Do We Have The Hunger?

[MightyHawks]

This might sound like a strange question but I was at the Best & Fairest. Great night, a lot of "look where we've come from and where we are now" but none of the famous 2003 Gavin Wanganeen speech where he implored his teammates to help him get another flag. He was desperate for success.

Since Ken has arrived we have progressed in one direction. We have got a young squad who have now demonstrated that we are the real deal. We have the talent, the fitness, the coaching resources to get us to the top of the mountain but do we have the desperation and hunger. It doesn't come automatically- Fremantle couldn't muster it in the second half against us.

I've said elsewhere, I think this squad is better equipped than the 2002-2005 squad, has more talent and a better coaching team. Two things are needed- luck and hunger. The one thing 2004 had was a burning need to redeem themselves- prove they weren't chokers etc. They also had the clock turning against them in terms of age and had been stung by the departure of Stevens.
They had it all to prove and they were hungry to prove it.

Does 2015 have any of that?

You guys clearly have a well run club and the list looks like it has the ability to challenge for the flag in 2015

Regarding the hunger, It's a great question and we'll certainly find out next year.

I don't believe Hawthorn would have gone back-to-back (probably would've lost both Prelims) without the hurt from both 2011 and 2012 driving them

When watching Ken Hinkley's press conference after the Prelim his message seemed to be about where the club had come from and that they now had the respect back from the rest of the competition. This is of course completely correct - Port do have the respect of the competition, but I noticed it was a massive contrast to Clarko's famous words after the 2011 Prelim loss to Collingwood

"The bottom line is we weren't tough enough, hard enough for long enough. We learnt a pretty fatal lesson as a result of it."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-24/hawks-just-werent-hard-enough-says-clarkson/2940728

Would be interesting to know what was said to the players behind closed doors after the Prelim loss this year

All the best for 2015

 

[shewho]

Everyone here just assumes we have the hunger. It's just not that automatic and easy. 18 teams want to win the flag, each one trains for 10 months, each one is hungry.

What I'm questioning is that really burning desire. Often it's the desire to prove people wrong. It doesn't have to be but 2004 had it and by the post above Hawthorn have had it.

No doubt we are professional and driven. That alone doesn't answer the question I tried to ask.

 

[PAFC04]

Ken Hinkley doesn't strike me as a man who'll ever be happy with third.

Ken will only be happy once he has the cup aloft with Boak!!

I think one main thing that will burning in the players mind is the opportunity missed against the Hawks.

2015 will be the year to truely impose ourselves as a premiership contender with the odds in our favour after 15 rounds.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Boak Does

 

[Lambot]

Deep fried dicks?

 

[Upgrayedd]

Funnily enough i was screaming at him to do something similar during the pf

 

[Gray matters]

You guys clearly have a well run club and the list looks like it has the ability to challenge for the flag in 2015

Regarding the hunger, It's a great question and we'll certainly find out next year.

I don't believe Hawthorn would have gone back-to-back (probably would've lost both Prelims) without the hurt from both 2011 and 2012 driving them

When watching Ken Hinkley's press conference after the Prelim his message seemed to be about where the club had come from and that they now had the respect back from the rest of the competition. This is of course completely correct - Port do have the respect of the competition, but I noticed it was a massive contrast to Clarko's famous words after the 2011 Prelim loss to Collingwood

"The bottom line is we weren't tough enough, hard enough for long enough. We learnt a pretty fatal lesson as a result of it."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-24/hawks-just-werent-hard-enough-says-clarkson/2940728

Would be interesting to know what was said to the players behind closed doors after the Prelim loss this year

All the best for 2015

And the next year after saying that you lost in the gf, talk is cheap

 

[aussielondon]

Mate I know I got the hunger.... for 2 lamb steaks I'm about too cook rare with chips..

Seriously though... we don't need "hunger", as we bascailly have the best side in the comp, and we play as a team, I think alot rests on how long Ryder/Monfries get banned (along with the other Essendon players) as this clearly will affect us, but I think as long as they are back in time for September (or preferably a few rounds before the end of the season so they can get adjusted) then we are fine for the premiership.

 

[aussielondon]

Boak Does

That's weak man... you need some steaks and lamb cooked rare or med-rare and prawns and scallops and oysters! BOOM!

 

[aussielondon]

You guys clearly have a well run club and the list looks like it has the ability to challenge for the flag in 2015

Regarding the hunger, It's a great question and we'll certainly find out next year.

I don't believe Hawthorn would have gone back-to-back (probably would've lost both Prelims) without the hurt from both 2011 and 2012 driving them

When watching Ken Hinkley's press conference after the Prelim his message seemed to be about where the club had come from and that they now had the respect back from the rest of the competition. This is of course completely correct - Port do have the respect of the competition, but I noticed it was a massive contrast to Clarko's famous words after the 2011 Prelim loss to Collingwood

"The bottom line is we weren't tough enough, hard enough for long enough. We learnt a pretty fatal lesson as a result of it."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-24/hawks-just-werent-hard-enough-says-clarkson/2940728

Would be interesting to know what was said to the players behind closed doors after the Prelim loss this year

All the best for 2015

Thanks mate, look also I don't blame umpiring or anything for our 3 point loss to you guys.... basically footballs a simple game and we should have kicked straighter if we wanted a reason to complain, but we can't complain as we kicked shocking in that prelim vs you guys.

At the end of the day you scored more than we did, so you won, and that's how sport works for well over 100 years (well except golf lol)

Anyway I really would like to meet Hawthorn in the Grand Final and hope we don't meet before as it will be a proper epic Grand Final of the ages, and Buddy Franklin can watch the Grand Final from his multi-million dollar apartment in his Sydney home on TV

 

[MightyHawks]

And the next year after saying that you lost in the gf, talk is cheap

Yep. Though we haven't lost a Prelim since we lost to Collingwood in 2011 & we haven't lost a Grand Final since we lost to the Swans in 2012

I was rapt with the attitude my club had after the 2011 Prelim Final, and again after 2012, and again after winning in 2013 and losing Buddy

We learnt our lessons

I'm sure Ken Hinkley has been saying different things behind closed doors, but even with the right attitude, premierships are hard to win

It's a critical question of your playing group - did it hurt enough? are they hungry enough?

In 2013 you went beyond all expectations, won a final and were highly competitive against the Cats

In 2014, you weren't expected to finish top 4, a lot of people had you missing the finals, yet again you had a terrific finals series answering all the critics

For 2015 the football world rates Port as one of the 3 best teams in the comp which means teams are doing their homework on you and you'll have a harder fixture. If your players expect that getting into another Prelim will just happen so you can go one (or two) steps further then you won't

Thanks mate, look also I don't blame umpiring or anything for our 3 point loss to you guys.... basically footballs a simple game and we should have kicked straighter if we wanted a reason to complain, but we can't complain as we kicked shocking in that prelim vs you guys.

At the end of the day you scored more than we did, so you won, and that's how sport works for well over 100 years (well except golf lol)

Anyway I really would like to meet Hawthorn in the Grand Final and hope we don't meet before as it will be a proper epic Grand Final of the ages, and Buddy Franklin can watch the Grand Final from his multi-million dollar apartment in his Sydney home on TV

Prelim finals are always would've should've could've etc...

It'll be very interesting to see how you go in the next few years.

Your 2013-14 years are very similar to two sides who'd missed the finals for a few years previously
Hawthorn 2000-2001 who then went nowhere
Geelong 2004-2005 who then missed the finals in 06 before dominating for years

I'd love to play you in the 2015 Grand Final. It'd be an absolute cracker of a match, but so much has to go right for both our sides simply to make the top 4, let alone win the flag

Any Port supporters getting carried away it's worth noting that in the last 40 or so years only one side has lost a narrow Preliminary Final and then gone on to win the flag the following year (Bombers in 1999-2000)

And any Hawks supporters thinking its all going to happen... Of the last 6 sides to go back to back only Brisbane turned it into a threepeat. Richmond 1973-74, Carlton 1981-2, Essendon 1984-5 and Hawthorn 1988-9 all scraped into into the finals the next year and were eliminated in the first week. Adelaide 1997-8 even missed the finals the next year.

Best of luck for 2015 - I hear we might be playing you on ANZAC Day next year at Adelaide Oval - that'd be something to look forward to

 

[Noobz0r]

Everyone here just assumes we have the hunger. It's just not that automatic and easy. 18 teams want to win the flag, each one trains for 10 months, each one is hungry.

What I'm questioning is that really burning desire. Often it's the desire to prove people wrong. It doesn't have to be but 2004 had it and by the post above Hawthorn have had it.

No doubt we are professional and driven. That alone doesn't answer the question I tried to ask.

It's a question we can't answer until the time comes.

 

[aussielondon]

Yep. Though we haven't lost a Prelim since we lost to Collingwood in 2011 & we haven't lost a Grand Final since we lost to the Swans in 2012

I was rapt with the attitude my club had after the 2011 Prelim Final, and again after 2012, and again after winning in 2013 and losing Buddy

We learnt our lessons

I'm sure Ken Hinkley has been saying different things behind closed doors, but even with the right attitude, premierships are hard to win

It's a critical question of your playing group - did it hurt enough? are they hungry enough?

In 2013 you went beyond all expectations, won a final and were highly competitive against the Cats

In 2014, you weren't expected to finish top 4, a lot of people had you missing the finals, yet again you had a terrific finals series answering all the critics

For 2015 the football world rates Port as one of the 3 best teams in the comp which means teams are doing their homework on you and you'll have a harder fixture. If your players expect that getting into another Prelim will just happen so you can go one (or two) steps further then you won't



Prelim finals are always would've should've could've etc...

It'll be very interesting to see how you go in the next few years.

Your 2013-14 years are very similar to two sides who'd missed the finals for a few years previously
Hawthorn 2000-2001 who then went nowhere
Geelong 2004-2005 who then missed the finals in 06 before dominating for years

I'd love to play you in the 2015 Grand Final. It'd be an absolute cracker of a match, but so much has to go right for both our sides simply to make the top 4, let alone win the flag

Any Port supporters getting carried away it's worth noting that in the last 40 or so years only one side has lost a narrow Preliminary Final and then gone on to win the flag the following year (Bombers in 1999-2000)

And any Hawks supporters thinking its all going to happen... Of the last 6 sides to go back to back only Brisbane turned it into a threepeat. Richmond 1973-74, Carlton 1981-2, Essendon 1984-5 and Hawthorn 1988-9 all scraped into into the finals the next year and were eliminated in the first week. Adelaide 1997-8 even missed the finals the next year.

Best of luck for 2015 - I hear we might be playing you on ANZAC Day next year at Adelaide Oval - that'd be something to look forward to

History is kind of useless when it comes to those records, as anything can happen really.
Also if we can play Ryder and Monfries it will change alot... but the wildcard factor is that if Ryder and Monfries are banned for X amount of time, lets say 6 months then we could lose a few games..... this could put us into say 4th or 5th or such and we may meet you before the Grand Final (it's all random really) but if we got those players back then we don't care if we play on the moon, we believe we can win on any ground, and all champion teams in any sport do not fear playing away.
--Anyway as we are a non-Victorian side, by default we have to play the grand Final interstate at the MCG even if we had a season winning every match, so we playing away should scare no side that's serious for the flag.

How come you think the Hawks won't get top 2 on the ladder on 2015?
Seriously who are the other real contenders?
Sydney are good but we can beat them and so can you as you showed in the Grand Final (Thanks for that win as I bet money on the Hawks in the Grand Final and I spent the winning taking the missus out to a posh dinner haha).

They should line us up for Anzac day, that would be epic!
Your boys are alright with that though and with the crowd noise, as it would be a sell out if we were playing vs Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on ANZAC day for sure!

 

[MightyHawks]

History is kind of useless when it comes to those records, as anything can happen really.
Also if we can play Ryder and Monfries it will change alot... but the wildcard factor is that if Ryder and Monfries are banned for X amount of time, lets say 6 months then we could lose a few games..... this could put us into say 4th or 5th or such and we may meet you before the Grand Final (it's all random really) but if we got those players back then we don't care if we play on the moon, we believe we can win on any ground, and all champion teams in any sport do not fear playing away.
--Anyway as we are a non Victorian side, by default we have to play the grand Final at the MCG even if we had a season winning every match, so we playing away should scare no side that's serious for the flag.

How come you think the Hawks won't get top 2 on the ladder on 2015?
Seriously who are the other real contenders?
Sydney are good but we can beat them and so can you as you showed in the Grand Final (Thanks for that win as I bet money on the Hawks in the Grand Final and I spent the winning taking the missus out to a posh dinner haha).

Ryder & Monfries will definitely be banned for Round 1 - if you need proof have a look at who the Bombers play in Round 1 lol

History isn't useless, it often repeats...

Most premiership sides are finals hardened, driven to succeed by the pain of previous failed campaigns

I'm happy to declare that Hawthorn should be favourites for 2015 - I'm not really going out on a limb there as we've won the last two flags

However, $4 is probably the right odds for us - a 1 in 4 chance - a lot has to go right for us to win the flag & a big question is are the boys still hungry enough for more success

In regards to Port, I'd have you as second favourites with the Swans third.

But don't discount Fremantle, they missed their flight to Sydney in the Qualifying Final, were missing key players, playing at an unfamilar venue, had a tough run with the umpires etc. If they'd won that one then they'd have been in another Grand Final

Wouldn't worry about the Home Ground advantage at the MCG on Grand Final Day. History shows that Non-Victorian teams have won more than they've lost against Victorian sides.

 

[Kingfish73]

Without question.Ken is a motivator, massive competitor and loves port adelaide. His coaching and leadership group are focused and know it takes hard hard work. Then more. Then you have trav, a leaders leader

 

[Portology]

Hungry is a trite metaphor. Most clubs are happy subsisting on nuts and berries (="we exist to make finals").

The point of the typical failed first hunt for Big Game is not that you're left hungrier or weaker by it, it's that you learned to ****ing well hunt better and smarter the only way it can happen - by ****ing well choosing to be in a ****ing Big Game hunt in the first place.

Excuse me while I go order some raw meat for lunch.

 

[Janey]

I have heard Ken talk about being involved in three losing Grand Finals and about the year that Geelong only lost two games all year, one of them was the GF. he knows absolutely that you can never take anything for granted in this game. I think he will have instilled that into the players as best he can. I think if we don't do well next season it is more likely to be a result of other things outside of our control.

 

[Gray matters]

Ryder & Monfries will definitely be banned for Round 1 - if you need proof have a look at who the Bombers play in Round 1 lol

History isn't useless, it often repeats...

Most premiership sides are finals hardened, driven to succeed by the pain of previous failed campaigns

I'm happy to declare that Hawthorn should be favourites for 2015 - I'm not really going out on a limb there as we've won the last two flags

However, $4 is probably the right odds for us - a 1 in 4 chance - a lot has to go right for us to win the flag & a big question is are the boys still hungry enough for more success

In regards to Port, I'd have you as second favourites with the Swans third.

But don't discount Fremantle, they missed their flight to Sydney in the Qualifying Final, were missing key players, playing at an unfamilar venue, had a tough run with the umpires etc. If they'd won that one then they'd have been in another Grand Final

Wouldn't worry about the Home Ground advantage at the MCG on Grand Final Day. History shows that Non-Victorian teams have won more than they've lost against Victorian sides.

Yeah really thought freo were gonna grab it this year, will just make them even hungrier next year. If they have a bit more luck and stay injury free they'd be my tip before anyone

 

[DragoonCody]

For 2015 the football world rates Port as one of the 3 best teams in the comp which means teams are doing their homework on you

This weird sentiment has kept showing up over and over for the last two years - the idea that we won in early 2013 because we surprised the other teams but we can't win now because the coaches will "do their homework" next time. It hasn't been true for the last year and a half and it won't be true next year.

The reason we finished fifth and then won two finals and nearly knocked off the premiers in the prelim wasn't because the opposing coaches decided to binge-watch anime instead of studying for our matches. It was because for each match both teams studied each other then Port Adelaide came out on top.

 

[Adz2332]

A crows supporter at work just reminded me they were one kick away from a grandfinal to... and never seen again...

 

[MightyHawks]

This weird sentiment has kept showing up over and over for the last two years - the idea that we won in early 2013 because we surprised the other teams but we can't win now because the coaches will "do their homework" next time. It hasn't been true for the last year and a half and it won't be true next year.

The reason we finished fifth and then won two finals and nearly knocked off the premiers in the prelim wasn't because the opposing coaches decided to binge-watch anime instead of studying for our matches. It was because for each match both teams studied each other then Port Adelaide came out on top.

I'm not sure anyone has said that you can't win because other teams will put more work into your game plan etc...

But I'm sure that Ken Hinkley is smart enough to realise that other teams will do more homework on Port

There are reasons why plenty of teams have one or two good years and then slide back down the ladder

You've talked up Ports efforts in the finals this year - as I have in earlier posts... However, Fremantle would probably say they wish they were at full strength in the semi final & Hawthorn would probably say they got 5 goals up and put the cue in the rack & the Swans probably wish you had knocked us off in the Prelim. There's always two sides to it

There's no question that Port are rated more highly than they were earlier in the year or at any stage last year.

Port will need to improve in 2015 just to make it back to a Prelim. I expect you will improve and will be top 4 again next year. Interesting that you seem to think it'll just happen...

 

[DragoonCody]

I'm not sure anyone has said that you can't win because other teams will put more work into your game plan etc...

Whenever we lose a few games a bunch of people jump in to suggest that we've been "found out" because teams have "done their research now".

It's not that I think a prelim will happen by default, it's that I think it's strange for other teams to wait until the third year of success (fifth 2013, third 2014) to "do their homework" on Port Adelaide. Surely any team whose coaches who aren't dedicated to getting all the necessary data on their opponents should be fired? We only have 18 teams in the league and at the very least anyone who isn't doing their research on any of the top 8 isn't doing their job.

Unless my image of what the coaching team does is way off, I'm not sure I put any weight into this idea of "homework".

 

[Powerade 08]

I'm not sure anyone has said that you can't win because other teams will put more work into your game plan etc...

But I'm sure that Ken Hinkley is smart enough to realise that other teams will do more homework on Port

There are reasons why plenty of teams have one or two good years and then slide back down the ladder

You've talked up Ports efforts in the finals this year - as I have in earlier posts... However, Fremantle would probably say they wish they were at full strength in the semi final & Hawthorn would probably say they got 5 goals up and put the cue in the rack & the Swans probably wish you had knocked us off in the Prelim. There's always two sides to it

There's no question that Port are rated more highly than they were earlier in the year or at any stage last year.

Port will need to improve in 2015 just to make it back to a Prelim. I expect you will improve and will be top 4 again next year. Interesting that you seem to think it'll just happen...

Ah yes the old Port will get found out when they play a game that matters trick

jog on...

 

[Dylan8]

This season we supposedly would be found out due to 'teams doing their homework' and 'a harder draw' which turned into 'you have an easy draw' six rounds in and apparently - I'm just finding out now - that teams weren't looking at how to stop us this year either.

What a load of wank.

 

[Power freak 2008]

The turn around has been built on hard work. That will never stop. In fact the playing group have vowed to work harder after the prelim loss.It's the culture of the club that has changed. They are steeling themselves for an even harder preseason. They know what it took to get where they did last year and it still wasn't good enough. I hope the other clubs under-estimate how committed this group, coaching staff, players and fitness coach are to getting that flag.