Janus
Advocatus Diaboli
- Sep 9, 2007
- 23,352
- 57,118
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
- Other Teams
- Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls
Normally, when I do a match preview, it's filled with inspirational quotes, clips from movies and other useless s**t that tries to inspire people to get up for the game against the opposition.
Not this year. If you're not inspired by the way we played against North, there's something dreadfully wrong.
Here's my preview: we're going to ******* win. And we're going to ******* win huge. Why? Because our game style is exactly what Melbourne hates. They are a contested ball winning team...they base their entire game style around being first to the ball at stoppages.
But if you run and spread effectively and make it about work rate, taking uncontested marks across the field...guess what happens to contested possession? It becomes useless. That's not to say we don't win the ball when it's there to be won, but if we can take away the strength of players like Viney and Oliver by taking them out of the conversation when it comes to retaining possession, and expand the field the way we did against North Melbourne at Alberton, there is absolutely no reason why we can't win this game.
Take a look at what Collingwood did to Melbourne when they met last year. That's the sort of style I'm talking about.
To do this, we need a few things:
1. We need Ryder. Lycett is a solid ruck, but if Gawn gets first use of the ball at clearances all the time, their midfield is going to cut us up. Ryder gives us a point of difference in the centre square and around the ground to make Gawn have to adjust his strategy every time. It'll also wear him down.
2. If Wines is fit, he plays. I like Drew and I think he'll be a great player for us, but Ollie is on another level to him.
3. Broadbent/McKenzie needs to replace Lienert. Some will say Howard, but the reality is that if we're losing clearances we're going to concede goals regardless, and Howard isn't exactly the best one on one or intercept mark we have at this stage. Either Broadbent or McKenzie gives us the ability to switch across the wide ground of the MCG and will push the Demon defence back, which opens up space for our defenders to push up the ground and exert pressure.
Everything else...just play like we have been. This will be like playing Fremantle in R1 of 2007. Remember that game? When the Dockers had made a preliminary final the year before against the Swans, and everyone was talking them up as being the next big thing? A ten goal third quarter from Port Adelaide put paid to that little dream.
These campaigners think they've already got top four locked up. We know first hand that just because you made a prelim the year before, doesn't mean you're going to make a prelim the following year.
It's time to stop worrying about what others will do. That's why I couldn't give two flying *s about match ups, opposition players or anything like that. It's all irrelevant. You want the prison bars back? I want that Port Adelaide swagger back.
To me, that is more Port Adelaide than any other tradition we have.
Not this year. If you're not inspired by the way we played against North, there's something dreadfully wrong.
Here's my preview: we're going to ******* win. And we're going to ******* win huge. Why? Because our game style is exactly what Melbourne hates. They are a contested ball winning team...they base their entire game style around being first to the ball at stoppages.
But if you run and spread effectively and make it about work rate, taking uncontested marks across the field...guess what happens to contested possession? It becomes useless. That's not to say we don't win the ball when it's there to be won, but if we can take away the strength of players like Viney and Oliver by taking them out of the conversation when it comes to retaining possession, and expand the field the way we did against North Melbourne at Alberton, there is absolutely no reason why we can't win this game.
Take a look at what Collingwood did to Melbourne when they met last year. That's the sort of style I'm talking about.
To do this, we need a few things:
1. We need Ryder. Lycett is a solid ruck, but if Gawn gets first use of the ball at clearances all the time, their midfield is going to cut us up. Ryder gives us a point of difference in the centre square and around the ground to make Gawn have to adjust his strategy every time. It'll also wear him down.
2. If Wines is fit, he plays. I like Drew and I think he'll be a great player for us, but Ollie is on another level to him.
3. Broadbent/McKenzie needs to replace Lienert. Some will say Howard, but the reality is that if we're losing clearances we're going to concede goals regardless, and Howard isn't exactly the best one on one or intercept mark we have at this stage. Either Broadbent or McKenzie gives us the ability to switch across the wide ground of the MCG and will push the Demon defence back, which opens up space for our defenders to push up the ground and exert pressure.
Everything else...just play like we have been. This will be like playing Fremantle in R1 of 2007. Remember that game? When the Dockers had made a preliminary final the year before against the Swans, and everyone was talking them up as being the next big thing? A ten goal third quarter from Port Adelaide put paid to that little dream.
These campaigners think they've already got top four locked up. We know first hand that just because you made a prelim the year before, doesn't mean you're going to make a prelim the following year.
It's time to stop worrying about what others will do. That's why I couldn't give two flying *s about match ups, opposition players or anything like that. It's all irrelevant. You want the prison bars back? I want that Port Adelaide swagger back.
To me, that is more Port Adelaide than any other tradition we have.
