Next month to test Power’s mettle

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HIGH-FLYING Port Adelaide is treating the next month as a legitimate test of where it is at as a football club.

Hamish Hartlett at the Torrens Parade Grounds ahead of this weekend's Anzac round. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: News Corp Australia

While former Essendon star Matthew Lloyd has labelled the Power as the third best team in the competition behind premier Hawthorn and perennial powerhouse Geelong, Port midfielder Hamish Hartlett says the next month will say a lot about the team and whether it is a premiership contender.

The Power, sitting pretty in second place with a 4-1 record, plays the top-of-the-table Cats in Sunday's Anzac round clash at Adelaide Oval before meeting the struggling Giants away and then hosting grand finalist Fremantle and the Hawks.

"In the next month those questions (about how good Port is) will be answered,'' Hartlett said.

"The next four games will be a huge test for us. To be a football club that gets to the top you need to compete against these teams and beat these teams, so the guys are really looking forward to it.''

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Hartlett said the players were not frightened of the draw which awaits them and had embraced it.

"We are very keen to prove that we are a good team,'' he said.

"We want to be a side that everyone respects immensely. We want teams to think that when they play against us they are going to be have a very, very tough day at the office.

"We have been building towards that over the past year and the next three-to-four games in particular will really show where we are against the great teams of the competition — whether we are in that bracket or whether we are a way off.

"In a month's time we'll be able to give you a more definite answer.''

Port has lost its past 10 games to Geelong but Hartlett believes that will count for little when the two clubs meet on Sunday in what he claims will be a "war of attrition''.

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"The pressure will be very high, like last week (against West Coast), and an ability to maintain that for four quarters will be huge,'' he said.

"The game will be pretty heavily built up during the week and I know our guys are really looking forward to the challenge.

"Not too many people would have expected us to be second on the ladder at this stage of the season but we'll just prepare well, like we did last week.

"Come Sunday afternoon we'll know what we need to do (to win).''

Robbie Gray (right) and Matt White at training yesterday. Source: News Corp Australia

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