SEASON 2015 has been a learning curve for Port Adelaide rather than a failure, according to defender Jackson Trengove.
After a narrow loss to eventual premier Hawthorn in last year's preliminary final and the arrival of Patrick Ryder, the Power were widely tipped to play off in this year's Grand Final.
Instead, Port has won just seven of its first 16 games to sit 11th on the ladder and on the verge of falling from finals contention.
Although the club has won its past two out of three games, Port Adelaide has struggled to find any sort of consistency amid injuries to key players, including a serious stress fracture that has restricted key mover Jared Polec to just five games.
Last week Ken Hinkley said the side's poor results this year highlighted the need to remain strong for four quarters.
Trengove also believed the year had been an opportunity for the playing group to learn hard but valuable lessons.
"A 'letdown'? I'd say no, I think the season's still got a lot for us," he said.
"Our team's going through a rough patch but we will come out of it and we will be better for it.
"We've gone back from previous years; we've got to try and work through form slumps, work through things not going our way, work through opposition trying to take away the way we want to play.
"Going forward we've learned a lot from this year and I think it's only going to make us a better team."
Port remains a mathematical chance to make the top eight, but would have to win almost each of its remaining six games to do so – starting with St Kilda on Sunday at Adelaide Oval.
• Forecast this season's final standings with the AFL Ladder Predictor
The Saints enjoyed a solid win over Melbourne last weekend with No.1 draft pick Paddy McCartin taking nine marks and booting a goal in his best senior game.
In conjunction with skipper Nick Riewoldt, McCartin could pose serious problems for Trengove and the Power's defence, which will be without Alipate Carlile and possibly Jasper Pittard.
"Nick Riewoldt's been a superstar of the game for a ridiculous [number] of games and just his work rate ... we're going to have our work cut out," Trengove said.
"We've got a bit of a younger group down back at the moment but it's a good challenge for our whole team to defend as one."
Trengove said the playing group was nearing an elusive four-quarter performance, having strung together two consecutive wins.
He believed the club's team defence had been a key ingredient missing this season, leading to players thinking too much about their own games rather than what was best for the team as a whole.
