Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams admits he has been far from his best in 2008, but insists there is a unity at the Power that will usher better results next year.

Williams reckons he has worked 10-20 per cent harder this year than he did in 2007.

The results of that extra effort are difficult to discern with one round remaining; the Power a disconsolate 14th on the AFL ladder.

"Yeah (I've) not been as good as last year, that would be true, the time spent in football and worrying about football has probably increased 10-20 per cent but the output and the results have certainly decreased probably 50 per cent or whatever it is," Williams said.

"So it's not necessarily the harder you work the better results you get, in coaching, it depends on a lot of factors, but there have been some positives.

"We've worked really well as a coaching group, there's been a real united feel about the group, which is fantastic for us.

"There's opportunities for people to be divisive and have their own agendas and maybe listen to outside influences, but that's been good and the ability to be able to help develop our new coaching group and also our younger players, that's been good.

"Coaching's a little bit of you put some time in and it all blossoms some time in the future."

Over the past few weeks Port have made the concession that their 119-point loss to Geelong in last year's grand final had left a greater mark on the club than any of the Alberton faithful had been prepared to admit.

Williams maintained that it was one of a range of factors in defeats, and had a psychological effect more delayed than immediate.

"We played Geelong first up and we lost by 120 points the first time (the grand final) and lost by only about 10 the second, so you think, gee, they're probably into it for the year," he said.

"My analysis would be those early games and maybe it was that game certainly, then we lost the second game easily, we came back, the Crows game we were a chance to win and maybe even the next game.

"There were some close calls where we didn't quite get over the line, and when you add that up to the disappointment at the end, maybe then it started to kick in."

Port Adelaide's last game of the year is against North Melbourne at the MCG where an upset Port victory would be a favour for crosstown rivals Adelaide in their effort to secure fourth spot.

The Power confirmed yet another senior staff member's departure after general manager of commercial operations Steve Olech handed in his notice.

Olech had been acting chief executive since the departure of former CEO John James.

Port have now lost their president, chief executive, finance officer, commercial operations manager and media manager this season, in addition to the departures of assistant coach Dean Bailey and fitness coach Darren Burgess before the season began.

Olech is to take up an Adelaide-based position with the DMG radio network.

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