Mega Thread Port Forum 'General AFL Talk' Thread

[TheFVK]

My preference
1. West Coast
2. Hawthorn
3. North
4. Freo

This is mine too. Freo are last as a win would see them equal our AFL premiership haul, and North I'd feel like it could have been us.

Hawks are full of campaigners but a guy like Hodge only having 3 instead of 4 premierships won't hurt him. They're already life winners, and plus I like seeing the natural order of Victorian clubs continuing to be broken up.

I live in WA and have never really felt like there's any sort of rivalry with them, if anything a West Coast win (with all the advantages being the first state side entails) highlights the underperformance of our cross town rivals.

 

[Powerstufff]

West Coast are going to make the grand final on the back of beating a grand total of 1 (Richmond) top 8 team away from home for the whole season plus finals. Let that sink in for a moment.

Fair enough but they've had a fair battle against injury too, even including week 1 of the finals with Priddis out. IMO they aren't lightweights.

 

[PJ Power]

West Coast are going to make the grand final on the back of beating a grand total of 1 (Richmond) top 8 team away from home for the whole season plus finals. Let that sink in for a moment.

Last year we made the finals in 5th position having lost to fellow finalists Sydney home and away, Freo away, Richmond away, Essendon home, Kangaroos away and having only beaten Hawthorn, Geelong and Freo all at home.
I don't recall many on this board pointing this out.

 

[chiwigi]

Sure can, but it would feel a little hollow if we relied on a group of bought players that have only been at the club for a few years, then retire or leave.

The strength of Port lies in its community and its loyalty, the so called "Port people". That doesn't mean we don't take people from other clubs, it just means we aren't a stepping stone or a pit stop.

Ben Jacobs as an example used us as a stepping stone, that was why he copped shit for a while there.

So how are players at a club and winning a premiership (and all the hard work and sacrifice that entails) less Port than somebody who came through as a junior and is crap?

If someone is from Queensland or NSW but drafted by us, how are they more Port than someone like Schulz?

If all players had to be from the zones I'd agree, but they aren't, we don't benefit from our community work in the player sense. Only in the cultural sense, and it is this culture that allows us to lure the Dixons and Ryders.

 

[Janus]

Last year we made the finals in 5th position having lost to fellow finalists Sydney home and away, Freo away, Richmond away, Essendon home, Kangaroos away and having only beaten Hawthorn, Geelong and Freo all at home.
I don't recall many on this board pointing this out.

We had a home qualifying and therefore prelim final based on that like West Coast has? I think that's the point TeeKray is making.

 

[TeeKray]

Fair enough but they've had a fair battle against injury too, even including week 1 of the finals with Priddis out. IMO they aren't lightweights.

That's a myth. Gaff has played 23 games, Naitanui has played 21 games, Priddis has played 22 games, Kennedy has played 23 games. Their injuries have been largely short term and to periphery players. Mackenzie has missed the season but they covered him so well with McGovern swinging back that it was arguably a blessing in disguise.

If we had their sort of fixture that enabled them to get a run of wins early, get their confidence up and get an easy circuit breaker win every time they did lose a game or two, our season would have turned out vastly different to how it did.

 

[TeeKray]

Last year we made the finals in 5th position having lost to fellow finalists Sydney home and away, Freo away, Richmond away, Essendon home, Kangaroos away and having only beaten Hawthorn, Geelong and Freo all at home.
I don't recall many on this board pointing this out.

We finished 5th after the H&A season for a reason. We only earned the right to play Hawthorn in an away prelim based on winning an away semi final against Freo. West Coast have basically not had to beat any good teams away from home to make the grand final. That is ridiculous.

 

[PJ Power]

We had a home qualifying and therefore prelim final based on that like West Coast has? I think that's the point TeeKray is making.

We didn't earn it though because we lost to teams like Essendon, Adelaide and Collingwood mid season when we should have won those games comfortably. That's where West Coast deserve credit for being consistent in a year when they haven't had their best 22 available at any stage. We lost those mid season games in 2014 because we couldn't cover the absence of Trengove. Imagine if West Coast had the same problems covering the loss of McKenzie.

At least in the final month of 2015, we showed that with a team defence approach we could adequately cover the loss of both Carlile and Trengove.

 

[Dylan8]

Awesome avatar tweak Powerstufff

 

[PJ Power]

We finished 5th after the H&A season for a reason. We only earned the right to play Hawthorn in an away prelim based on winning an away semi final against Freo. West Coast have basically not had to beat any good teams away from home to make the grand final. That is ridiculous.

The Melbourne-based teams who don't travel much can make the GF without winning any away games. That's ridiculous too.

If a side can win 17 or 18 matches per season to finish top 2, then they are consistent enough IMO to deserve the benefit of home finals. We just haven't been able to put together a consistent 22 rounds in any of the past three seasons.

 

[Visenfest]

This weekend is made all the better by the fact that at some point, somebody is going to explain to Tex Walker that the Crows aren't playing next weekend.

 

[philthy05]

That's a myth. Gaff has played 23 games, Naitanui has played 21 games, Priddis has played 22 games, Kennedy has played 23 games. Their injuries have been largely short term and to periphery players. Mackenzie has missed the season but they covered him so well with McGovern swinging back that it was arguably a blessing in disguise.

If we had their sort of fixture that enabled them to get a run of wins early, get their confidence up and get an easy circuit breaker win every time they did lose a game or two, our season would have turned out vastly different to how it did.

Yeah the key defender injury thing has been made out a bit worse then it is in the media.

They lost a very good defender in Mckenzie , and had McGovern bloom in his place. Mitch brown being injured a big loss? The guy has never established himself as a good afl level defender or a guy who can ever stay on the park. It would be like us claiming austins injury derailed our season. They lost one key very keyndefender and unearthed an equal or better one off the list.

 

[Powerstufff]

Awesome avatar tweak Powerstufff

Thanks, pleased someone noticed. It's a hack job as far as Photoshop snobs go but I noticed a few people having a crack and wanted to get in on it.
I'll be suiting up again after Christmas. It's a shame the BF software doesn't freeze usernames and avatar pictures in time so you see them as they were in posts when old threads get bumped or whatever.

 

[Garibaldi Red]

What exactly do you think is the flaw in the system?

I believe the highest ranked side should play the lowest ranked side, giving them the advantage they earned by finishing top.

IMO the prelims should be:

Fremantle v North Melbourne
West Coast v Hawthorn

I don't care that the second prelim is a replica of a game played 2 weeks ago.

 

[edgie]

I believe the highest ranked side should play the lowest ranked side, giving them the advantage they earned by finishing top.

IMO the prelims should be:

Fremantle v North Melbourne
West Coast v Hawthorn

I don't care that the second prelim is a replica of a game played 2 weeks ago.

So either you repeat games, or you think the first week should be 1v2, 3v4?

Isn't 1v4 giving the top side the best advantage?

 

[actiongreggars]

So either you repeat games, or you think the first week should be 1v2, 3v4?

Isn't 1v4 giving the top side the best advantage?

Top 5 ?

 

[PJ Power]

Thanks, pleased someone noticed. It's a hack job as far as Photoshop snobs go but I noticed a few people having a crack and wanted to get in on it.
I'll be suiting up again after Christmas. It's a shame the BF software doesn't freeze usernames and avatar pictures in time so you see them as they were in posts when old threads get bumped or whatever.

Your avatar character wears that jumper frighteningly well.

 

[RossFC]

Sorry to jump into your thread (if its no opposition supporters allowed or whatever let me know and I'll delete).

But I've had a little trawl through each team board's 'General AFL Discussion', just because it interested me to know how neutral supporters were viewing our games.

Your thread is by far the best it is not funny. You seem to be one of the few that has more than a couple of pages on each game. Posting is top notch quality even if some of you are firmly pro #lolnorth.

Kudos. True supporters of the sport; great to see.

Please smash WA's version of the crows next week please.

 

[Young Gun #6]

What a waste of a year for us.

 

[RossFC]

Hate Freos boring style of footy but they are Wharfies just like us. Carn the Dockledivers.

 

[I Dont Care]

If Norf win the flag it would be lol and then lel

 

[Powerstufff]

Your avatar character wears that jumper frighteningly well.

And yet still looks down condescendingly on everyone else.

 

[Duck Farmer]

1. North
2. Hawthorn
3. Fremantle
4. West Coast

 

[scottjr]

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2015-09-20/mccarthy-determined-to-leave-giants-says-manager.mobileapp

GREATER Western Sydney forward Cam McCarthy's remains determined to leave the Giants, his manager Colin Young says.

The 20-year-old asked for a trade less than two weeks ago but the Giants rejected the request.

They have since expressed confidence in retaining him and claimed he is happy at the Giants.

However Young told AFL.com.au McCarthy "does not want to represent Greater Western Sydney going forward".


Pretty sure GWS have a problem.
Should they trade?

 

[PJ Power]

And yet still looks down condescendingly on everyone else.

That is the beauty of him. Wherever I am, whatever I am doing, whatever I am about to post, he makes me feel inadequate. Only Portia, Macca19, and your avatar can consistently do that to me.