Asgardian
2 Dec 2001, 18:55
About time I got around to the best list in the league, :-)
PORT ADELAIDE
1. Ackland, Cain :- I like the idea of developing Cain as a key
forward, the game against the Eagles he looked
real good on the lead taking marks, as his body
matures he will better hold his pack position,
once this happens he will be regarded as a true
forward, 2002 will see his continued development
2. Bassett, Scott :- 2002 will be Scott's breakthrough year, Meady's
slowing down, and Paco's knee provide all the
opportunity that Scott has been looking for, he
will become a premier defender in the league
3. Bishop, Matthew :- Unfortunately for Matthew he doesn't quite have
the tools to become a consistent first 18 player,
he will be handy reserve type for us, to fill a
defensive hole when needed
4. Brogan, Dean :- The ruck diamonds just keep on showing up, raw, but
has aggression and not just a little skill. Not a
first pick ruckman, but still a valuable reserve
5. Brooks, Barry :- Welcome aboard BBBBB (Big Bad Bustling Barry
Brooks), you have got some of the better people
around you from whom you can learn valuable
lessons. A 198cm marking machine as a key forward
has some appeal to me.
6. Burgoyne, Peter :- If Peter ever figures out for himself that being
lazy is not the way to best utilise his silky
skills, he may end up being the dangerous small
forward/midfielder he promises to be. Someone
please give him a tape of Robert Harvey, showing
him the benefits of hard work
7. Burgoyne, Shane :- This is all education and character building for
Shane, he had the horrors with injury in 2001,
now has to re-build, prove his worth all over
again, if he has the intestinal fortitude for
that he will become another assest
8. Carr, Josh :- You just have to love this guy, built like a midget,
has all the fight of a Mike Tyson in him. Part of the
engine room, he collects scalps when shadowing like
the rest of us try to collect money. His goalkicking
is vastly under-rated
9. Cassisi, Domenic :- He will be involved in the battle to win a wing
following Flash's defection, looks to have the
tools and attitude, we definately make his debut
in season 2002, the rest is up to him
10. Cockatoo-Collins, Che :- Talk about a guy who had to re-invent
himself, lots of supporters, including me,
considered Che had done his dash, but 2001
proved what a rare talent he really is.
Another 40 odd goal tally will be just
what the doctor ordered
11. Cornes, Chad :- The role of third tall marking option up forward
suits Chad down to the ground, his marking and
distribution really came on strong in 2001. Goal
kicking does not seem to be a strength, but his
hard work makes up for that deficiency, plus we
now have greater options up forward
12. Cornes, Kane :- I haven't really settled in my mind where Kane's
best position is. So far they seem to be playing
him down back, but I have the nagging suspicion
that he could become one of the leagues premier
midfielders. He just looks to have that touch of
class and time that seperate the best from the
rest. Maybe not in 2002, but I do reckon he'll
get there
13. Dew, Stuart :- Stewy's talents are obvious for all to see,
unfortunately so are his liabilities. The
exponential increase in quality output he displayed
in 2001 though only whets the appetite for the
same to be delivered in 2002. If it comes to pass,
look out footy world, Stewy Dew will take it by
storm
14. Francou, Josh :- I am an unashamed Josh Francou fan, he is the
best in and under midfielder we have, no question.
His distribution skills however sometimes come
into question, in my opinion this aspect of his
game improved in 2001, he has grown into the role
of AFL footballer nicely, it suits him, Port
Adelaide suits him, and he suits Port Adelaide
very well
15. French, Barnaby :- That broken leg came at the wrong time for big
Barney, he had the perfect opportunity to cement
the number 2 rucking position for himself, now
have a look at his competition in the squad. He
a goer, never gives in, but doesn't quite have
the skill to make it as a key position player.
This fact will keep Barney as a darn good back
up player
16. Guerra, Brent :- Cut from the same diamond that gave us Josh Carr,
his hardness constantly surprises opponents, but
he is just not only a tough nut, he also has
exquisite skills. His versatility is a bonus for
us
17. Hall, Chris :- Supposed to be a little bundle of dynamite, I
haven't seen much of him yet, but if he is willing
to learn, he is at the right place, and at the
right time
18. Hardwick, Damien :- The best credentialled player acquired by any
club in the trading period, that speaks highly
of Damien considering the "name" players who
also swapped clubs via a trade. He is a
player's player, tough, hard, no nonsense, and
compliments our squad like a well worn glove
19. James, Roger :- Roger has worked incredibly hard to convert from a
good SANFL type to a fine AFL player. He has skills
the equal of anyone going around, and has the
ability to hide his deficiencies. One component of
one of the league's finest midfields
20. Kingsley, Adam :- A modern no fuss low maintainence player, does
his job, and does it bloody well. We have seen
his disposal skills improve every year he has
been with us
21. Koulouriotis, Paul :- There is no tomorrow for Koula, he must
produce in 2002 or he will fade away. AFL is
not kids footy, where natural ability will
make it all seem so easy for you, in the big
league you must combine that flair and
ability with damn hard work
22. Lade, Brendon :- A virtual new recruit, Ladey's just gotta get the
feel of it again, get his confidence back, and
have some ground time. When he does, a 199cm big
marking key forward has a certain appeal, and
frankly will scare the hell out of opposition
defences
23. Lockwood, Bowen :- Such a wasted talent, his back is a mess, but
does staying out all hours of the night at
clubs help the rehabilitation. On his final
chance, unfortunately I am not confident
24. Mead, Darren (v) :- Meady is all Port Adelaide, he loves the club,
and the club and its supporters love him. We
are seeing the wind down of his career now
though, a few times in 2001 he was left behind
by his opponent. This will happen more often
as time goes by, luckily we have the young
cattle who will cover his spot
25. Montgomery, Brett :- Talk about a guy who has made the most of his
abilities and opportunities. Now a valuable
link player, one who can cover down back, or
provide that little spark up forward, can't
figure out why the Doggies gave him up so
easily
26. Morgan, Adam :- There is no doubting Adam has the ability, does he
have the character and determination to make his
body right for the rigours of AFL footy? Only one
person can answer that, and that is Adam, he either
makes it in 2002 or he will be gone
27. Murray, Allan :- Like many other kids making the transition from
junior footy to the big league, Allan has found
the road a bit rocky so far. The knee injury did
not help either. He needs consistent time on the
ground producing quality output to take the next
step up to the AFL
28. Murray, Derek :- Derek has some admirable qualities, he tackles
like there is no tomorrow, he has pace, and he
can find the ball. He also has some problems, his
finishing is woeful, he is slow at decision making
and his disposal is sloppy. A fair challenge for
the coaching staff if they are to bring him up to
speed
29. Paxman, Stephen (v) :- Paco's knee injury just seemed to take the
wind from our sails in 2001, leaving us
becalmed as our adversaries went past. Our
depth quality will be tested in his absence,
however when he does return, we will have a
refreshed Paco eager to sample success
30. Poulton, Jared :- With Hardwick's recruitment Poults game time
looks to be limited, hence his initial delisting.
He has a warriors soul, tough and determined, but
he blazes away sometimes instead of creating
opportunities
31. Primus, Matthew (c) :- Captain Incredible, he is not quite like
any other ruckman I have seen play the game,
the closest I can come up with is Rick
Davies effort when he took us apart in the
1976 Grand Final. For such a huge man to
have the ground level impact he does is
frankly astounding. IMO the best captain
playing the game today
32. Schofield, Jarrad :- Schoey is not a hard in and under type, but
is an important part of the midfield rotation.
2001 was in some respects a breakthrough year
for Schoey, he went from being on the outer,
trade bait, to being a required player. One
of the better finishers in our team
33. Stevens, Michael :- I considered Michael lucky to survive the cut
this year, I also know that Macca is keen on
Michael's ability. He will need to make every
post a winner to survive past 2002, taking a
leaf from Poults book would do him no harm at
all, inheriting his hardness and determination
34. Stevens, Nick :- He's the Ferrari in the Port midfield, all class,
great skills, has time and vision to do real
damage to the opposition. Probably is the closest
Port has to a possible Brownlow medalist. Those
small lapses in discipline have also gone now
35. Thurstans, Toby :- Whenever I see Toby in the SANFL he looks a
player, and a pretty good one at that, guys his
size with skills just don't fall off trees,
although some may be thinking Port did find
just such a tree with our abundance of tall
riches. Along with Bassett I expect Toby to
step up to the league from the start of the
season
36. Tredrea, Warren :- All Australian CHF, has modelled his game on
Carey, has a huge physique, very strong body in
a contest and can take lots of contested marks.
There is no reason we cannot model our forward
structure around Tredders just like the Roos
did around Carey for all those years. Was also
great to see the kicking yips had pretty much
gone in 2001
37. Wakelin, Darryl :- Wakes had a great start to 2001, but form, and
ground time diminished as the season progressed.
Will be first choice full back with Paco side-
lined, he will again have the confidence of his
coach and team-mates, just has to hold onto
some of those big grabs
38. Wanganeen, Gavin :- Gav is one of the most complete of small
players I have ever seen, courage, skill, goal-
sense, speed, decision making and the freakish
ability to seemingly create time to let him do
his stuff with the footy. Now that his body is
sound anticipate another stellar season at any
position on the ground where the coach places
him
39. White, Damon :- Hard to comment as I know little about the lad,
except for the info in the AFL site Phantom Draft,
another tall and solid marking forward, who has
also played down back. Played in the WAFL this
season, so is obviously not over-awed by the
occasion. Sounds like a reasonable pick up
40. Wilson, Michael :- Wilbur would be absolutely itching to get out
there right now to play, but wiser heads must
prevail, after a knee reco, you have to let it
run its course. The worst thing would be Wilbur
rushing back and doing it again, we need his
spirit and endeavour for the long haul
Rookies
1.
2.
3.
4.
ARRIVALS: Trades – Damien Hardwick (Essendon); Rookie – Dean Brogan,
Chris Hall; National Draft – Barry Brooks (Tassie Mariners),
Jared Poulton (Port Adelaide), Damon White (Perth)
DEPARTURES: Retired – Shane Bond; Delisted – Fabian Francis,
Mark Harwood, Brayden Lyle, Jared Poulton, Nathan Steinberner,
FROM ROOKIE LIST: Steven Brosnan #, Ben Hollands #
Okay okay, I'm biased about Port, I have Port blood, mixed with
scotch, flowing through my veins, but strike me dead, and colour me
purple, if the avove list is not one of the best accumulations of
footballing talent assembled in modern AFL history.
Some of the names are not the best known, some of the new talent is
yet to be tested, but there is all the elements of size, skill and
speed throughout the squad.
Add to that the ever important ingredients of experience and major
round disappointment, combined with a coaching panel which has been
drawn from the best model available, it all totals to what I see as a
successful campaign in 2002.
Yes, I'm old school Port Adelaide, success means only one thing, a
PREMIERSHIP.
PORT ADELAIDE
1. Ackland, Cain :- I like the idea of developing Cain as a key
forward, the game against the Eagles he looked
real good on the lead taking marks, as his body
matures he will better hold his pack position,
once this happens he will be regarded as a true
forward, 2002 will see his continued development
2. Bassett, Scott :- 2002 will be Scott's breakthrough year, Meady's
slowing down, and Paco's knee provide all the
opportunity that Scott has been looking for, he
will become a premier defender in the league
3. Bishop, Matthew :- Unfortunately for Matthew he doesn't quite have
the tools to become a consistent first 18 player,
he will be handy reserve type for us, to fill a
defensive hole when needed
4. Brogan, Dean :- The ruck diamonds just keep on showing up, raw, but
has aggression and not just a little skill. Not a
first pick ruckman, but still a valuable reserve
5. Brooks, Barry :- Welcome aboard BBBBB (Big Bad Bustling Barry
Brooks), you have got some of the better people
around you from whom you can learn valuable
lessons. A 198cm marking machine as a key forward
has some appeal to me.
6. Burgoyne, Peter :- If Peter ever figures out for himself that being
lazy is not the way to best utilise his silky
skills, he may end up being the dangerous small
forward/midfielder he promises to be. Someone
please give him a tape of Robert Harvey, showing
him the benefits of hard work
7. Burgoyne, Shane :- This is all education and character building for
Shane, he had the horrors with injury in 2001,
now has to re-build, prove his worth all over
again, if he has the intestinal fortitude for
that he will become another assest
8. Carr, Josh :- You just have to love this guy, built like a midget,
has all the fight of a Mike Tyson in him. Part of the
engine room, he collects scalps when shadowing like
the rest of us try to collect money. His goalkicking
is vastly under-rated
9. Cassisi, Domenic :- He will be involved in the battle to win a wing
following Flash's defection, looks to have the
tools and attitude, we definately make his debut
in season 2002, the rest is up to him
10. Cockatoo-Collins, Che :- Talk about a guy who had to re-invent
himself, lots of supporters, including me,
considered Che had done his dash, but 2001
proved what a rare talent he really is.
Another 40 odd goal tally will be just
what the doctor ordered
11. Cornes, Chad :- The role of third tall marking option up forward
suits Chad down to the ground, his marking and
distribution really came on strong in 2001. Goal
kicking does not seem to be a strength, but his
hard work makes up for that deficiency, plus we
now have greater options up forward
12. Cornes, Kane :- I haven't really settled in my mind where Kane's
best position is. So far they seem to be playing
him down back, but I have the nagging suspicion
that he could become one of the leagues premier
midfielders. He just looks to have that touch of
class and time that seperate the best from the
rest. Maybe not in 2002, but I do reckon he'll
get there
13. Dew, Stuart :- Stewy's talents are obvious for all to see,
unfortunately so are his liabilities. The
exponential increase in quality output he displayed
in 2001 though only whets the appetite for the
same to be delivered in 2002. If it comes to pass,
look out footy world, Stewy Dew will take it by
storm
14. Francou, Josh :- I am an unashamed Josh Francou fan, he is the
best in and under midfielder we have, no question.
His distribution skills however sometimes come
into question, in my opinion this aspect of his
game improved in 2001, he has grown into the role
of AFL footballer nicely, it suits him, Port
Adelaide suits him, and he suits Port Adelaide
very well
15. French, Barnaby :- That broken leg came at the wrong time for big
Barney, he had the perfect opportunity to cement
the number 2 rucking position for himself, now
have a look at his competition in the squad. He
a goer, never gives in, but doesn't quite have
the skill to make it as a key position player.
This fact will keep Barney as a darn good back
up player
16. Guerra, Brent :- Cut from the same diamond that gave us Josh Carr,
his hardness constantly surprises opponents, but
he is just not only a tough nut, he also has
exquisite skills. His versatility is a bonus for
us
17. Hall, Chris :- Supposed to be a little bundle of dynamite, I
haven't seen much of him yet, but if he is willing
to learn, he is at the right place, and at the
right time
18. Hardwick, Damien :- The best credentialled player acquired by any
club in the trading period, that speaks highly
of Damien considering the "name" players who
also swapped clubs via a trade. He is a
player's player, tough, hard, no nonsense, and
compliments our squad like a well worn glove
19. James, Roger :- Roger has worked incredibly hard to convert from a
good SANFL type to a fine AFL player. He has skills
the equal of anyone going around, and has the
ability to hide his deficiencies. One component of
one of the league's finest midfields
20. Kingsley, Adam :- A modern no fuss low maintainence player, does
his job, and does it bloody well. We have seen
his disposal skills improve every year he has
been with us
21. Koulouriotis, Paul :- There is no tomorrow for Koula, he must
produce in 2002 or he will fade away. AFL is
not kids footy, where natural ability will
make it all seem so easy for you, in the big
league you must combine that flair and
ability with damn hard work
22. Lade, Brendon :- A virtual new recruit, Ladey's just gotta get the
feel of it again, get his confidence back, and
have some ground time. When he does, a 199cm big
marking key forward has a certain appeal, and
frankly will scare the hell out of opposition
defences
23. Lockwood, Bowen :- Such a wasted talent, his back is a mess, but
does staying out all hours of the night at
clubs help the rehabilitation. On his final
chance, unfortunately I am not confident
24. Mead, Darren (v) :- Meady is all Port Adelaide, he loves the club,
and the club and its supporters love him. We
are seeing the wind down of his career now
though, a few times in 2001 he was left behind
by his opponent. This will happen more often
as time goes by, luckily we have the young
cattle who will cover his spot
25. Montgomery, Brett :- Talk about a guy who has made the most of his
abilities and opportunities. Now a valuable
link player, one who can cover down back, or
provide that little spark up forward, can't
figure out why the Doggies gave him up so
easily
26. Morgan, Adam :- There is no doubting Adam has the ability, does he
have the character and determination to make his
body right for the rigours of AFL footy? Only one
person can answer that, and that is Adam, he either
makes it in 2002 or he will be gone
27. Murray, Allan :- Like many other kids making the transition from
junior footy to the big league, Allan has found
the road a bit rocky so far. The knee injury did
not help either. He needs consistent time on the
ground producing quality output to take the next
step up to the AFL
28. Murray, Derek :- Derek has some admirable qualities, he tackles
like there is no tomorrow, he has pace, and he
can find the ball. He also has some problems, his
finishing is woeful, he is slow at decision making
and his disposal is sloppy. A fair challenge for
the coaching staff if they are to bring him up to
speed
29. Paxman, Stephen (v) :- Paco's knee injury just seemed to take the
wind from our sails in 2001, leaving us
becalmed as our adversaries went past. Our
depth quality will be tested in his absence,
however when he does return, we will have a
refreshed Paco eager to sample success
30. Poulton, Jared :- With Hardwick's recruitment Poults game time
looks to be limited, hence his initial delisting.
He has a warriors soul, tough and determined, but
he blazes away sometimes instead of creating
opportunities
31. Primus, Matthew (c) :- Captain Incredible, he is not quite like
any other ruckman I have seen play the game,
the closest I can come up with is Rick
Davies effort when he took us apart in the
1976 Grand Final. For such a huge man to
have the ground level impact he does is
frankly astounding. IMO the best captain
playing the game today
32. Schofield, Jarrad :- Schoey is not a hard in and under type, but
is an important part of the midfield rotation.
2001 was in some respects a breakthrough year
for Schoey, he went from being on the outer,
trade bait, to being a required player. One
of the better finishers in our team
33. Stevens, Michael :- I considered Michael lucky to survive the cut
this year, I also know that Macca is keen on
Michael's ability. He will need to make every
post a winner to survive past 2002, taking a
leaf from Poults book would do him no harm at
all, inheriting his hardness and determination
34. Stevens, Nick :- He's the Ferrari in the Port midfield, all class,
great skills, has time and vision to do real
damage to the opposition. Probably is the closest
Port has to a possible Brownlow medalist. Those
small lapses in discipline have also gone now
35. Thurstans, Toby :- Whenever I see Toby in the SANFL he looks a
player, and a pretty good one at that, guys his
size with skills just don't fall off trees,
although some may be thinking Port did find
just such a tree with our abundance of tall
riches. Along with Bassett I expect Toby to
step up to the league from the start of the
season
36. Tredrea, Warren :- All Australian CHF, has modelled his game on
Carey, has a huge physique, very strong body in
a contest and can take lots of contested marks.
There is no reason we cannot model our forward
structure around Tredders just like the Roos
did around Carey for all those years. Was also
great to see the kicking yips had pretty much
gone in 2001
37. Wakelin, Darryl :- Wakes had a great start to 2001, but form, and
ground time diminished as the season progressed.
Will be first choice full back with Paco side-
lined, he will again have the confidence of his
coach and team-mates, just has to hold onto
some of those big grabs
38. Wanganeen, Gavin :- Gav is one of the most complete of small
players I have ever seen, courage, skill, goal-
sense, speed, decision making and the freakish
ability to seemingly create time to let him do
his stuff with the footy. Now that his body is
sound anticipate another stellar season at any
position on the ground where the coach places
him
39. White, Damon :- Hard to comment as I know little about the lad,
except for the info in the AFL site Phantom Draft,
another tall and solid marking forward, who has
also played down back. Played in the WAFL this
season, so is obviously not over-awed by the
occasion. Sounds like a reasonable pick up
40. Wilson, Michael :- Wilbur would be absolutely itching to get out
there right now to play, but wiser heads must
prevail, after a knee reco, you have to let it
run its course. The worst thing would be Wilbur
rushing back and doing it again, we need his
spirit and endeavour for the long haul
Rookies
1.
2.
3.
4.
ARRIVALS: Trades – Damien Hardwick (Essendon); Rookie – Dean Brogan,
Chris Hall; National Draft – Barry Brooks (Tassie Mariners),
Jared Poulton (Port Adelaide), Damon White (Perth)
DEPARTURES: Retired – Shane Bond; Delisted – Fabian Francis,
Mark Harwood, Brayden Lyle, Jared Poulton, Nathan Steinberner,
FROM ROOKIE LIST: Steven Brosnan #, Ben Hollands #
Okay okay, I'm biased about Port, I have Port blood, mixed with
scotch, flowing through my veins, but strike me dead, and colour me
purple, if the avove list is not one of the best accumulations of
footballing talent assembled in modern AFL history.
Some of the names are not the best known, some of the new talent is
yet to be tested, but there is all the elements of size, skill and
speed throughout the squad.
Add to that the ever important ingredients of experience and major
round disappointment, combined with a coaching panel which has been
drawn from the best model available, it all totals to what I see as a
successful campaign in 2002.
Yes, I'm old school Port Adelaide, success means only one thing, a
PREMIERSHIP.