Opinion Favourite season supporting Port Adelaide

[Ford Fairlane]

Paul Roos was our Darth Vader in 2014. He showed the rest of the competition that if you jammed up our midfield we couldn't play our free-wheeling high scoring football. After scraping home against Melbourne at Traeger Park our season unravelled for the next couple of months.

We came back to life in finals, mainly playing teams that didn't sacrifice their game to nullify ours, but in the end kicked ourselves out of the prelim final.

Then Phil Walsh moved on from Port and left to his own devices Hinkley tried to invent a new defensive game plan that couldn't be undone by Roos-type tactics. And didn't that turn out well?

2014 was great fun up til that game against Melbourne, even for a few weeks after.

 

[Lefti93]

2013 was fun because of no expectation. 2014 was a roller-coaster, enjoyable but had it's frustrations.

 

[elbarton]

2004 was low key goated when winning premierships was the vibe

 

[Contested Marx]

2007

 

[simba_]

2004 was low key goated when winning premierships was the vibe

Excuse me?

 

[Marmozet]

Friendly reminder that the one season that Hinkley is still given all of his credit for was literally 10 years ago!

 

[Marmozet]

It’s so weird to look back on 2013 & 2014 now because we used to love Ken Hinkley

 

[silverfingers]

2014 annoys me, we went from 10 and 1 and flying (2 games clear on top of the ladder) to 12 and 7 and then ultimately missing the top 4. Yeah we had a mini comeback in finals but ultimately s**t the bed again in the prelim despite having 7 more scoring shots. There were some fond memories that year but it was the all too familiar roller coaster ride of getting your hopes up and then losing it in an instance.

s**t the bed is harsh. Played a very good Hawks side, lost by a few points, got a holding the ball against us (Hodge) that was garbage, then missed a shot on goal after the siren because we didn't get the exact same holding the ball paid.

 

[silverfingers]

Paul Roos was our Darth Vader in 2014. He showed the rest of the competition that if you jammed up our midfield we couldn't play our free-wheeling high scoring football. After scraping home against Melbourne at Traeger Park our season unravelled for the next couple of months.

We came back to life in finals, mainly playing teams that didn't sacrifice their game to nullify ours, but in the end kicked ourselves out of the prelim final.

Then Phil Walsh moved on from Port and left to his own devices Hinkley tried to invent a new defensive game plan that couldn't be undone by Roos-type tactics. And didn't that turn out well?

2014 was great fun up til that game against Melbourne, even for a few weeks after.

Walsh was the real genius in the coaching box.

 

[JimmyBC]

The Kenny Years. I can't pick a favourite they've all been like rainbows in a black 'n white rank arena world. We don't deserve him.

 

[Portology]

1980 was awesome, 1988 the really enjoyable "Jack's back" season after a wobbly half decade but it's impossible to go past 1990 for the "unique blend" of unstoppable footy and historic vibe.

2004 as posted earlier - lovely in retrospect once the GF was in our hands and the angst of three years of missed opportunity turned into relief. 2007 was an unexpected ride... ditto 2014 albeit less "unexpected"... the sad thing about 2020 and 2021 is that I let myself start to believe at times and ultimately "got what I deserve". Sure 2020 was a tossup like 2014 but I can't bring myself to say I enjoyed it near as much. Can't let go because genuinely, permanently "rusted on" but struggle to enjoy our footy now because I just don't trust our club as it is.

 

[Chewy316]

Definitely 2004 for me. The only time I was legitimately nervous that season was the prelim. Otherwise, I had never been more confident in a footy team.

I enjoyed 2013 because of the sheer surprise of it all and the style was exciting. It was different and unapologetically pushing boundaries. Then in 2014 they took it to another level again and Port games at Adelaide Oval were the hottest ticket in the country.

I also enjoyed 2020 because it was a unique season that required immense adaptation from each team. Didn't get the result in the end but that year I felt Port were the best team in the comp and I still feel that way now.

 

[Jojay]

It's 1990 all day everyday. What a ride that year was. Watershed year in every possible sense.

 

[tribey]

For me it was 1992. We were miles ahead of the rest and you knew we’d win the flag very early on.

Imagine if Hodges and Brown were properly available and not AFL part-timers.

 

[JimmyBC]

Imagine if Hodges and Brown were properly available and not AFL part-timers.

David Brown another one who Wrinkles burn't quality prime years by playing him in drip roles.

He'd be a 200 AFL gamer going on his short stint with us at the level.

 

[tribey]

David Brown another one who Wrinkles burn't quality prime years by playing him in drip roles.

He'd be a 200 AFL gamer going on his short stint with us at the level.

100%

 

[Us against the rest]

The 1990 & 2004 for obvious reasons.

 

[raptalia]

No contest, 1980 without doubt. League went top, Reserves went top, Russell won his fourth Magarey, Tim Evans set a new goal kicking record, Port won the Stanley H. Lewis Memorial Trophy. The League side only lost 2 games for the year, it was very enjoyable watching that.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

No contest, 1980 without doubt. League went top, Reserves went top, Russell won his fourth Magarey, Tim Evans set a new goal kicking record, Port won the Stanley H. Lewis Memorial Trophy. The League side only lost 2 games for the year, it was very enjoyable watching that.

I was sure you would have nominated 1914

 

[1954]

After the disappointment of 1966, 67, 68, 71, and 72, plus the unlosable gf of 1976, and I was in attendance for all of them the 1977 gf win was an absolute relief, but it was also a time of great celebration for me and mine that all was right with the world and the Maggies were back where they belonged, so that season is still my favourite amongst many.

 

[raptalia]

I was sure you would have nominated 1914

Yes, things were going OK back in '14 until someone shot a bloody Archduke somewhere in the Balkans. Getting shot in the Balkans sounds pretty painful.



Couldn't find my 1914 Membership Ticket but I located my 1909 Membership.

 

[raptalia]

After the disappointment of 1966, 67, 68, 71, and 72, plus the unlosable gf of 1976, and I was in attendance for all of them the 1977 gf win was an absolute relief, but it was also a time of great celebration for me and mine that all was right with the world and the Maggies were back where they belonged, so that season is still my favourite amongst many.

Ah, thank you 1954, the '77 GF I remember it well. Was it Kim Kinnear who had a painkiller jab at half time to keep him on the park and I think Jack moved Echo from the back pocket to half forward and he kicked a couple of vital goals. We do not see inspirational moves like that these days. For me a stand out feature of the game was that Randal Gerlach took on Wayne Phillis in the ruck and they went at it all game. Did Tony Hannan fly in from Whyalla for that game? I remember in the last quarter Bucky Cunningham had a shot at goal in the scoreboard pocket right on the boundary and I said to fellow watcher, 'if Bucky kicks this we will win'. Bucky threaded it as only Bucky could and we won. I know exactly how you felt as we had been in the wilderness for 12 long years and the next day the Premiership Pennant was stuck behind the bar in the clubhouse. I got a shiver up my spine when it first saw it it was as if the Holy Grail had return to Alberton. Back then we thought 12 years was a long time between drinks but 2024 marks 20 years since we had a flag in senior footy.

Another great Grand Final win was 1994 when Torrens had us on toast in the first quarter until Timmy Ginever had a shot on goal from the Members pocket. Jumped in the air for some impetus and slotted the goal and our comeback had started. Scott Hodges was unbelievable in the last quarter and I think he may have kicked five goals in that quarter.

Of course in my favorite season of 1980 the stand out event was Bruce Abernethy's tackle on Graham Dunstan in the last quarter as Dunstan looked certain to goal and give Norwood a handy break but Abba gave it every thing held on and it was baaaall.

Even further back was the 1965 Grand Final when we won despite the best efforts of one Kenneth George Cunningham. KG gave Sturt every thing that day and in one half of footy we got just four free kicks!!! Sturt back pocket Brenton Adcock had three or four running shots in the last quarter and missed them all and we won by a handfull of points. Adcock tried to make a hero of himself and ****ed it up. It was a good thing we won that day as Sturt went on to win the next five in a row and would have matched our six straight. I watched that game from the terraces in front of the Vic Richardson gates where a multi story grand stand now stands.

More misty water coloured memories of the way we were.

 

[PowerLil]

Ah, thank you 1954, the '77 GF I remember it well. Was it Kim Kinnear who had a painkiller jab at half time to keep him on the park and I think Jack moved Echo from the back pocket to half forward and he kicked a couple of vital goals. We do not see inspirational moves like that these days. For me a stand out feature of the game was that Randal Gerlach took on Wayne Phillis in the ruck and they went at it all game. Did Tony Hannan fly in from Whyalla for that game? I remember in the last quarter Bucky Cunningham had a shot at goal in the scoreboard pocket right on the boundary and I said to fellow watcher, 'if Bucky kicks this we will win'. Bucky threaded it as only Bucky could and we won. I know exactly how you felt as we had been in the wilderness for 12 long years and the next day the Premiership Pennant was stuck behind the bar in the clubhouse. I got a shiver up my spine when it first saw it it was as if the Holy Grail had return to Alberton. Back then we thought 12 years was a long time between drinks but 2024 marks 20 years since we had a flag in senior footy.

Another great Grand Final win was 1994 when Torrens had us on toast in the first quarter until Timmy Ginever had a shot on goal from the Members pocket. Jumped in the air for some impetus and slotted the goal and our comeback had started. Scott Hodges was unbelievable in the last quarter and I think he may have kicked five goals in that quarter.

Of course in my favorite season of 1980 the stand out event was Bruce Abernethy's tackle on Graham Dunstan in the last quarter as Dunstan looked certain to goal and give Norwood a handy break but Abba gave it every thing held on and it was baaaall.

Even further back was the 1965 Grand Final when we won despite the best efforts of one Kenneth George Cunningham. KG gave Sturt every thing that day and in one half of footy we got just four free kicks!!! Sturt back pocket Brenton Adcock had three or four running shots in the last quarter and missed them all and we won by a handfull of points. Adcock tried to make a hero of himself and ****ed it up. It was a good thing we won that day as Sturt went on to win the next five in a row and would have matched our six straight. I watched that game from the terraces in front of the Vic Richardson gates where a multi story grand stand now stands.

More misty water coloured memories of the way we were.

Kym Kinnear was knocked out early and went off on a stretcher.

 

[raptalia]

Kym Kinnear was knocked out early and went off on a stretcher.

Of course in those days there was no head injury assessment.

 

[Portmagpies36]

The 1980’s side was a machine. I was a kid back then listening to games on the radio. Most commentators would refer to the team as the most disciplined and unrelenting side they’d seen. Norwood did extraordinarily well to push us in the GF.

100%, I was 15 and went every week if we didn’t win by 60+ I was actually a bit disappointed.