"STAND up boys, man up, and own up to it."

A severe Ken Hinkley served that honest appraisal of Port Adelaide's performance on Sunday night, saying the Power didn't "get up" for its eventual loss to West Coast at the Adelaide Oval.

Responding to Port's 1-4 post-Showdown record of the past three years, Hinkley said the Power's preparation for Round 6 was not up to scratch and that the players failed to "collectively get their own emotions into the state that they need to be in to play."

Good teams, like both West Australian sides now sitting atop the ladder, turn up to play every game consistently, irrespective of venue, opponent or preceding fixtures, he says.

"That's what good sides do, for mine, they're able to do that regardless of the opposition," Hinkley said after Sunday's game.

"They continually get it done and they'll have an off day here and there - that's what happens.

"Really good sides - and that's why they end up in the top half of the ladder - win the games they're supposed to win, they turn up and play the way they're supposed to play week in, week out, and they don't fluctuate."

Port Adelaide's battle with the Eagles saw it cough up a 17-point half time lead and dominant second quarter to eventually fall short by 10 points. 

It lacked spark and execution in the third quarter when West Coast reeled in the margin to overtake the Power at the final change, and lacked the polish going forward in another dominant fourth quarter to squander hopes of a win. 

Desperation wasn't in question in the final term, with the Power having nine more attacking entries than the Eagles, but the quality wasn't there.

"We steamrolled them," Hinkley said.

"19-to-10 with entries for the first time [in the final quarter], we've got the game played the way we'd like to have it played.

"We couldn't put that score on the scoreboard, but again, that's what you get - you can't rely on it happening when you want it to happen and you're going to pay a price.

"We paid the ultimate price tonight. We lost the game."

And despite winning the inside-50s in the final term, Hinkley didn't mince words when identifying where the game was lost on the stats sheet, and the field.

"In the third quarter when it mattered, it wasn't there in the third quarter," Hinkley said of the Power's inside-50s.

"17-6 against us - game over - and that's what should happen when you give up that many entries."

So where to now for Port Adelaide? It sits at an indifferent 3-3 ledger and in tenth place on the premiership table; games against Brisbane, Richmond and Melbourne ahead.

Top of the agenda at Alberton this week will be re-establishing the consistency of behaviour that Hinkley has preached the importance of every day for the past two-and-a-bit seasons.

"We've been able to get through to three-and-three with a bit of luck, and a bit of method at times, but we haven't had the consistency of behaviour that we'd like to see," Hinkley said.

"It's just a little bit of attention to detail, willingness to consistently turn up. 

"It's a hard ruthless game that we play in, and the boys haven't been able to back it up consistently enough over the journey."

"We've been pretty good, but we haven't consistently backed it up."