Injuries and late withdrawals saw a very different Magpies line up to the one that defeated the Crows last week front the Panthers at Noarlunga on Saturday.
Injury to Tom Clurey and an ill John Butcher caused significant changes to the Magpies' structure leading into the game.
Darcy-Byrne Jones was also a forced withdrawal in the pre-game warmup, leading the Port Adelaide principal to call Zac Hawkins into the side after playing in the Academy match just minutes earlier.
But Hocking was critical the lack of desire displayed by his 21 players for the first three quarters.
"If we played with the intensity we played with in the last quarter we probably would've gone home smiling," Hocking said.
"We were a bit lazy in our pressure and our ability to get up in their face and they [South] took advantage of that.
"[The margin] was 17 points at quarter time and then they got out to bit of a lead of 34 points at three-quarter time, so losing by under three goals isn't too bad.
"We sort of started to play the way they played early and they played a bit like we did late.
"We were getting closer and closer and our boys were getting a sniff, but they were able to squeeze a few goals in and a few things didn't go our way in the end."
South's ability to run out of defence and restrict the Magpies' free-running game was cited by Hocking as crucial to the final result.
"Full credit to South, their finals aspirations were up for grabs and they were able to cement the opportunity to stay inside the five and Nick Murphy's 100th game so they had a a lot to play for," said Hocking.
"They were very good defensively and they knew how we like to play with quick movement and they were able to force us to kick a little bit longer than we would like to and they held the ball a fair bit and owned the footy in the second quarter.
"[Brad] Gotch has done a really good job with these guys in regards to their footy smarts and that's why they are probably top five now."
In a small positive for Port Adelaide, Jake Neade - one of the Magpies' most consistent throughout the game - continued to press for AFL selection with an impressive three-goal performance.
"He (Neade) is a dynamic player and an impact player," Hocking said.
"He is a great player one-on-one and very classy and is tough for the opposition to handle at ground level.
"He has been really good for the past four to six weeks and is really close to knocking on the door for an opportunity at AFL level."
