Power want attacking edge for AFL finals

Port Adelaide will be hot favourites to make it six wins on the trot when they take on struggling Fremantle at Optus Stadium.

Port Adelaide want to up the ante in attack over the next seven weeks as they attempt become a formidable force come finals time.

Port Adelaide (11-4) are one of the form teams of the competition following five-straight AFL wins.

But the Power are far from satisfied, with assistant coach Nathan Bassett saying the team isn't playing a finals brand of football just yet.

Port Adelaide entered round 17 as the fourth best defensive side, but they are only ranked seventh in attack with an average of 86 points per game.

Premiership fancies Richmond (97.4), Collingwood (93.7), Melbourne (104), and West Coast (91.8) are among the teams averaging more than Port.

The Power will have the chance to give their percentage a much-needed boost when they take on struggling Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

Port's coaching staff want to see a better connection between the club's midfielders and forward line during the remaining seven weeks, as well as a better performance in contested ball.

"Right at the minute we're probably not playing the football that's going to win you finals, and we want to be able to play winning finals football," Bassett said.

"Our contest has been down a little bit, and we're not quite generating the score that we should.

"Defensively we've been reasonably sound this year.

"But there's quite a few teams now that are defensively very good. So it's (about) how we can score well against the best teams in the competition.

"We've had big inside 50 numbers the past two weeks without turning the scoreboard over like we would like."

The Dockers are ripe for the picking following two horror displays.

Fremantle copped a 55-point thumping from Brisbane in Perth two weeks ago, and lost to Melbourne by 54 points in Darwin last Saturday.

The Dockers lost the inside-50m count 78-28 against Melbourne.

And with star duo Aaron Sandilands (calf) and Nat Fyfe (hamstring) still sidelined, the Dockers look vulnerable.

Port Adelaide dropped former Demon Jack Trengove and Aidyn Johnson, while Tom Jonas is out after undergoing knee surgery.

Jack Hombsch, Karl Amon, and Sam Gray come into the side.

Fremantle recalled forward Cam McCarthy, Cam Sutcliffe, Ryan Nyhuis, and ruckman Scott Jones.

Michael Apeness and Shane Kersten were dropped, while Andrew Brayshaw (groin) and Darcy Tucker (rested) also go out.


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Power want attacking edge for AFL finals | SBS News