It's a dirty word in this country.
A nation with a proud history of non-negotiable effort, particularly with regards to sporting endeavours, looks down its nose at tanking.
But there's no denying that losing is incentivised in the AFL, as poor ladder position should, in theory, directly correlate with a higher selection in what was once the game's ultimate equalisation measure, the National Draft.
The Port Adelaide Power are currently enjoying the best of both worlds.
If the season were to end today, with the Josh Carr's side residing in the bottom four, they'd seamlessly draft their club-tied projected number one pick, in Dougie Cochrane, given the strong hand they'd be dealt for such a poor finish.
Cochrane shapes as a critical cog in the club's future, particularly if, as is now predicted, the club's heart and soul in Zak Butters heads for the exits.
Cochrane is one of many club-tied prospects that the Power will draft with relative ease in coming years, should lowly ladder finishes become the norm. Father-son prospects Louis Salopek and Tevita Rodan, along with Next Generation Academy member Zemes Pilot, are eyeing teal guernseys, come the 2027 Draft.
The Power are positioning themselves nicely to make all of these acquisitions happen, in spite of the semi-recent changes to the process, with their frequent losses.
However, the manner in which the losses are coming still breeds optimism that they're on the right path.
Sure, it's heartbreaking to lose as many close ones as they have this season, but I'm sure the infamously level-headed Alberton natives are warmed by the knowledge that so much talent will grace their club's doorstep in the coming years.
To be 15th on the ladder, with just four wins from 13 outings, is less than ideal from a strictly-this-season perspective. However, boasting an incredibly healthy percentage of 101 per cent, despite all those losses, paints a picture of just how competitive this maligned side has been.
Following their most recent three-point loss to the rampaging Swans on Saturday night, this Power side are just the third in the V/AFL's extensive history to lose five or more games by three points or less in a given season, and they have 10 games to play. Astonishing, really.
Teams to have lost five games by 3pts or less in the same season:
2026 Port Adelaide
1950 Western Bulldogs
1931 Hawthorn @abcsport— Ben Cameron (@BenCameron23) June 13, 2026
Losing admirably while still jostling for the requisite positioning that allows your draft plans to come to fruition is just about the perfect way a club could go about tanking. You keep your members onside, you keep those inside AFL House happy, and you build for the future, while showing your current crop enough reasons to stay the course, Butters a likely exception.
More than that, the sporting public doesn't view the club as an affront the values it holds so dearly, and the standards of integrity it imposes.
