Geelong defender Harry Taylor says the Cats must iron out the inconsistencies in their game if they are to prevail against Port Adelaide on Friday night.

Like the Power, Geelong have a 5-5 win-loss record and Taylor admitted his side is still coming to grips with aspects of their style approaching the middle point of the season.

“We’re a bit up and down at the moment, we’re a bit hot and cold and it’s important that we start to nail the things that we really value and play more consistent footy,” Taylor said from Melbourne Airport on Thursday.

“In the past at this stage of the year you’d generally have a fair idea (where the team is at) but this year I’m finding it more difficult to know where we sit and where other teams fit in the scheme of things as well.

“(But) we just need to make sure that our pressure is good, we need to make sure that we use the ball well – all the very simple things, the mundane things about football – we just need to do really well if we’re going to win the game.”

The Adelaide Oval encounter is an important opportunity for the 10th-placed Cats to leapfrog ninth-placed Port as they build towards the back half of the season.

But Chris Scott’s side hasn’t travelled well in recent times having won just two of their past eight games outside Victoria.

Taylor admitted his teammates in the back half were disappointed to have conceded over 100 points on four occasions this season and must lift against an improving Power attack.

“They tend to play on at most opportunities, they move the ball really quick,” he said of Port’s forward line.

“They’ve also got some great players in Robbie Gray and Chad Wingard, who stand out for me purely because I got to play with them in the International Rule series.

“They’re very quiet sort of guys but they can light it up when they get on the footy field. “It’s very important that we limit the amount of ball that comes inside 50 because those guys are very dangerous.”