The Western Bulldogs were too tough, disciplined, desperate and efficient.

Port on the other had were pathetic.

With the stakes so high, they offered so little.

They knew what they were coming up against and they failed to rise to the challenge.

The worst part was it happened from the very first minute.

Well rested, playing on their home ground, only missing one player Mitch Georgiades from their best 22 and with the luxury of living in their home state free from the covid mayhem.

While their opposing the Western bulldogs have been on the road for weeks and jet setting around the country, having recently travelled to Tasmania, Brisbane, Perth then onto Adelaide while living in quarantine hubs.

Port fans deserved better.

But the players must take their share of the heat, it’s an indictment of the group of not coming to play when the stakes were so high.

You only get blown off the park at the start of the game when you aren’t mentally prepared for a ruthless finals contest.

As Senior coach, Ken Hinkley must also feel the heat, it’s his job to keep his players motivated and mentally on edge ready to perform in the biggest game of their careers.

They looked unprepared for what was coming.

Hinkley’s coaching tactics must also be questioned, why did run with midfielder Willem Drew start on the bench instead of alongside Bulldogs clearance king Tom Liberatore, a job he performed perfectly only a few weeks ago.

The Bulldogs are the best clearance team in the competition, and Libber is the linchpin averaging close to 8 clearances per game. 

The coaching clanger was obvious for all to see, before Drew entered the arena, Liberatore had already collected five disposals and had two scoring involvements.

Before you could blink the score was 5.1 goals to nil - game over.

Port Adelaide coaching department has been in public denial about their troublesome first quarters against the competitions best.

In four matches against 2021 grand finalists the Western Bulldogs (3 matches) and Melbourne (1 match), Port has lost every first quarter. 

Collectively the Demons and Bulldogs have kicked 20.6 goals in first quarters to the Powers miserly 6.7goals.

While a lot of the pre-game commentary was about the undermanned Dogs, the reality was they still possessed a proud and lethal midfield brigade.

They were so quick with the hands and feet in the contest and they denied Port the space they thrive in.

It was a coaching masterclass, Baily Smith pushed up the ground as high half forward, ripping Port apart with his gut running and link up chain play, while the Power chose to let him go and keep a defensive back 6.

It was at their peril, Smith kicked the first goal of the game and after the dogs had kicked their fifth major in a row, he led the disposal count with 6 possessions, 2 in50’s - he finished the game with 23 disposals, 6 inside 50’s and 4 goal best on ground performance.

He wasn't alone early on the Dogs lead the clearances 7-1, doubled Port in both uncontested and contested possessions and marks were 13-4, they couldn’t be slowed down.

Ports round 23 scrappy 2point win clearly diluted the coaches thinking, because at quarter time of the Round 9 loss to the Dogs the statistics mirror those on Friday night.

The Bulldogs dominance once again highlighted Port Adelaide’s forwards reluctance to lead at the kicker and dictate the forward play.

I have said for years, forward first lead must be at the kicker, it makes defenders more accountable and brings midfield runners in to the play with overlap play.

Ports key forwards always call for the ball long while stationary or want the balled kicked over the back into space running back towards goal. That only works when there is no pressure on the kicker – and always breads down in high pressure games like finals.

You needn’t look any further than the way Josh Schache played on All Australian star defender Aliir Aliir. He lead up hard at the kicker and demanded the ball be kicked to him marking the ball. This instantly made Aliir accountable and in-turn dragging him out of the dogs attacking 50 to intercept the ball.

It was a coaching masterclass by premiership mentor Luke Beveridge. After traveling the country with the attitude of we will play “anytime anywhere”, he also picked a fight with SA health about not being able to train on Adelaide oval the day before the game.

This re-enforced the message he was selling to his players and kept them on edge, “It’s us against the rest”.

Too tough, too ferocious, too desperate, and disciplined head the Grand Final.

While Port were ambushed, outcoached, soft and showed no fight when it mattered most.