SA Footy

bennymacca wrote:I still can’t quite work out how they will (most likely) miss finals from being 11-4!!

Massive fall from grace.

They had injuries, but so did collingwood and GWS and both of those teams seem to have been able to fight through it.

Was it a case of players looking around and waiting for someone else to take the lead and not doing it themselves?

Pretty big indictment on the club given the talent they brought in

Only one of them was an A Grader and hasn't played like an A Grader, I'd expect a bigger year from him next season.

Motlop is the only other one I would've even considered to recruit out of the rest, would've rather have chucked money at a ruckman or developed one thoughout the season by having him as the 22nd player and getting game time at the level at least.

I think I'll just listen to the radio for the first few games next season as my cat is in danger when I watch their horrible game plan that doesn't work for us.

Ken Hinkley claimed it was a hollow feeling to miss out on finals.

Well Port fans this should cheer you up


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LeVWkpNaEo&app=desktop

Jimmy_041 wrote:Biggest laugh I've had in years:

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/expert-opinion/reece-homfray/power-rankings-port-adelaide-to-embrace-underdog-status/news-story/8db393d764e9b8f6ea1cea0f660890ca

SO AFTER 21 rounds of the season it’s Port Adelaide against the world again — just the way it likes it.

How come they lose when they are "against the world"

Lucky they "embraced the underdog status" or they would have lost by over 10 goals

Koch was on AA this morning and when answering questions about the Hinkley contract extension said “Look, at 11-4 everyone thought he was a superhero”. Not sure that’s quite right, but the point he was trying to make probably is, in that it wasn’t much of a question til recently (albeit Morrell and a few Port mates I know were still questioning it).

IMHO there are multiple reasons for them missing the finals not just the one.

1. Injury to Ryder without really any form of replacement
2. Inability of the players to keep their nerve. (Lost close games they should/could have won against WC, Adelaide, Hawthorn, Freo and nearly lost when they shouldn’t have to Brisbane and Adelaide)

Port with a healthy list can beat anyone on their day, but outside of Westoff, Jonas, Gray and Ryder they really lack the consistency required over a 23 round season.

bennymacca wrote:I still can’t quite work out how they will (most likely) miss finals from being 11-4!!

Massive fall from grace.

They had injuries, but so did collingwood and GWS and both of those teams seem to have been able to fight through it.

Was it a case of players looking around and waiting for someone else to take the lead and not doing it themselves?

Pretty big indictment on the club given the talent they brought in

Coaching IMO, they have the talent and ability.

JK wrote:Koch was on AA this morning and when answering questions about the Hinkley contract extension said “Look, at 11-4 everyone thought he was a superhero”. Not sure that’s quite right, but the point he was trying to make probably is, in that it wasn’t much of a question til recently (albeit Morrell and a few Port mates I know were still questioning it).

IMHO there are multiple reasons for them missing the finals not just the one.

1. Injury to Ryder without really any form of replacement
2. Inability of the players to keep their nerve. (Lost close games they should/could have won against WC, Adelaide, Hawthorn, Freo and nearly lost when they shouldn’t have to Brisbane and Adelaide)

Port with a healthy list can beat anyone on their day, but outside of Westoff, Jonas, Gray and Ryder they really lack the consistency required over a 23 round season.

1. They refused to put in a ruck replacement. Frampton would probably have 5 games under his belt by now and who knows...
2. Spot on.

Too many one way runners

Mistake was probably made a few years back when Lobbe was signed long term and on big $, when they recruited big last year they couldn't keep Lobbe due to the $ he was due to be paid this year, he would have been handy as a back up.

How would the morale of frampton etc be when he’s basically told he’s not good enough already?

I know lobbe wasn’t great but he would have made a pretty big difference if port still had him as a backup.

Maybe they could have rookie listed a mature age backup for a year or two? (Crows are lucky Jacobs is so durable as they would have been in the same position too)

Dutchy wrote:Mistake was probably made a few years back when Lobbe was signed long term and on big $, when they recruited big last year they couldn't keep Lobbe due to the $ he was due to be paid this year, he would have been handy as a back up.

Snap!

Yeah to pay for their recruits he had to be squeezed out. Which was probably the right call given the coin he was on but yeah it hurt them big time.

bennymacca wrote:Maybe they could have rookie listed a mature age backup for a year or two? (Crows are lucky Jacobs is so durable as they would have been in the same position too)

From what we’ve seen this year, I’d say the Crows are now in the same boat on that front

I think port forgot to download

https://9to5mac.com/2018/07/17/downgrad ... 4-blocked/

bennymacca wrote:How would the morale of frampton etc be when he’s basically told he’s not good enough already?

I know lobbe wasn’t great but he would have made a pretty big difference if port still had him as a backup.

Maybe they could have rookie listed a mature age backup for a year or two? (Crows are lucky Jacobs is so durable as they would have been in the same position too)

It's all what ifs and hindsight is always so wonderful.

If Ryder was as durable as Jacobs it wouldn't have been a talking point.
If Lobbe stayed and Ryder played all year, Frampton would've been second string ruck in the SANFL, and that would've curbed his development further.
If Frampton was ready, they would've played him i'm sure - same as they have with all the young recruits over recent years.

Think looking at this year and plenty of sides, it shows you really need a lot to go your way to not only make the finals but win the flag - you almost need to have a flawless season. Had the Crows been full strength one or two weeks earlier they play finals, if Port had avoided recent injuries to key personnel they play finals etc. etc.

I guarantee that even if Lobbe didn’t got to Carlton he wouldn’t have been on the Power’s list this season

Time for the coach(es) to implement a game plan that suits the playing group.

Hartlett, Houston, Bonner, Pittard, Broadbent all have 50m legs on them, why oh ******* why they've been asked to chip-chip-chip 20m at a time to each other in the back half isn't using their best weapons to effect. We have to move the ball faster with more purpose from the back half.

Flow on, the forwards are leading up, doubling back, leading up, going in ******* circles and the opposition midfield drops back to outnumber us ahead of the ball and we cough it up under pressure.

Flow on from that is we've got a wall built up of our mids and defenders and clubs struggle to score against us, 2nd best defence last year, 3rd best at the moment. Half our game works. The movement from defence is slow, sloppy and gives our forwards no chance.

My biggest concern is the midfield, we're second for clearances so the likes of Wines, Wingard, SPP, Rockliff etc do their job on the inside but we're lacking in outside run and pace in general. We don't have enough outside runners or really quick mids who can burst away from contests.

Ryder my biggest concern, we haven't got any back up ruckman for a bloke going 30 with an achilles that will need to be managed for the rest of his days. Lycett has to be a priority.

Brodlach wrote:I guarantee that even if Lobbe didn’t got to Carlton he wouldn’t have been on the Power’s list this season

Why? he was contracted

Dutchy wrote:

Brodlach wrote:I guarantee that even if Lobbe didn’t got to Carlton he wouldn’t have been on the Power’s list this season

Why? he was contracted

Agreement was made

Dutchy wrote:Mistake was probably made a few years back when Lobbe was signed long term and on big $, when they recruited big last year they couldn't keep Lobbe due to the $ he was due to be paid this year, he would have been handy as a back up.

Marvellous, old hindsight.

Booney wrote:Hartlett, Houston, Bonner, Pittard, Broadbent all have 50m legs on them, why oh ******* why they've been asked to chip-chip-chip 20m at a time to each other in the back half isn't using their best weapons to effect. We have to move the ball faster with more purpose from the back half.

Flow on, the forwards are leading up, doubling back, leading up, going in ******* circles and the opposition midfield drops back to outnumber us ahead of the ball and we cough it up under pressure..

Most sides setup their zones pretty quickly, as seen on occasions this year, the "chip-chip-chip" style, whilst frustrating, does force the zones to roll and readjust, and once Port can find an opening then they've broken and gone fast/long.

Biggest downside to this IMO, is that when they break and go, they are trying to pump a 50m+ kick from the middle of the ground over the back of the zone and the result is a chaos ball on Dixon's head. The upside however, is the ball is ahead of majority players which allows time for forwards to push in and pressure while the defenders are able to set up their zone effectively and quickly.

Forwards leading up, and going in circles as you said, also forces movement from opposition players to disrupt their zones - without repeat leading patterns Port would be absolutely stuffed.

Genuine outside leg speed + efficient mids is the biggest issue for Port I think - SPP, Wines, Rockliff might win the inside hard ball, but when it comes to foot skills they're (more SPP & Wines) pretty bloody ordinary. Win a clearance and it's just a slam on the boot ineffective kick down the line.

The Bedge wrote:It's all what ifs and hindsight is always so wonderful.

If Ryder was as durable as Jacobs it wouldn't have been a talking point.

This is true, but he definitely isn’t.

West coast did pretty well in getting vardy Petrie and Giles for basically nothing and it helped them compensate for the shitty durability of their rucks.

Reckon port could have done the same.

Reckon it’s poor planning on ports part given they traded away their two backup rucks (lobbe and trengove) and clearly didn’t have faith in frampton yet

Jordan Roughead, Zac Smith, Tom Nicholls, reckon there are a few around that could be gettable as a backup for next year and port should look at that if they don’t get Lycett.

Don’t think you’d want to lose SPP, but if it could be part of a deal to get Lycett, you’d have to I reckon.

Probably helps your pursuit if WC can somehow keep Gaff.