PORT Adelaide captain Travis Boak admits this is his most challenging season as skipper of the Power since taking on the top job in 2013.
The Power will miss the finals for the second straight year, but will be aiming to lift for Saturday night's Showdown with cross-town rivals Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
Nothing has gone right for the 11th-placed Power this season – starting with the ASADA suspensions of former Essendon duo Patrick Ryder and Angus Monfries, injuries to key personnel and basic skill errors in crucial games.
"It probably has been (my most challenging season), and we've been challenged a lot, and that's what happens when you're losing games of footy," Boak said.
"Your whole club gets challenged, your leadership group gets challenged, all coaches get challenged and that's the reality of footy and that's what I've faced this year as a captain and what we've faced this year as a club.
"The only way forward is to stay positive, stay together and to improve.
"You certainly don't want to be in this position where you miss finals again and not playing the footy you want to, but we see it as a challenge to get better again."
There's a threadbare look to the Power line-up for the final two games of the season.
Star forward Chad Wingard (hamstring) joins a casualty ward that includes Hamish Hartlett, Tom Jonas, Jack Hombsch, Matt White and Alipate Carlile.
Gold Coast recruit Charlie Dixon could also be put on ice to recover from an ankle injury that has limited his impact.
"It's not about who's out of the side, it's more about who comes in and how we want to play," Boak said.
"We've spoken about that a lot. The last couple of weeks it hasn't been there in terms of who's in the side, it's more about how we've played our footy.
"That's what we really need to focus on.
"The guys who come in need to compete the way we need to."
Boak said there were still plenty of positives the Power could take into next year.
"I don't think any year is wasted if you learn from what goes on," he said.
"That's what we've got to take out of what's gone on this year.
"It's frustrating that we're not playing finals and we haven't performed the way we want to, but if we're going to get better as a club we've got to continue to learn from these things."
