Autopsy Port defeated by the Dons

[Macca19]

ok heres my problem...
Yes i understand players need to be versatile and with the rotation caps need to rest forward.
BUT rockliff, boak etc arent good enough to play as a forward. they are mids.
we loose a forward when they are there
have to find a balance of mids and real forwards not just resting mids

Boak is averaging 22 touches and over a goal a game, is 3rd on our goalkicking, 2nd for goal assists, 2nd for score involvements, 2nd for inside 50s. He can't really do much more than he's doing in a high half forward role. Are people expecting him to be a 4 goal a game player?

 

[raptalia]

Here's something to cheer you all up, it's in today's paper

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...y/news-story/fbec5ced963d9b0f1ab220109612dfd0

“I should say this really clearly, we haven’t got a ruck ready to play,’’ Hinkley said.

“I think people should stop calling for that because they don’t know. It’s a really ridiculous thing from outside to say, pick a young ruckman who is not ready to play.

“If you watched our SANFL team (on Saturday) you’ll see some young rucks who are not ready to play.

“I’m not going to play people who don’t deserve to be out there and who can’t physically compete when they are out there. Don’t get confused with what we’ve got underneath.’’

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...y/news-story/fbec5ced963d9b0f1ab220109612dfd0

Well if that's the case I should say this really clearly .... WHY ?

Not only is Ken's solution the now tired and worn out "we've got to work harder" he also says in his 6th yr (btw) that "we're a work in progress".
Presumably progressing to master basic skills and work to an efficient attractive gameplan.
Not only did we lose yesterday our skills were embarrassing and let's be honest imo for large parts of the game it looked like
Essendon were "playing" with us.

Ken is prone to one liners in an effort to deflect flak. If we are a 'we are a work in progress' then Port supporters are entitled to ask, exactly how long is it going to take Ken? We have been waiting for four years now and if we are halfway there the likes of Boak, Robbie Gray, Ryder and Westhoff will be 34 plus and Ebert and Hartlett will be 32 when we are ready for a crack at the prize. How much time do you think you have Ken?

This week looms as a must win but given the last two weeks it is hard to be confident. Hopefully some of the 'progress' Ken is talking about will be on display.

 

[GremioPower]

If Frampton isn't ready then Ken is basically saying he was prepared to go into 2018 with only one AFL ready ruckman supported by a couple of stop gaps. That does not seem like good planning to me.

He didn't say they won't be ready. He said they aren't ready.

I wonder whether the biggest issue isn't the stoppages, but when the ball is actually moving around. Serious question:

Wouldn't our SANFL ruckmen be a liability when they don't need to ruck?

 

[Lagooner]

Rob Peter. Pay Paul. All good y’all!

 

[Adz2332]

Boak is averaging 22 touches and over a goal a game, is 3rd on our goalkicking, 2nd for goal assists, 2nd for score involvements, 2nd for inside 50s. He can't really do much more than he's doing in a high half forward role. Are people expecting him to be a 4 goal a game player?

id say most of those touches is when he goes into the midfield.
Im just sick of players being thrown around everywhere. westhoff never settles, dixon now, howard now, rockliff etc

 

[StrappingTape]

Well this is exactly what we expected to see when we locked in 4 more years. No need to change as there is no any pressure too so we will continue to get more of the same.

 

[Macca19]

He didn't say they won't be ready. He said they aren't ready.

I wonder whether the biggest issue isn't the stoppages, but when the ball is actually moving around. Serious question:

Wouldn't our SANFL ruckmen be a liability when they don't need to ruck?

Framptons worst part of his game is his actual ruckwork. Around the ground he is fine, he is a good mark, moves freely, good kick, but his actual ruckwork lets him down.

Ladhams isn't ready. Hayes ruckwork is exceptional but physically would be ragdolled this year.

I want us to give Frampton a go, but us playing a zero gamer in the ruck isn't going to be the reason behind us winning or losing games. We would be better off however, with Frampton rucking, even if he isn't doing a great job, and having Howard, Westhoff and Dixon in their preferred positions.

 

[Byrons Firen]

The backup ruckmen may not be ready, and may even get smashed, but at least we won't be robbing our structures elsewhere. Westy, Dixon and Howard too important in their positions. We're robbing Peter to pay Paul.

We need to play the most ready of the backups.

Karl Amon shouldn't be near the first team. Adds nothing over Barry. Too soft.

Clurey hasn't looked good this season, very very shaky. How's Hombsch going?

Houston also has been pretty poor this season after a very impressive season last season.

But for me, the biggest problem is the ruckman. I don't care if he's not ready, get Frampton in and stop mucking up our structures.



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^ good post and my bolded ... he's going better with each game. On Sat v WWT he got a great work out in the conditions and played well.
Starting to wonder if there's something going on between Ken and Billy. Saturday wasn't a great game from him but they weren't
good for any of the big blokes.

 

[Us against the rest]

Here's something to cheer you all up, it's in today's paper

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...y/news-story/fbec5ced963d9b0f1ab220109612dfd0

“I should say this really clearly, we haven’t got a ruck ready to play,’’ Hinkley said.

“I think people should stop calling for that because they don’t know. It’s a really ridiculous thing from outside to say, pick a young ruckman who is not ready to play.

“If you watched our SANFL team (on Saturday) you’ll see some young rucks who are not ready to play.

“I’m not going to play people who don’t deserve to be out there and who can’t physically compete when they are out there. Don’t get confused with what we’ve got underneath.’’

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport...y/news-story/fbec5ced963d9b0f1ab220109612dfd0

Well if that's the case I should say this really clearly .... WHY ?

Not only is Ken's solution the now tired and worn out "we've got to work harder" he also says in his 6th yr (btw) that "we're a work in progress".
Presumably progressing to master basic skills and work to an efficient attractive gameplan.
Not only did we lose yesterday our skills were embarrassing and let's be honest imo for large parts of the game it looked like
Essendon were "playing" with us.

Spot on, I can't remember how many times I have been banging on about our poor skills but nothing ever improves.
As for the ruck situation, the blame should be put on Ken and the recruiters, let's face it we can organize to play football in China but can't even recruit a ready made back up ruck man. Why trade out Lobbe.

 

[Schulzenfest]

He had a couple of bad moments but generally played well.

Nailed 3 set shots literally every other tall bar Marshall would've missed and went at 92% DE.

Laid 5 tackles which was more than anyone of his teammates bar Hartlett and Ebert, which was nice.

Yesterday perfectly showcased exactly why we went after Watts and also perfectly showcased exactly why Melbourne got rid of him.

Took a couple of good marks on the lead and kicked 3.0, which is exactly what we’re paying him for. Had two major losses of concentration at the end of Q1 and Q2 when we were streaming towards goal, both of which resulted in two goal turnarounds, which is the bad that you have to take with the good if you want Jack Watts on your team. I’m not sure that he was a net positive yesterday.

 

[chiwigi]

The players weren’t really up for this game, Essendon were breathing fire.

We missed SPP and his physicality and the small forwards didn’t lock the ball in when we missed. All lessons to learn.

Some people need to calm down, we lost a game of foooty on one of the worst surfaces in the league against a hugely motivated opposition.
The club aren’t happy, but ots gone all Yorkshireman in here again.

Having said that, the ruck situation is ridiculous and Hinkley is to blame for not preparing one for the season.

 

[Doctor Feel]

Who said it's chronic? and despite popular belief we get pantsed in the middle when Ryder is playing at times.

It's been a long term management thing. He's got permanent issues with his achilles, and according to the same source who gave me the info about Polec, SPP et. al - the running barefoot on the pavement to catch the home invader is what the club are blaming on flaming up his sensitive achilles. Also see:

"His Achilles is sore, clearly," Power coach Ken Hinkley told reporters.

"He couldn't go on in the second half, I'd say he'll miss some time, there's no doubt.

"It's just a matter of managing it now.

"Paddy's had a history of Achilles (injuries), he has done for probably four or five years.

"It is what it is."

 

[Byrons Firen]

Well this is exactly what we expected to see when we locked in 4 more years. No need to change as there is no any pressure too so we will continue to get more of the same.

On the 'up' side GCS under Dew will probably improve out of sight.
Yay

 

[Us against the rest]

I think most peoples concerns are, that we have to keep using different players in different positions to cover for the lack of a ruckman. This does have some effect on team structures, no matter what people say.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Boak is averaging 22 touches and over a goal a game, is 3rd on our goalkicking, 2nd for goal assists, 2nd for score involvements, 2nd for inside 50s. He can't really do much more than he's doing in a high half forward role. Are people expecting him to be a 4 goal a game player?

What he can do a lot more of, is be bloody clean. What are his fumble and bumble stats for 2018. That is his real problem. He isnt clean enough to be an elite player to be on an elite player pay rate.

 

[Killer Power]

Enter a season where we should be a legitimate flag chance with no back up ruck options despite knowing our lead ruck is prone to achilles problems. When you choose to roll the dice instead of contingency planning then you get what you deserve.

 

[Portmanteau]

Some perspective, attending this fixture again was far less of a nightmare than the same time last year. We have shrunk the gap between our worst and best. I reckon if you’d go to almost every team forum outside Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney, they’d be attributing losses like this to perceived mental weakness, rather than the sheer improbability of being up for the whole season. Previously we would have totally capitulated. There is some fight in these dogs. The final analysis will prove that IMHO.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Yesterday perfectly showcased exactly why we went after Watts and also perfectly showcased exactly why Melbourne got rid of him.

Took a couple of good marks on the lead and kicked 3.0, which is exactly what we’re paying him for. Had two major losses of concentration at the end of Q1 and Q2 when we were streaming towards goal, both of which resulted in two goal turnarounds, which is the bad that you have to take with the good if you want Jack Watts on your team. I’m not sure that he was a net positive yesterday.

Played like nanowatts not gigawatts. Did he actually win a critical contest? To many momenteum killer moments.1 goal was from a Marshall F.A.D. another one from a nice pass when he was 20m in the clear.

 

[Janus]

What he can do a lot more of, is be bloody clean. What are his fumble and bumble stats for 2018. That is his real problem. He isnt clean enough to be an elite player to be on an elite player pay rate.

There is something in that.

How many times do you watch a game and look at how much space there is and how easy clearances are won by other sides?

Not a Port game though. Oh no, in our games it’s all about pressure at the stoppages to make it into a sloppy scrap.

Then when we do get some clear ball, someone will **** it up because they are covered with icicles due to not getting the ball much.

Rockliff is supposed to help with this. I know he had a calf issue, but seriously, he’s meant to be an accumulator.

 

[Janus]

Played like nanowatts not gigawatts. Did he actually win a critical contest? To many momenteum killer moments.1 goal was from a Marshall F.A.D. another one from a nice pass when he was 20m in the clear.

He hit the contest that allowed Boak to snap a goal. He had a couple of mistakes that were very costly but you get that.

 

[Us against the rest]

No excuses, why are we losing to average teams when our side boasts names like Wingard, Gray, Wines, Motlop, Rockliff, Watts, Dixon, Polec, Hartlett, we are becoming the biggest under achieving club in the AFL.

 

[philthy05]

According to Ken, of the 46 hitouts that Essendon had, we got first hands to 45 of them.

The issue is that we aren’t clean out of a stoppage and fumble the ******* ball because we are used to Ryder putting the ball away from the congestion into space...something that Frampton, Ladhams or Hayes can’t do.

It’s not the ruck. So stop bringing it up because you just look ignorant.

Lol Janus. Calling me ignorant is a ****ing shit thing to do here. My reasoning is sound and no amount of mental gymnastics is going to escape the fact our “ruckman” has been killed in every single game. Nor that our spine has come apart since cannibalising it to feed a losing ruck system. These are not speculative ideas, these are cold hard facts.

Nah, **** em. We’re not running a crèche. If the head coach says they aren’t ready, they aren’t ready. You want to build confidence? Go dominate the SANFL.

What... like Amon? Carn, building confidence in the SANFL or earning a spot through dominant performance isn’t a thing at port so let’s not pretend it is for a ruck.

Who said it's chronic? and despite popular belief we get pantsed in the middle when Ryder is playing at times.

The club as Dr Feel went into detail.

If the club knows he has something that will need to be managed and doesn’t think our ruckmen are remotely ready they are entirely culpable for the situation we now find ourselves in.

Boak is averaging 22 touches and over a goal a game, is 3rd on our goalkicking, 2nd for goal assists, 2nd for score involvements, 2nd for inside 50s. He can't really do much more than he's doing in a high half forward role. Are people expecting him to be a 4 goal a game player?

My problem is that boak is working his guts off for the team working up and down the ground but then ****s it up by screwing up simple things he should be expected to do.

I don’t care if you run 18km up and down the ground collecting 22 touches if your skills fail then you fail. His contemporaries are Marc Murphy and Selwood. Those guys are carrying their teams right now and we’re here just hoping boak doesn’t **** up too much. He is closer to Sam gray (an honest trier) than Selwood.

I’m probably being harsh on him but as our captain and a senior player he has been around long enough to learn how to mark and kick a bloody football.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Played like nanowatts not gigawatts. Did he actually win a critical contest? To many momenteum killer moments.1 goal was from a Marshall F.A.D. another one from a nice pass when he was 20m in the clear.

I’m not knocking him for getting goals from ‘a nice pass when he was 20 metres in the clear’. I desperately want to see our forwards get more easy goals. It feels like for two years we’ve seen our opponents kick goals from easy lead-mark-kick opportunities while we always seem to be reliant on Wingard, Gray or Boak (and now Motlop) pulling something out of their arse or Dixon taking a contested mark in a pack of 5 players. If Watts is clever enough to snag a few easy ones, that’s something to be lauded, not belittled.

 

[Macca19]

Maybe Frampton just isn't ready physically yet. He didn't have much of a pre season? Barely saw him in the pre season photo threads and from memory he didn't play in any of the Magpies trial games. One of the coaches said last week that he's about a month away from being ready.

In this day and age you expect your ruckman to be able to ruck close to the whole game with only minimal rest. I doubt Frampton at this point in time is capable of running out much more than 60% of the game.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

I've decided Port playing Essendon at Etihad is the equivalent of playing Sturt at Unley or Norwood at Norwood in the old days. It's always going to potentially be a nightmare game and on the occasions when we do win it will be an 8 pointer.

On to Geelong.