PORT ADELAIDE senior coach Ken Hinkley has heaped praise on his midfield for responding strongly in last night’s Showdown XLVII victory.

Port kicked nine goals to one in the second half to run out 57-point winners, and Hinkley said it was on the back of a dominant showing in the midfield, led by co-captain Ollie Wines, five-time Showdown Medallist Robbie Gray and ball-magnet Tom Rockliff.

“The pressure was put on them and rightly so,” Hinkley said at his post-match press conference.

“They expect that pressure, led by Ollie I thought. They responded.

“Every week's like that, that's why we can win or lose. When our midfield is as strong as that, we get the territory game that we want.

"We get the battle we want, plus 18 in clearance was a significant event for them to do it, but they've got to continually do it.”

While Hinkley was pleased with his side’s important win against the Crows, he knows they must continue to deliver performances like that consistently, and said they are working incredibly hard on the track.

“They know what they're trying to achieve and they work really hard,” he said.

“We've trained incredibly well for a long period of this year and worked incredibly hard to become better as players and coaches.

“We have some ups and downs, we get it, no one gets more frustrated than the boys themselves.

“They want to play like that every week, they do their darndest and they get another opportunity next week.”

Asked about his side’s inconsistency over recent years, Hinkley was firm in his belief that the side they are assembling this year is vastly different to the Power sides of the past.

“This is a different group altogether,” he said.

“They're learning, they're going to be a better team at some point. There will be frustrations.”

With last night’s win, Port moved into seventh place on the ladder, and reduced the Showdown head-to-head record to 24-23 in Adelaide’s advantage.