Port Adelaide 2023

[Vamos]

Wstchin a bit of the replay, not convinced Jones is up to the level.

Completely confused about his role. Came in as defender, finished last year forward, ran in the midfield during summer. Where is he? I think he's the defender Byrne Jones used to be.

DBJ has dropped off the cliff like the yodelay yodelay little man from The Price is Right.

[Jim05]

Jones is still a kid and the least of their problems. A few of their older blokes like Boak, Lycett and Jonas look to have fallen off the cliff. Even as a neutral that was painful to see Boak struggle last night. He has been a true champion of the club but I reckon he is on his last legs

[Brodlach]

Jones is still a kid and the least of their problems. A few of their older blokes like Boak, Lycett and Jonas look to have fallen off the cliff. Even as a neutral that was painful to see Boak struggle last night. He has been a true champion of the club but I reckon he is on his last legs

Did you see Boak shirk a contest? He’s never done that before so his ribs must still be underdone

[whufc]

Jones is still a kid and the least of their problems. A few of their older blokes like Boak, Lycett and Jonas look to have fallen off the cliff. Even as a neutral that was painful to see Boak struggle last night. He has been a true champion of the club but I reckon he is on his last legs

Boak is still quality when he gets the ball, just doesnt seem to have the legs to get it more than 15 times a game anymore.

Interestingly looking at the % of game time played the Power rotated their midfield alot more than the Crows yet it was Adelaide who looked to be running on top of the ground for the last ten minutes. Rankine played 100% game time.

[UK Fan]

Port are more ****** than an Izzy Rankin after game presser.

[cracka]

We're Port that bad. I thought it was a good game, both sides had their chances.

[mighty_tiger_79]

Poor Ken having to take the fall for the players incompetence.

[Lightning McQueen]

We're Port that bad. I thought it was a good game, both sides had their chances.

I thought they were, lacked intensity, played with ego’s

[locky801]

We're Port that bad. I thought it was a good game, both sides had their chances.

I thought they were, lacked intensity, played with ego’s

Beaten by a side which was hungrier and wanted it more Pity the Crows dont put in more full game efforts like this one, talent and know how is there just need to get consistency

[LaughingKookaburra]

Poor Ken having to take the fall for the players incompetence.

Completely disagree. After 11 seasons and not making a Grand Final you can’t now put it on the players for poor output. **** me dead if you can’t sort out inconsistent garbage (Been happening for years) after 10 years then you’re not the right person for the job.

[carey]

Wstchin a bit of the replay, not convinced Jones is up to the level.

Completely confused about his role. Came in as defender, finished last year forward, ran in the midfield during summer. Where is he? I think he's the defender Byrne Jones used to be.

DBJ has dropped off the cliff like the yodelay yodelay little man from The Price is Right.

DBJ and Houston simply can't defend.

[carey]

We're Port that bad. I thought it was a good game, both sides had their chances.

Port were f@#king disgusting, an absolute disgrace.

Had we played a decent team we would've lost by 10-12 goals.

We're terrible. End of story

[shoe boy]

Poor Ken having to take the fall for the players incompetence.

[amber_fluid]

Wstchin a bit of the replay, not convinced Jones is up to the level.

Completely confused about his role. Came in as defender, finished last year forward, ran in the midfield during summer. Where is he? I think he's the defender Byrne Jones used to be.

DBJ has dropped off the cliff like the yodelay yodelay little man from The Price is Right.

DBJ and Houston simply can't defend.

Aliir can’t either so you have 3 backmen who can run off their players well but can’t defend hence why they are leaking so many goals.

Watching Dixon live on Saturday he gets double and tripled team every time he goes near the ball. Where are the other Port forwards?
Marshall was very ordinary in the showdown.

[mots02]

Can't be far away now

[amber_fluid]

Can't be far away now

Just gonna grab a coffee and a hot cross bun first

[mighty_tiger_79]

Might need a pack if 6 hot x buns to get through the review.

[cracka]

We're Port that bad. I thought it was a good game, both sides had their chances.

Port were f@#king disgusting, an absolute disgrace.

Had we played a decent team we would've lost by 10-12 goals.

We're terrible. End of story

Are you saying the Crows are half decent then coz they won by 5

[Booney]

Credit to the winners, too good on the night and the young guns at West Lakes look to have some bright futures ahead of them.

The saddest indictment on this club at the moment is heading into games with either emotional attachment ( Ebert tribute, Showdown ) or reward for effort ( finals ) I as a member and supporter arrive with hope, not with confidence.

The body of work under this coach suggests the game plan breaks down under the weight of expectation and the results reflect that. A game plan that once worked.

It wasn’t without opportunity on Saturday night though yet some worrying trends continue to emerge.

Early in the last term Willem Drew had the opportunity to bring Port within 3 points, missing a sitter from 25m out right in front. In turn Fantasia goaled with his first kick of the game and ( spoiler ) Best on for Port Sam Powell-Pepper had his third for the night and with 10 minutes of the last term gone Port lead by 4 points on the back of some midfield pressure. Four times in the early stages of the last term the midfield created forward entries, Fantasia’s goal from a midfield intercept. Here and now the momentum is sitting with Port Adelaide. The momentum swing in the next 20 minutes reflective of one of the major problems Port currently face, teams getting a run on and we’re not capable of stopping it.

In round 1 Brisbane kicked 6 of 7 goals either side of quarter time, against Collingwood runs of 9 goals early and 6 late in the game, Adelaide posted 4 in the second term and kicked 8 of the last 10. Our ability to stop sides scoring, once our 1 wood through 2020/21 is now a glaring weakness.

Defensively we’re in disarray. Captain Jonas has had a howler of a first month, the game has shifted in the last few years as the third tall becomes more mobile, playing more as a high half forward than resting ruckman in the pocket and Jonas doesn’t have the closing speed he once had, his third man into the contest role is having no impact. McKenzie and Clurey fight out for the lock down big man, Clurey gave Walker a bath Saturday night but with only 3 touches he created no offence from the back and we’re not really sure which one should be in the role from week to week. Byrne-Jones is clinging to his spot, his AA year of 2020 was on the back of dash and dare from the back half, he’s got none of that and can’t hit a target. Aliir is feeling pressure from offensive pressure players and whilst he’s playing his role he too is nowhere near as effective as he was.

Frustratingly the future of that back half, Jake Pasini is yet to be sighted, Jase Burgoyne is the SANFL and Lachie Jones is becoming more and more confused after starting his career in defence, ending last year in attack then spending the summer in the midfield. Don’t under estimate the loss of Burton to suspension, the natural match up for Rankine was missing and he’d be feeling dead set ordinary, a careless tackle cost him two weeks and might have had a difference on Saturday night had he been there.

That 1 wood, the defensive zone, so impenetrable during 2020/21 created multiple forward 50 entries, often frustrated by the continual bombing in time after time Port fans grew tired of that type of entry, but it worked. Nobody won more games in that two year period than Port and it was on the back of those repeat entries. It was often ugly, but it got the job done. 2020, third for inside 50’s, least points against. 2021, fourth for inside 50’s, 4th for points against. It worked.

Now that the zone is breaking down the back half isn’t creating those repeat entries the forward line dries up and the opposition get the run on that we can’t stop.

Selection has me baffled, too.

We can’t play Lycett, Dixon and Finlayson in the one side. With Marshall forward the mix is too top heavy. Marshall, Dixon and Finlayson looks too tall in the front 50, Georgiades offers the mobile third tall ( as mentioned above ) and that looks more balanced, we need to persist with Georgiades as we did with Marshall. It may pay off just as well. It’s Lycett or Finlayson for mine, not both. Jones needs to play back, he can be the player Byrne-Jones used to be and should be in that role. The skipper is under pressure, heir apparent Pasini needs to be exposed at this level and he needs game time. Development of all the talls on our list is now the most pressing in 2023. Hayes, Teakle, Lord, Visentini ( I’m the #1 ticket holder on the Visentini train ), Kyle Marshall, Scully, there’s height galore and one of them, or more, needs to come into the back half to sure up the tall defenders.

Out coached on the night as Nicks threw Dawson into the middle ( why does he not play there every week? ), Sloane when the whips were cracking and Laird killed us on the spread, Adelaide’s small forwards had the pace to out run and the tall, Thilthorpe, had nobody capable of going with him in the air.

I feel sick. Again.

Boon’s best – Powell-Pepper, Dixon, Rozee, Houston.

[whufc]

Thought O'Brien gave Lycett an absolute bath in the last fifteen minutes of the game when the whips were cracking.