in tears. It almost got the better of him. As his players always do, they don't give up on him.
"I don't know what the future holds, but it's amazing that they've maintained touch and they're still a chance to finish top-four."
Hinkley and Port Adelaide's resurgence continued a trend of under-pressure coaches turning their side's fortunes around this season with Sam Mitchell, Luke Beveridge and Chris Fagan also guiding their teams to the cusp of September.
Mitchell's Hawks had been 1-6, Beveridge's Dogs had been 3-5, while Fagan's Lions had been 2-5, though all three teams are now currently among the most in-form outfits within the competition.
"It's just one of those bizarre, crazy seasons," Cornes said.
"The fittest team, the team with the smallest injury list, and those that are playing the best at this time of the year, they're going to be the ones that are right up there."
