*PAFC*13
17 May 2006, 13:01
Facts don't lie, Power is soft
By MICHELANGELO RUCCI
17may06
PORT Adelaide's players are dealing with the biggest insult in AFL football - that they play soft.
They do not deny it.
And they cannot when statistics from the Power's first seven games this season give credence to this damning conclusion.
The Port players have won less contests and hard-ball gets than their rivals.
Against this backdrop, Port's training session at AAMI Stadium at 3pm today is again to be brutal, this time at the players' calling.
This can be taken as an admission that the Power players - who have won just 13 of 31 premiership matches since claiming the 2004 AFL flag - have self-analysed that their football has become soft.
"We have to bring aggression to the training track," emerging Power forward Damon White said yesterday. "We have to come to training willing to train like we want to play.
"Obviously, that may mean people will cop cut eyes (again)."
White yesterday drew the short straw of being the first Port player to carry the team's message to a frustrated supporter base in the aftermath of coach Mark Williams' state-of-the-club address on Monday.
In less public forums - that is said to have included an inevitable meeting of the team's leadership group on Monday - Port's players have concluded:
THEY MUST PLAY HARDER.
They dismiss they have no hard men since 2004 premiership players Josh Carr, Byron Pickett and Damian Hardwick have left the club and Michael Wilson has been limited by injury.
Rather, they admit they have stopped playing hard - perhaps a remnant of a premiership hangover.
THEY MUST NOT GIVE UP ON FINALS.
"The top eight is definitely still in our sights," said White. At 2-5, Port must win at least 10 of its next 15 matches to reach the AFL finals for the sixth consecutive year.
"The next match (with 2004 grand final opponent, Brisbane) is pretty important," added White. "The next three weeks are important for us."
Port plays bottom-eight clubs Brisbane (home), Essendon (Telstra Dome) and Carlton (Dome) in the next three weeks.
THE AGENDA.
"First," said White, "we must stick together. And we are a tight bunch. That will go a long way to getting some wins on the training track.
"(Second), we need to bring some aggression to the training track. And then, the 22 (picked to play Brisbane), have to bring that intensity on the weekend.
"We saw in the second quarter (against the Western Bulldogs) when we fought back, that if we play tough, if we have that intensity, if we tackle . . . we will get results.
"(Third), we need to get some wins on the board."
ON WILLIAMS.
Asked if Williams' call-it-as-it-is assessment of the Power on Monday had irritated the players, White said: "No, not at all."
Fellow forward Josh Mahoney said: "There are times that we all have to be told some home truths and we all have to be brave enough to face those times.
"Let it be known that nobody at the club is happy at the moment, nobody wants the club to be where it is, and we all are doing everything we can to turn our season around."
While Williams' frankness will not have appeal throughout a player group, one senior member of the Port team has privately applauded Williams for taking the debate out of the team room and into the public to test the players' pride.
White described Williams as a coach who instilled confidence throughout the player base.
ON THE PLAYER LIST.
It is, according to the players, under-performing rather than under-standard.
"We are more determined to get things right," said White. "This list is capable of doing so.
"As a player group, we are aware we need to turn things around. We're going to put things in place to do that."
First, the Power players must determine why they are failing - particularly with their lack of hardness at the football.
"If we could put a finger on what it is," said White, "we would not be in this situation. On the training track we will start putting things in place to turn it around."
Williams agrees - the hardness has gone
17may06
PORT Adelaide coach Mark Williams agrees - the Power has lost its hard edge.
Responding to Port supporters in his web forum, Williams accepts a fan's view that his players do not seem "to be committed to the hard things as in previous years" and have lost confidence.
Williams says: "Every time you lose and have a string of losses, it looks bad. Certainly the confidence isn't as high as when you win, there's no doubt about that. I'd agree that without question a lot of our hardness has gone out of our side. Starting with Matthew Primus, Roger James, Josh Francou, Byron Pickett, Damien Hardwick and Josh Carr.
"They're outstanding, hard players and are very hard to replace and we're looking at how we can do that as quickly as possible because we know that that's how we want to play at Port Adelaide."
Williams also responds to a supporter asking if he and his coaching staff are to blame for Port's slide, or the players. He says: "It's always been very much that we win together and lose together. No-one is dodging responsibility.
"We obviously don't have the same team as we have had in the past and we're trying to build a side that is very, very talented and able to stick at their tasks for a long time. At the moment we're not showing that."
The answer for all this... BRING IN MATTY THOMAS!!! :D
By MICHELANGELO RUCCI
17may06
PORT Adelaide's players are dealing with the biggest insult in AFL football - that they play soft.
They do not deny it.
And they cannot when statistics from the Power's first seven games this season give credence to this damning conclusion.
The Port players have won less contests and hard-ball gets than their rivals.
Against this backdrop, Port's training session at AAMI Stadium at 3pm today is again to be brutal, this time at the players' calling.
This can be taken as an admission that the Power players - who have won just 13 of 31 premiership matches since claiming the 2004 AFL flag - have self-analysed that their football has become soft.
"We have to bring aggression to the training track," emerging Power forward Damon White said yesterday. "We have to come to training willing to train like we want to play.
"Obviously, that may mean people will cop cut eyes (again)."
White yesterday drew the short straw of being the first Port player to carry the team's message to a frustrated supporter base in the aftermath of coach Mark Williams' state-of-the-club address on Monday.
In less public forums - that is said to have included an inevitable meeting of the team's leadership group on Monday - Port's players have concluded:
THEY MUST PLAY HARDER.
They dismiss they have no hard men since 2004 premiership players Josh Carr, Byron Pickett and Damian Hardwick have left the club and Michael Wilson has been limited by injury.
Rather, they admit they have stopped playing hard - perhaps a remnant of a premiership hangover.
THEY MUST NOT GIVE UP ON FINALS.
"The top eight is definitely still in our sights," said White. At 2-5, Port must win at least 10 of its next 15 matches to reach the AFL finals for the sixth consecutive year.
"The next match (with 2004 grand final opponent, Brisbane) is pretty important," added White. "The next three weeks are important for us."
Port plays bottom-eight clubs Brisbane (home), Essendon (Telstra Dome) and Carlton (Dome) in the next three weeks.
THE AGENDA.
"First," said White, "we must stick together. And we are a tight bunch. That will go a long way to getting some wins on the training track.
"(Second), we need to bring some aggression to the training track. And then, the 22 (picked to play Brisbane), have to bring that intensity on the weekend.
"We saw in the second quarter (against the Western Bulldogs) when we fought back, that if we play tough, if we have that intensity, if we tackle . . . we will get results.
"(Third), we need to get some wins on the board."
ON WILLIAMS.
Asked if Williams' call-it-as-it-is assessment of the Power on Monday had irritated the players, White said: "No, not at all."
Fellow forward Josh Mahoney said: "There are times that we all have to be told some home truths and we all have to be brave enough to face those times.
"Let it be known that nobody at the club is happy at the moment, nobody wants the club to be where it is, and we all are doing everything we can to turn our season around."
While Williams' frankness will not have appeal throughout a player group, one senior member of the Port team has privately applauded Williams for taking the debate out of the team room and into the public to test the players' pride.
White described Williams as a coach who instilled confidence throughout the player base.
ON THE PLAYER LIST.
It is, according to the players, under-performing rather than under-standard.
"We are more determined to get things right," said White. "This list is capable of doing so.
"As a player group, we are aware we need to turn things around. We're going to put things in place to do that."
First, the Power players must determine why they are failing - particularly with their lack of hardness at the football.
"If we could put a finger on what it is," said White, "we would not be in this situation. On the training track we will start putting things in place to turn it around."
Williams agrees - the hardness has gone
17may06
PORT Adelaide coach Mark Williams agrees - the Power has lost its hard edge.
Responding to Port supporters in his web forum, Williams accepts a fan's view that his players do not seem "to be committed to the hard things as in previous years" and have lost confidence.
Williams says: "Every time you lose and have a string of losses, it looks bad. Certainly the confidence isn't as high as when you win, there's no doubt about that. I'd agree that without question a lot of our hardness has gone out of our side. Starting with Matthew Primus, Roger James, Josh Francou, Byron Pickett, Damien Hardwick and Josh Carr.
"They're outstanding, hard players and are very hard to replace and we're looking at how we can do that as quickly as possible because we know that that's how we want to play at Port Adelaide."
Williams also responds to a supporter asking if he and his coaching staff are to blame for Port's slide, or the players. He says: "It's always been very much that we win together and lose together. No-one is dodging responsibility.
"We obviously don't have the same team as we have had in the past and we're trying to build a side that is very, very talented and able to stick at their tasks for a long time. At the moment we're not showing that."
The answer for all this... BRING IN MATTY THOMAS!!! :D