Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams defended his team's over-physical approach against Geelong on Sunday saying 'you can't play nice against Geelong'.

The match was marred by numerous off-the-ball scuffles as Cats players appeared to be continually dealt with after kicking the ball or behind play but Port's tactics had little impact on the game as the Cats enjoyed 33 free kicks to 23 and romped to a 59-point win.

While Geelong coach Mark Thompson was hardly surprised by Port's tactics - only admitting that it may not have gone on as long had the umpires asserted their authority more quickly on Sunday - Williams said his team had been determined to make a stand against the club that inflicted a record 119-point hiding on them in last year's grand final.

"Your discipline is always questioned when you lose like that," Williams admitted after the game.

"But generally they (his players) attacked hard at the ball."

"You can't play nice against Geelong, no doubt about it."

"Our people back in Adelaide, while disappointed with the result, would like to see our players making physical contact no doubt."

When asked if his team went too far, Williams admitted that Geelong 'certainly got a lot of free kicks, didn't they'.

"But I'm sure our supporters would rather them play that way than stand off and not play physical," he added.

Port's record for the season has now slumped to an unflattering four wins and eight losses - leaving last year's beaten grand finalists two games adrift of the top eight with just 10 rounds remaining.

And Williams has no doubt why his side is struggling to match last year's heroics given the diminishing output this season of the team's best players.

"If you look at our best players from last year - Chad (Cornes) and Peter and Shaun (Burgoyne) haven't delivered from what they did last year and (Brendon) Lade is not showing what he did last year."

"So if you're best players aren't delivering then it makes it difficult for the younger ones, who are very much in development mode."