For Ken Hinkley, winning ugly is a most beautiful thing.
The Port Adelaide coach hailed his side’s scrappy nine-point AFL win against Brisbane on Sunday – it wasn’t pretty and, for Hinkley, that is the beauty of it.
“Sometimes you have got to find a way to win – and we found a way to win,” he said.
Port sprayed shots at goal – they kicked 9.17 (71) to Brisbane’s 9.8 (62).
Port also gifted scores to the Lions with some basic skill errors.
But for a coach who preaches defence first, Hinkley couldn’t be happier.
“As much as we wasted some opportunities, we were able to keep Brisbane to a score that allowed us to still win,” he said.
“That was why we won: we defended well.
“We gave them a couple of goals from our skill, we turned the ball over.
“But we controlled them pretty well defensively. And in a game when you don’t convert the way you’d like too, that is why you are going to be able to hang on and win a game.”
Port reclaimed eighth spot with the vital victory – their 10th win in a season destined to take the club back to the finals for the first time since 2007.
But Hinkley refused to consider what looms ahead, nor was he prepared to look behind at Port’s recent troubles.
“I like to control what I can control, and that is now,” he said.
But he did make one concession: “Port Adelaide people, they’re starting to believe again,” he said.
“Today, they will go away and think ‘gee, it wasn’t a great game of footy’. But I’m sure they’ll go away pretty proud of the effort of the boys too.”