Let's talk Ports!

Remove this Banner Ad

Status
Not open for further replies.
One thing that's been puzzling me a lot about 2015 compared to 2014 at Port Adelaide.
I realise I'm not the youngest brain in the trust, and so I do my best to limit myself to thinking logically. It takes less effort, and next day I can usually remember what it was I'd been thinking about the day before...

We brought in Paddy Ryder. Right? I seem to recall it was a big deal that we get Paddy Ryder, as none of the players were allowed to come up to Hong Kong for the Grand Final Lunch at HKFC like they had the year before (2013), when Toms Jonas and Logan flew up and made a hit. Last year, so I was told, all the players had to be on hand at Alberton for the the three days Paddy Ryder was being courted. It was a team thing, bonding, inseparability, etc... and it worked. We got Paddy Ryder.

Now, the reason we went to such extremes to get him is because he's a tall bloke. Right? He's athletic, can jump, can take marks and kick goals. Right? And because all through 2014 we turned our gonads into twisties worrying about the Lobster going down. What do we do if we have no ruckman? End of the world stuff. There was no backup. Renouf was a French colloquialism for useless, Redden was down all year, and there was nobody else. Jacko and Hoff helped out when Lobster needed a rest (and did it well).

Net result was that Lobster did not go down, and we went through the year with an extra runner among the 18 on the field. I say again: on the field. We ran all over the place, most of the time, had impressive stats most of the place, and nearly won the Preliminary Final.

2015. In comes tall athletic Paddy. Now we don't have to worry about Lobster going down because, if he does, we've got Paddy. We don't have to worry about Lobster burning out because we've got Paddy. We've got the ruck combination that's going to win the flag. We don't need Jacko and Hoff to take relief shifts in the ruck, because we've got Paddy.

Here comes what's puzzling me.
We're playing Paddy and Lobster on the field together most of the time, right? So we're one runner down and one tall up, most of the time.
There's a lot of talk about this new set-up, about how the 18 on the field have to adjust to having Paddy on the field with Lobster, and Hoff especially having difficulty adjusting. Hoff doesn't know what his role is. Last year it was easy, he was a Key Tall. Now there's this Paddy guy taking up his space... and we're one runner down.
Hushed voices are even being overheard speculating that getting Paddy in this year is the cause of our form woes.
Naw, that's illogical. Right?

But why do Paddy and Lobster have to be on the ground at the same time, most of the time ?

Why don't they interchange, one for the other, each spending 60% of the game on the ground, 40% on the bench? They'll be fresher all through the season, we'll have the extra runner on the ground more of the time (one less on the bench), Hoff will be Happy Key Tall again, and it'll be like 2014 again.
Set-up solved.
Or am I being too logical?

(I expect someone to come up with stats that prove the 60/40 thing is already happening, somebody else to tell me that we can't have one space on the bench occupied by a tall while the sub rule remains in place... Okay, go for it. Solve the puzzle.)
 
Lockhart Road said:
One thing that's been puzzling me a lot about 2015 compared to 2014 at Port Adelaide.
I realise I'm not the youngest brain in the trust, and so I do my best to limit myself to thinking logically. It takes less effort, and next day I can usually remember what it was I'd been thinking about the day before...

We brought in Paddy Ryder. Right? I seem to recall it was a big deal that we get Paddy Ryder, as none of the players were allowed to come up to Hong Kong for the Grand Final Lunch at HKFC like they had the year before (2013), when Toms Jonas and Logan flew up and made a hit. Last year, so I was told, all the players had to be on hand at Alberton for the the three days Paddy Ryder was being courted. It was a team thing, bonding, inseparability, etc... and it worked. We got Paddy Ryder.

Now, the reason we went to such extremes to get him is because he's a tall bloke. Right? He's athletic, can jump, can take marks and kick goals. Right? And because all through 2014 we turned our gonads into twisties worrying about the Lobster going down. What do we do if we have no ruckman? End of the world stuff. There was no backup. Renouf was a French colloquialism for useless, Redden was down all year, and there was nobody else. Jacko and Hoff helped out when Lobster needed a rest (and did it well).

Net result was that Lobster did not go down, and we went through the year with an extra runner among the 18 on the field. I say again: on the field. We ran all over the place, most of the time, had impressive stats most of the place, and nearly won the Preliminary Final.

2015. In comes tall athletic Paddy. Now we don't have to worry about Lobster going down because, if he does, we've got Paddy. We don't have to worry about Lobster burning out because we've got Paddy. We've got the ruck combination that's going to win the flag. We don't need Jacko and Hoff to take relief shifts in the ruck, because we've got Paddy.

Here comes what's puzzling me.
We're playing Paddy and Lobster on the field together most of the time, right? So we're one runner down and one tall up, most of the time.
There's a lot of talk about this new set-up, about how the 18 on the field have to adjust to having Paddy on the field with Lobster, and Hoff especially having difficulty adjusting. Hoff doesn't know what his role is. Last year it was easy, he was a Key Tall. Now there's this Paddy guy taking up his space... and we're one runner down.
Hushed voices are even being overheard speculating that getting Paddy in this year is the cause of our form woes.
Naw, that's illogical. Right?

But why do Paddy and Lobster have to be on the ground at the same time, most of the time ?

Why don't they interchange, one for the other, each spending 60% of the game on the ground, 40% on the bench? They'll be fresher all through the season, we'll have the extra runner on the ground more of the time (one less on the bench), Hoff will be Happy Key Tall again, and it'll be like 2014 again.
Set-up solved.
Or am I being too logical?

(I expect someone to come up with stats that prove the 60/40 thing is already happening, somebody else to tell me that we can't have one space on the bench occupied by a tall while the sub rule remains in place... Okay, go for it. Solve the puzzle.)
Click to expand...

I think it's a factor but so is a lot of other things. Playing an extra permanent defender or two this year decreases that runner by another. Playing White with seemingly bound feet, or Krakeour that already spends half a game on the bench burns another. No wines no polec takes huge midfield minutes away too.

Our midfield run is substandard at the moment. WRT specifically ryder I think paddy being on the ground far out weighs the loss of the runner, however, with a combination of other losses through the midfield I can see why the 3 talls are being questioned.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Stephen cRowe said:
"The best news breaker in the business" Damo says 'Port Power' are bursting with their salary cap and trying to re sign Jay Schulz.
Click to expand...

Ollie Wines and Carlton say hi.
 
Stephen cRowe said:
"The best news breaker in the business" Damo says 'Port Power' are bursting with their salary cap and trying to re sign Jay Schulz.
Click to expand...

This'll make good copy, an interstate team with a ton of Victorian talent is feeling salary cap pressure!

Makes Hutchy look like a paragon of journalistic integrity.
 
Lockhart Road said:
.... Renouf was a French colloquialism for useless ....
Click to expand...
You had me at French colloqualism. Now I ask you, could the kids of today come up with a comment like that?
 
Powerstufff said:
You had me at French colloqualism. Now I ask you, could the kids of today come up with a comment like that?
Click to expand...

Yeah nah.

Three quarters of my 80's era high school class wouldn't know a colloqualism if you beat them around their pretty little heads with one.

And some of the kids out there are pretty damn smart. They make me feel old and dumb; well, even older and even dumber, if you get my drift.
 
Thought it'd be a good idea to consolidate my PoTY votes. Noticed that I've had Hombsch BoG three games in a row.

My top 5 at this stage is:
Hombsch (18)
Gray (17)
Carlile (17)
Ebert (13)
Pittard (12)

IIRC, of those players, only Hombsch and Gray haven't had an absolute stinker yet.
 
I've got Gray on 30 votes which is 5 short of the maximum 35 he could have got from his 7 games so far. He's pretty much at that point where he is our best player by default every week and everyone else just finishes off the best players list.
 
My top 5
Pittard: 18
Robbie Gray: 16
Hombsch: 14
Monfries: 9
Ebert: 8

I have 19 different players that have registered at least a vote this season.
(Westhoff, Hartlett, Lobbe, Trengove, Ah Chee, Neade, Amon, O'Shea, Mitchell, Sam Gray and Redden have 0 votes.)
 
RossFC said:
My top 5
Pittard: 18
Robbie Gray: 16
Hombsch: 14
Monfries: 9
Ebert: 8

I have 19 different players that have registered at least a vote this season.
(Westhoff, Hartlett, Lobbe, Trengove, Ah Chee, Neade, Amon, O'Shea, Mitchell, Sam Gray and Redden have 0 votes.)
Click to expand...
The first four names of players who haven't registered a vote is part of the reason our season hasn't gotten off the ground.
 
I posted this in the goal kicking thread but spent enough time on it that I thought I'd put it here too.

Interesting Jay Schulz facts:
  • Sunday's game was only the 9th time that Schulz has been goalless in his 104 games for Port, and the 5th time in 57 games since the beginning of 2013. He was not held goalless in his 15 games in 2012.

  • Schulz has only been held scoreless twice in his time at Port, both in 2011.

  • Since the beginning of 2013, 4 of the 5 times that Schulz has been held goalless Port have lost (2013: Bulldogs, Essendon; 2014: Syndey rnd 20; 2015: Richmond). The other time was the 2013 win against West Coast which we very nearly lost.

  • Schulz has kicked 9.8 over the 5 finals we have played 2013/2014, an accuracy of 52.9% compared to his accuracy of 70.7% in home and away games across 2013/2014.

  • In the home and away season Schulz has kicked 21, 22, 22 behinds in 2012, 2013, 2014, respectively. His 21 behinds in 2012 game from only 15 games (his highest average behinds per game since 2010), however he was averaging more scoring shots per game that year (4.2) than any other year at Port.

  • So far in 2015 Schulz has kicked 18.10 from 8 games. This accuracy of 64.3% is his worst since arriving at the club in 2010. However he is currently averaging 3.5 scoring shots per game, his highest since 2012.

  • In the 2014 H&A season Schulz kicked 21.8 over 9 matches against eventual top 8 teams, and 41.14 in 13 games against bottom 10 teams. This equates to an average 3.2 scoring shots per game against top 8 and 4.2 against bottom 10, and an accuracy of 72.4% against top 8 and 74.5% against bottom 10.

  • Since the beginning of 2013 Schulz has kicked 83.35 across 32 wins, and 47.27 in 25 losses. This equates to 3.7 shots per game at an accuracy of 70.3% in wins, versus 3.0 at 63.5% in losses.

  • General fact: there have been 1823.1625 kicked in the AFL this year for an accuracy of 52.3%, versus 5208.4721 at 52.5% last year.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

I scored myself this from work. :thumbsu:
JAH8Y9V.jpg
 
Is it unusual for teams with our current record at this stage of the season to go on and qualify for the finals in the end?

Do we still have hope?

I'll be watching the game tonight anyway but I'd like to know! ;D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Enviable Tradition
Opinion The Port Adelaide CouldaBeens
2 3 4 5
Replies
105
Views
3K
tribey
tribey
Manhattan Bronx
  • Locked
Game Day Round 6 - Port vs Collingwood
55 56 57 58 59
Replies
1K
Views
22K
gtrxuone
gtrxuone
Manhattan Bronx
  • Locked
Game Day Round 3 - Port vs Melbourne
52 53 54 55 56
Replies
1K
Views
21K
Duckimus Prime
Duckimus Prime
Manhattan Bronx
  • Locked
Game Day Port vs Richmond - Boak's 350th
53 54 55 56 57
Replies
1K
Views
20K
PJ Power
PJ Power
RossFC
2nds Port Adelaide vs Norwood - Round 4 @ Alberton
Replies
3
Views
228
WillemDaDrew
WillemDaDrew
Buget
  • Locked
Preview Preview and Changes: Round 6 - Port v Collingwood
19 20 21 22 23
Replies
553
Views
17K
GremioPower
GremioPower
gbear
Mega Thread Port Forum General AFL Thread Part 27
185 186 187 188 189
Replies
5K
Views
96K
jac147
jac147

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top