Analysis of Port's Players in the AFL by Stazza

[Wedgie]

A fantastic post of STAZZS's in the AFL forum, we didn't want it to get lost or missed by people so have added it here:

Hi guys, new to SA Footy.

First post, thought I'd put my two cents (or more) in from an outsider's perspective. I wrote up a similar article on BigFooty a few years back analysing Adelaide’s list and thought it a good time to do something similar (although nowhere near as drawn out) with Port Adelaide’s list given their current circumstances. Feel free to shoot me down if you feel any of my observations are out of order, or off the mark, as I said I’m just an outsider looking in and offering my opinion.

THE LIST

Above all, Port’s list is the answer to its current predicament. 7 players between the age of 23 and 26 have played less than 50 games – this is really the weakest facet of its list, where most quality teams’ strengths are visible in this age bracket, Port Adelaide’s leaves much to be desired. What’s more disturbing is that Port’s average age ranks 6th in the AFL, yet its average experience labours in the bottom half of the comp. Someone needs to take a good bloody look at the list and identify these problem areas, this is the first step on the road to recovery. Port’s elder statesman in Kane Cornes, Cassisi and Rodan work extremely hard each week, as do Schulz, Thomas and Logan. When Kornes, Cassisi and Rodan are gone who will be willing to stand up each week and take responsibility in their absence? The 100-149 games group is extremely concerning, Port needs to start replacing the dead wood in this group with players who can (and more importantly WANT TO) take the club forward.

150+: 5 (2 have already announced their retirements)
Ages:
32 Cornes
31 Brogan
28 Kornes
28 Cassisi
27 Rodan

100 - 149: 8 (Ebert is currently only 2 games shy of 150)
Ages:
29 Motlop
27 Ebert
26 Pettigrew
26 Schulz
26 Salopek
26 Surjan
25 Chaplin
25 Pearce

50 - 99: 6
Ages:
26 Logan
25 J. Westhoff
24 Thomas
24 Carlile
23 Gray
23 Boak

1 - 49: 21
Ages: 25 Davenport, 25 Meyer, 24 Phillips, 24 P.Stewart, 24 Salter, 23 M.Westhoff, 22 D. Stewart, 22 Lobbe, 21 M.Motlop, 21 Banner, 21 Hitchcock, 21 Broadbent, 21 Hartlett, 20 Trengove, 20 Jonas, 20 Moore, 20 Pittard, 20 Butcher, 19 Jacobs, 19 O’Shea, 18 Irons

0 games: 7
Ages: 24 Bass, 21 Webb, 20 Redden, 19 Hay, 19 Newton, 18 Young, 18 Curnow


UNTOUCHABLES
There are four players Port cannot afford to lose over the next decade if it wants to challenge for a premiership during that time, they are:

Gray - Although at times his on-field work ethic can be questioned, he is no doubt a very talented footballer and just needs his body to hold up so he can fulfil his obvious potential. His balance, ability to set up a teammate and his work at ground level are just a few of his strengths – those being evident early in his career and his continual freakish ability to conjure up a goal where he is not expected to. Is really close to taking the next step, with another pre-season behind him next year and more time on the ball I can see him having an absolute breakout season in the not too distant future.

Boak – Absolute JET in every sense of the word. He is one of the few Port players I actually get excited watching. The young man is all class and by the time he finishes his career his name will be spoken about at Alberton in the same breath as the Wanganeen’s and Tredrea’s. Continually carries his teammates on his shoulders and when a game is there to be won it is more often than not Boak who takes charge.

Hartlett - See Boak. Similar physical struggles to Gray, but he is as composed and as clean a 21yr old as you will see. He has time on the ball, great awareness and strong decision making skills. He is more than capable of being damaging both inside and outside; he is everything you want in a young midfielder. If Boak is the Ferrari of the Port Adelaide engine room then Hartlett is the Rolls Royce in the making. Will be a cult hero for many years to come at Alberton.

Trengove – As with Hartlett and Gray, it has been well documented that Trengove battled many obstacles in his early years with his own physical condition but those troubles seem to be well behind him. Similarly, Port’s decision to take a punt (when all else were hesitant) on an extremely talented young player at the time has paid off big time. I remember ringing my Dad while I was living over in Melbourne and following the Draft very closely, and telling him Port had just secured two of the country’s best young football talents inside the first 22 picks with Trengove and Hartlett. I immediately considered the pair as good as any picked from one club inside the first two rounds of the ‘08 Draft. I can only hope for Port’s sake that he decides to stay at Alberton as he is future Captaincy material and will quickly become the heartbeat of the club. He is already super dependable down back under continually trying circumstances.


THE YOUNG GUNS (and nucleus of Port’s next Premiership tilt)

Pittard
Jacobs
Broadbent
Banner
Moore
O’Shea
Lobbe
Butcher
D. Stewart


QUESTION MARKS

Motlop – Needs to decide whether his heart is still in it, whether he is truly committed to making the sacrifices that are required to continue at this level. Wonderful game breaker at his best, extremely frustrating at his worst and has too often let his teammates down with terrible and selfish decision making.

Ebert - Went from a career-best 56 goals in their G.F making year of ‘07, to kicking 99 in the past four seasons. Ebert’s name has been bandied about in trade talk over the course of the season and Port should consider cashing in on a career that ultimately failed to blossom. Ebert worked super hard over this past pre-season, with all the talk of him playing a more prominent role up the ground failing to eventuate. He has only managed 10 games this year and Primus seems much more comfortable putting time into the likes of Hitchcock, Phillips, Gray and to a lesser extent, Banner and Davenport in his forward setup. Ebert ranks 3rd overall on Port’s all-time leading goalkicking list. Perhaps it is time to get what they can for him from a club like Richmond, Melbourne (don’t laugh) or West Coast who are only 2 to 3 years away from being really competitive outfits. Port should be trying their best to secure a 2nd (highly optimistic) or 3rd round (more realistic) pick for Ebert in this upcoming draft, which they can then package with a further player or pick to secure a younger player who will be a part of their next premiership tilt.

Just in terms of a few South Australian players I’d be targeting for short-term and long-term needs, from each of those clubs: Richmond – S.Edwards, Nason, Helbig. Melbourne - Rivers, Tapscott, Jamar (wishful thinking but would suit Port’s immediate needs), T. McNamara. West Coast - Butler, Lycett, Hurn, Waters. A couple of those names are probably so far out of reach with any deal port could offer with Ebert included, but whether it's Ebert who is involved in a deal or anyone else, this is just to spark some interest in a topic that should be more prevalent on SA football supporters' minds (whether you be a Crows or Power supporter). I’m of the opinion our clubs need to start targeting the SA boys who are interstate and getting a bit of our own back, and yes I'm aware of the fact most don't want to come back once they move over to Melbourne, Sydney etc. but we should be trying nonetheless. The dilution of our squads in terms of home grown talent has become more and more concerning over the years. To give some perspective, Port’s playing contains only 20 SA lads (less than half of its entire list) and similarly the Crows with 22. Feel free to disagree with me, but this is something I still consider important to SA Football on the national stage.

Pettigrew – Years of being thrown about in different positions, struggling to settle into a position he could command and call his own, has probably played on Pettigrew’s mind more so than anything, which in turn would not have worked wonders for the lad’s confidence. Early days looked like a natural forward but tended to go missing quite often, was somewhat of a mainstay of Port’s defence through ‘07-09 and seems to have taken back his spot in the back six, being used as a third-tall who can also play small. I can understand Primus’ decision to persist as he’s a 100+ gamer in a defence that is being held together by papier mache, but the time has come to make some tough decisions and perhaps leaving an O’Shea in this position from here on would be much more beneficial to Port’s long term success.

Surjan – Seems to have been on the outer and reports obviously suggest he’s goneski. He plays in true Port Adelaide fashion and I expected him to take over Wilbur’s role as the enforcer down back but it seems he needs a change of environment perhaps to ignite the flame once again. Still has 4-5 seasons left in him at only 26 years old and 106 games under his belt. Would fit in well with a St Kilda type outfit that rely heavily on role players across the board. Being a South Coogee lad he could even make for a good fit at GWS as a senior, experienced med-defender (ala Campbell Brown at GC) who takes the opposition’s dangerous small forward each week. He could be used to pass on knowledge in the areas he generally excels at - reading the play, pressuring and winning the ball off the opposition in the back half. He would no doubt secure a much healthier super if NSW was the destination of choice.

Chaplin - Well this one really has me stumped. 25yrs old, 120 game tall defender who has, for whatever reason, completely gone off the boil. At times he looks like he is off in the clouds and these lapses have caused much angst for Port supporters throughout the year. Chaplin went from being a dependable rock in the back six, to regularly wandering around like a lost puppy dog. I don’t understand it and I can only hope he has a good hard look at himself before November if he’s not already somewhere else.

Salopek – Without a doubt, the biggest disappointment for mine in this group. Former pick 6 whose career has been cruelly derailed by injuries. Has failed to reach the elite level expected of him, but when fit and playing he is still one of the best users of the ball at the club. Seems to be on the outer with Primus and could be used to secure a ready-made Ruckman to fill the departing shoes of Dean Brogan.


OUT THE DOOR

Meyer – The change of scenery has not worked for Meyer. At 25 years of age with 26 games to his name over the past 6 seasons and very little sign of adding to this tally anytime soon, his time has well and truly come to an end.

M.Westhoff – Need I say anything?


BACK TO BASICS

Port ranks in the bottom 4 for 7 of the 8 basic statistical categories I’ve chosen to briefly highlight below. Ofcorse, we all know today’s football is anything but basic with the ever-increasing number of statistics being analysed week in week out, but looking closely at just a few differentials can point us to some key areas Port must turn around if it is to start being consistently competitive again.
Port allow their opponents far too much of the cod week in week out which is continually giving their opposition far greater chances to capitalise on its possession dominance. 55 more opposition disposals per game on average sounds bad in any language, but over 22 rounds that equates to upwards of 1,200 more times than Port the opposition has had the ball in their hands - that is just unacceptable.

Far too much work is being left to too few, Port needs an even contribution across the board from all 22 each week and this is just not happening. Behind Cassisi, who averages 8 tackles per game (ranked 2nd in the comp) and Thomas 6 (ranked 16th overall), Boak is the next closest with just over 4.5 tackles per game (ranked 58th) and then daylight to Hartlett and Lobbe who average just over 4 tackles per game. Robbie Gray is the only Port player to average 1 or more goal assists per game this year, whereas if you look at the top 3 sides, they each have 4 or more players regularly striving to setup a teammate for a goal at least once each week. In terms of disposals, the opposition is easily able to retain possession and move the ball around with little pressure, as evident in the number of opposition marks and inside 50’s Port concedes and its inability to put enough scoreboard pressure on.

One obvious problem area is the Ruck department, with Brogan saying farewell the immediate focus of the upcoming trade period must be securing an experienced, strong bodied ruckman. It is fair to point out that Lobbe has already shown great signs of developing into a quality mobile Ruckman, but he needs support and he needs it in bucket loads. Only Gold Coast average less hit outs than Port Adelaide, and less per week on average than the opposition. I don’t care what anyone says, having a quality ruckman is the difference between just playing in finals and winning premierships. The ruck is becoming more and more important in today’s game and Port needs to quickly address this area if it wants to climb the ladder again.


Kicks: 14th
Handballs: 16th
Disposals: 17th (55 less disposals per game than opponent – ranked 16th)
Marks: 12th (12 less per game – ranked 15th)
Goals: 16th (7 less – ranked 16th)
Behinds: 17th (6 less – ranked 17th)
Tackles: 15th
Hit outs: 16th (11 less than opponent per game – ranked 16th)


I’ll leave it at that for now, I could go on for hours and hours but I won’t. There is light at the end of the tunnel but I can assure you it is a bloody long, dark tunnel, and I say that with absolute respect. Port Adelaide has some fantastic young players on its list and it will take time to start to see that regularly. Whatever happens between now and next year, the entire club needs to really get serious about where it wants to go, what it wants to achieve and more importantly, what it means to represent the Port Adelaide Football Club.

- Stazza