Sturt v Port Review

[JK]

Final Score
Sturt 10.15.75
Port 14.10.94

Goal Kickers
Sturt: Chambers 5, Giles, McIntyre, Cubillo, Vassal, Johncock ea 1
Port: Rose 3, Miller, Cloke ea 2, Dolling, Madden, Clayton, Kirkwood, Biacsi, Summerton, Carr ea 1

Best Players
Sturt: Crane, Sheedy, Thurstans, Chambers.
Port: Meiklejohn, Summerton, Clayton, Biacsi, Rose, Carr

QxQ
Sturt 2.5 | 4.9 | 8.15 | 10.15 (75)
Port 2.2 | 10.5 | 13.7 | 14.10 (94)

Reserves
Sturt 14.13.97
Port 15.6.96

U/18's
Sturt 9.3.57
Port 14.13.97

Crowd
3544

[Tassie Blues]

oh well September is going to be very busy for me anyway as i will become a Dad for the first time and dont need the added stress of either Sturt or the crows playing finals football

[Macca19]

Go you maggies!!!

[hereselmo1]

You bloody beauty, get up Magpies!

[Voice]

Season finished as far as I'm concerned. That was pathetic, lazy, indecisive crap.
Sorry if that sounds like I'm giving Port no credit for the win as they played very well.
Good to hear the Port supporters making some noise also as our supporters were as flat as our team.

[csbowes]

First up... congratulations to the Magpies. I don't begrudge them the win. They aren't overly talented as a side, but they really put in some hard work and hung on in the end for a much deserved victory. As for Sturt... RUBBISH... RUBBISH... RUBBISSH.

In very simple terms, they're just crap as a team and their position on the table is a fair reflection of where they are as a club. I've kept hoping that they'll eventually click and start winning games like last year, but after 8 games, I think its pretty obvious that the team just doesn't know how to play as a "team" anymore and I think we can pretty much forget about having any impact this year.

What disappoints me more than Sturt falling apart this season, is the fact that I'm really down to hoping Glenelg will do something to stop Centrals, as at the moment, the whole league is just coughing up another flag to them without even a whimper. We, as in the other 8 clubs, are just not dishing up anything competitive to stop the Dogs.

The league, as it is, is taking a step closer, each year, towards becoming a pointless league.

No one can blame Centrals, they're just fantastic, but geez, how pathetic are the rest of us...

[FlyingHigh]

What disappoints me more than Sturt falling apart this season, is the fact that I'm really down to hoping Glenelg will do something to stop Centrals, as at the moment, the whole league is just coughing up another flag to them without even a whimper. We, as in the other 8 clubs, are just not dishing up anything competitive to stop the Dogs.

The league, as it is, is taking a step closer, each year, towards becoming a pointless league.

No one can blame Centrals, they're just fantastic, but geez, how pathetic are the rest of us...

Or we could be like the AFL, and Centrals would have three flags in four years and not played in a GF for five years, whilst South would be favourites this year.

[csbowes]

What disappoints me more than Sturt falling apart this season, is the fact that I'm really down to hoping Glenelg will do something to stop Centrals, as at the moment, the whole league is just coughing up another flag to them without even a whimper. We, as in the other 8 clubs, are just not dishing up anything competitive to stop the Dogs.

The league, as it is, is taking a step closer, each year, towards becoming a pointless league.

No one can blame Centrals, they're just fantastic, but geez, how pathetic are the rest of us...

Or we could be like the AFL, and Centrals would have three flags in four years and not played in a GF for five years, whilst South would be favourites this year.

I'd be happy with that... one team winning all the time is a sign the competition is not right. From a purely business perspective, having multiple teams fight it out and share the spoils is better for the ongoing viability of the league.

No one can say that if Centrals wins 8 of the next 10 flags again, that this league isn't dead. I don't think that will happen, but certainly my club and others, really need to start getting some runs on the board.

Just look at the last ten years, you've had Torrens constantly try and fail with the one exception, Sturt constantly try and fail with the one exception, everyone else just miserably fail year in, year out.

Its hardly been a ringing endorsement...

The last ten years, would have been much better for the league, had Centrals won say 4 flags, Torrens 3 flags, Sturt 1, Glenelg 1 and someone else one... lets say South!

[whufc]

What disappoints me more than Sturt falling apart this season, is the fact that I'm really down to hoping Glenelg will do something to stop Centrals, as at the moment, the whole league is just coughing up another flag to them without even a whimper. We, as in the other 8 clubs, are just not dishing up anything competitive to stop the Dogs.

The league, as it is, is taking a step closer, each year, towards becoming a pointless league.

No one can blame Centrals, they're just fantastic, but geez, how pathetic are the rest of us...

Or we could be like the AFL, and Centrals would have three flags in four years and not played in a GF for five years, whilst South would be favourites this year.

I'd be happy with that... one team winning all the time is a sign the competition is not right. From a purely business perspective, having multiple teams fight it out and share the spoils is better for the ongoing viability of the league.

No one can say that if Centrals wins 8 of the next 10 flags again, that this league isn't dead. I don't think that will happen, but certainly my club and others, really need to start getting some runs on the board.

Just look at the last ten years, you've had Torrens constantly try and fail with the one exception, Sturt constantly try and fail with the one exception, everyone else just miserably fail year in, year out.

Its hardly been a ringing endorsement...

The last ten years, would have been much better for the league, had Centrals won say 4 flags, Torrens 3 flags, Sturt 1, Glenelg 1 and someone else one... lets say South!

Personally i like it the way it currently is.

[purch]

A repost from db.org, with some additions:

The way I see it we lost one quarter of footy today, and the damage was done. Full credit to Port in the second qtr, but it was disheartening again to see the opposition romping through half back as they wished, only to pin point a long pass to numerous loose players in their forward line; worse even, to go the journey for a goal. There was plenty of poor checking in this period of the game too.

What hurt us most though was poor finishing in front of goal. Part of this was down to the pressure that Port applied on our ball carriers in free play. And the other part you can down to poor execution of set shots. To dominate the first 20 mins of the first qtr and only come out with 0-5 was very disappointing, but the determination displayed by the lads to lock it inside our 50 was excellent. Port also had their worries though in front of goal and could have put the game out of reach by 3/4 time.

On the positive side, I thought some of tackling today was much better, in being both disciplined and more effective than in recent weeks. Crane was back to his zippy best today and used the ball well. Unfortunately he was mainly getting his possessions wide on the boundary line, whereas Port crucified us in the 2nd by running the ball straight up the guts. Interesting to note that Crane didn't spend one moment in the midfield rotations today...given the form he showed, he would have been handy there. I ask again: Is there a fitness/injury worry with Craney?

Johncock started the game very strongly and controlled the ball around our 50m-line. J.Clayton ran rampant in the first half, but I thought it was an excellent move by Normo to move a tagging Riley on to him in the 2nd half, nullifying his effectiveness significantly. Well done to Riley.

I have to say that without Sheedy and Nelson in the last two games we would have looked like rubbish. Nelson's tackling in the first half was particularly pleasing today, but we need others to take the contest on like he does. We really need some of the younger blokes to take up a similar role. I sometimes wonder if the young guys just stand back in awe of these senior blokes without attempting to replicate such feats themselves. Bratton also had a decent game I thought, though the accuracy of his his disposal was uncharacteristically off at times. Toby had a better second half. Wark's form has been good for 2 weeks in a row.

We can no longer afford 'journeymen' to turn up on match day. Sharples back to the 2s for mine. And Hinge should be there as well after a very poor game to 3/4 time. Jaensch could do with a run in the 2s too...at least until his head deflates. There are at least 2 ways to handle a very public suspension. Today, he chose the wrong way, culminating in a stupid act which should have resulted in a Port free kick and goal, just when we had the run...

Another disappointment is that, apart from Jake Bowen, none of the lads that were dropped to the twos (allegedly) showed much form today. Ressies got up by a point in the last minute.

Well done Port. Deserved winners.

[csbowes]

I have to say Purch, your review has a much more positive spin to it than I could muster. For myself and the Sturt fans I was with and some of the cheers squad I spoke to post game, including even Weatherald's old man, we're just not a team anymore.

We're individuals who just aren't gelling at all as a side and I think we're miles off being anywhere near competitive. If we manage to scrap our way to fifth, we're a dead set Elimination Final loser. We've managed two decent games this year, against Glenelg and Centrals.

Every other game has been ruined by long periods of completely pointless, inept football... tackling has sometimes been good, but then that also tells you the other team has the ball. We turn it over constantly...

A half decent effort from Centrals would see us go down by 10 goals, that's just fact unfortunately...

[FlyingHigh]

What disappoints me more than Sturt falling apart this season, is the fact that I'm really down to hoping Glenelg will do something to stop Centrals, as at the moment, the whole league is just coughing up another flag to them without even a whimper. We, as in the other 8 clubs, are just not dishing up anything competitive to stop the Dogs.

The league, as it is, is taking a step closer, each year, towards becoming a pointless league.

No one can blame Centrals, they're just fantastic, but geez, how pathetic are the rest of us...

Or we could be like the AFL, and Centrals would have three flags in four years and not played in a GF for five years, whilst South would be favourites this year.

I'd be happy with that... one team winning all the time is a sign the competition is not right. From a purely business perspective, having multiple teams fight it out and share the spoils is better for the ongoing viability of the league.

No one can say that if Centrals wins 8 of the next 10 flags again, that this league isn't dead. I don't think that will happen, but certainly my club and others, really need to start getting some runs on the board.

Just look at the last ten years, you've had Torrens constantly try and fail with the one exception, Sturt constantly try and fail with the one exception, everyone else just miserably fail year in, year out.

Its hardly been a ringing endorsement...

The last ten years, would have been much better for the league, had Centrals won say 4 flags, Torrens 3 flags, Sturt 1, Glenelg 1 and someone else one... lets say South!

I'd argue that things that happen "naturally" and a pure competition on and off the field is far better and more interesting than the AFL's socialism policies to spread "success" around. While I don't like it that Centrals are still so dominant, it is a great epoch in SANFL history, the same as Port and Sturt, that will be looked back in awe in years to come.

And plenty of people bagged the Eagles for consistently losing to the Dogs, but at least we had the guts as a club to continually challenge them, every other team has had one crack and then fallen back.

[Adelaide Hawk]

And plenty of people bagged the Eagles for consistently losing to the Dogs, but at least we had the guts as a club to continually challenge them, every other team has had one crack and then fallen back.

Good point. VERY good point.

[csbowes]

And plenty of people bagged the Eagles for consistently losing to the Dogs, but at least we had the guts as a club to continually challenge them, every other team has had one crack and then fallen back.

Good point. VERY good point.

That's the problem though... people will look back and always see that Torrens failed. The club definitely showed great character to keep getting back up there, but I don't think anyone looks back to 1992, 1994 and 1995 and says well done Geelong.

[purch]

I have to say Purch, your review has a much more positive spin to it than I could muster. For myself and the Sturt fans I was with and some of the cheers squad I spoke to post game, including even Weatherald's old man, we're just not a team anymore.

We're individuals who just aren't gelling at all as a side and I think we're miles off being anywhere near competitive. If we manage to scrap our way to fifth, we're a dead set Elimination Final loser. We've managed two decent games this year, against Glenelg and Centrals.

Every other game has been ruined by long periods of completely pointless, inept football... tackling has sometimes been good, but then that also tells you the other team has the ball. We turn it over constantly...

A half decent effort from Centrals would see us go down by 10 goals, that's just fact unfortunately...

The reason I can see positives is because, with a 5-6 goal deficit at half time, I expected a (black &) whitewash to follow. But it didn't. We played one woeful quarter of football. The other 3 were fiercely contested but we won all of them. And when you mention the games against Glenelg and Central then it makes it obvious what we are capable of. Admittedly it seems we can't reproduce that when required at the moment. That said, I agree with you...when we don't run out with the word team in mind, we don't win..simple as that. That is what leads to inept footy like what we witnessed in the second qtr. Make no bones about it, Port threw everything at us today, and subsequently end up deserved winners.

[csbowes]

I'd argue that things that happen "naturally" and a pure competition on and off the field is far better and more interesting than the AFL's socialism policies to spread "success" around. While I don't like it that Centrals are still so dominant, it is a great epoch in SANFL history, the same as Port and Sturt, that will be looked back in awe in years to come.

I like teams dominating for a period as it is interesting and is something that can be looked back on historically with awe. As you said, Centrals with 8 in 10 years, Port with 8 in 10 years, Sturt with 7 in 11 years.

But at the same time, the AFL has had a much more interesting decade. First the dominance of Brisbane with three flags in a row, back to back sensational GF battles between the Swans and Eagles and now (most likely) three Cat flags in 4 seasons!

We can look back on the AFL decade with awe too... but I think in a much more healthy way. No doubt, I'd love Sturt to have won 8 in 10 years, I'd be jumping for joy, but I wouldn't be able to argue with other people who said it was getting a tad boring either.

Again, not their fault. Its ours.

[csbowes]

The reason I can see positives is because, with a 5-6 goal deficit at half time, I expected a (black &) whitewash to follow. But it didn't. We played one woeful quarter of football. The other 3 were fiercely contested but we won all of them. And when you mention the games against Glenelg and Central then it makes it obvious what we are capable of. Admittedly it seems we can't reproduce that when required at the moment. That said, I agree with you...when we don't run out with the word team in mind, we don't win..simple as that. That is what leads to inept footy like what we witnessed in the second qtr. Make no bones about it, Port threw everything at us today, and subsequently end up deserved winners.

In some ways we're saying to ourselves, gee wizz, we didn't get smashed like I expected, so well done to us... I know that's not what you mean, but in a way, that's how it can be interpreted. We wasted the first term dominance, got smashed in the second, fought hard in the third to give us a chance in the last, but couldn't put together clean football in the fourth to snatch it. BUT... lets remember, we weren't playing Centrals. We were playing the bottom side...

That's the sobering fact...

No disrespect to Port, as I like that club, but fair go, we just got done by the wooden spoon favourite, a team who, now, has only beaten the two crap teams above it.

I know I'm being negative, but I wonder whether the players realise where they are...

[Mr Irate]

What disappoints me more than Sturt falling apart this season, is the fact that I'm really down to hoping Glenelg will do something to stop Centrals, as at the moment, the whole league is just coughing up another flag to them without even a whimper. We, as in the other 8 clubs, are just not dishing up anything competitive to stop the Dogs.

The league, as it is, is taking a step closer, each year, towards becoming a pointless league.

No one can blame Centrals, they're just fantastic, but geez, how pathetic are the rest of us...

Or we could be like the AFL, and Centrals would have three flags in four years and not played in a GF for five years, whilst South would be favourites this year.

I'd be happy with that... one team winning all the time is a sign the competition is not right. From a purely business perspective, having multiple teams fight it out and share the spoils is better for the ongoing viability of the league.

No one can say that if Centrals wins 8 of the next 10 flags again, that this league isn't dead. I don't think that will happen, but certainly my club and others, really need to start getting some runs on the board.

Just look at the last ten years, you've had Torrens constantly try and fail with the one exception, Sturt constantly try and fail with the one exception, everyone else just miserably fail year in, year out.

Its hardly been a ringing endorsement...

The last ten years, would have been much better for the league, had Centrals won say 4 flags, Torrens 3 flags, Sturt 1, Glenelg 1 and someone else one... lets say South!

I'd argue that things that happen "naturally" and a pure competition on and off the field is far better and more interesting than the AFL's socialism policies to spread "success" around. While I don't like it that Centrals are still so dominant, it is a great epoch in SANFL history, the same as Port and Sturt, that will be looked back in awe in years to come.

And plenty of people bagged the Eagles for consistently losing to the Dogs, but at least we had the guts as a club to continually challenge them, every other team has had one crack and then fallen back.

Agree, if the AFL really did want an even comp they would simply rotate the draft around each year rather than keep rewarding mediocrity......

[csbowes]

Agree, if the AFL really did want an even comp they would simply rotate the draft around each year rather than keep rewarding mediocrity......

We do the same here. Most hopeless club gets first choice of new AFL recruits. Its obviously only a subset of what is the recruiting phase here in the SANFL, but we do something similar. Besides, look at the stats, something like 5 clubs won the 20 flags leading up to 1990, now you have 13 teams who've won the last 20, its definitely evened up and more teams have had a go at it.

I'm not advocating a system where its manipulated to get that effect...

All I'm saying is Centrals winning year in, year out, while great for them, is a sad endictment on the rest of the league. While I don't remember being sick of Port Adelaide in the 1990's, I'm sure others on here probably were...

[FlyingHigh]

I'd argue that things that happen "naturally" and a pure competition on and off the field is far better and more interesting than the AFL's socialism policies to spread "success" around. While I don't like it that Centrals are still so dominant, it is a great epoch in SANFL history, the same as Port and Sturt, that will be looked back in awe in years to come.

I like teams dominating for a period as it is interesting and is something that can be looked back on historically with awe. As you said, Centrals with 8 in 10 years, Port with 8 in 10 years, Sturt with 7 in 11 years.

But at the same time, the AFL has had a much more interesting decade. First the dominance of Brisbane with three flags in a row, back to back sensational GF battles between the Swans and Eagles and now (most likely) three Cat flags in 4 seasons!

We can look back on the AFL decade with awe too... but I think in a much more healthy way. No doubt, I'd love Sturt to have won 8 in 10 years, I'd be jumping for joy, but I wouldn't be able to argue with other people who said it was getting a tad boring either.

Again, not their fault. Its ours.

I do agree that this year there is the feeling of "here we go again" with Glenelg, Sturt and the Eagles not looking as strong as last year, and Norwood and West a year away.
However, I also reckon with the AFL set-up, most clubs know round-abouts where they sit in the scheme of things and the cycle of their clubs, so by this time of year (or slightly earlier) we know there are really only 10 teams fighting for the finals, and four or five (at most) legitimate contenders.
In both leagues, there seem to be few "Cinderella" stories like Legs 84, Woodville in 86, West 91 and, to a lesser extent, South in 2006. Perhaps this is the increased professionalism and mental application of the higher teams. Perhaps Norwood and/or Melbourne are that story this year......