Jimmy Bartel felt too many blunders early in the game gave Port Adelaide too much power to run away with the ball, making it difficult for the Cats to pick up the pieces before the final siren.
 
Bartel, who delivered 24 disposals, six inside-50s and one goal, says Port Adelaide’s defence force and high-pressure in the middle was one of the main causes for the dismantling.    
 
“We probably missed a lot of easy chances early on which could have set the game up differently - they pulled us apart really well, our forward structure, and they probably used the ball a lot better under pressure…” Bartel told Cats TV.
 
Although the new Adelaide Oval was on the smaller side, Bartel conceded that the size of the ground had nothing to do with their loss.

On the day of the game, he felt Port Adelaide took more risks and utilised the space to their advantage. 
 
“It’s not a very big Oval up the middle and they were probably a little bit braver with their ball use in the end,” Bartel said.
 
“Our skipper has said a number of times, I think it’s been a thing of Geelong, that we’ll play anywhere at anytime and that’s not an excuse, I just think they certainly played better.” 

Hear more from Jimmy Bartel after Sunday's game on Cats TV.  Just click on the video above to view.