Review R11 v Saints - 2019

[Coobk001]

Credit to Hinkley.

Houston in midfield was a masterstroke. Clean hands, good decisions, composure in the contest. What a game.

Duursma, what a pickup. Probably my fav of our draftees, he's just an old fashioned workhorse wingman. He is such a fantastic pickup it is ridiculous.

Howard, you bloody beauty, he really believes he can dominate AFL games now, and that was sensational. Dixon isn't far away, but it was a good call to play Howard there until he's back. If Howard can back it up it might become a long term thing. It certainly removes his issue of not knowing when to mark or spoil. Some of those marks though were awesome.

Lastly, Amon. I was wrong. The kid has found a new level, a new hardness, and a new level of composure. He looks like he really wants the ball now, and really believes he can bust through packs and win hard balls. I'm not sure what's changed, but he is now a very solid AFL player.


Lots of good today, and * it was nice to just relax. I still hated how easy it was for them to score at times, but we always looked in control and it's great to score the percentage we needed.

 

[B0ydmental]

Woweee!

Good on ya Port!

That’s what we’ve wanted to see for ages. Clean, aggressive and consistent footy across 4 quarters.

It felt a little as if the roles were reversed. The saints were toiling hard to get it forward, score a point and then helplessly watch as we beautifully transitioned it down the other end for a goal. Saints couldn’t kick straight, whilst we couldn’t miss. Was unsure if port had swapped jumpers with a Geelong or Hawthorn.

Really it was a game where all played well. Midfield was dominate and managed clean possession or pressured st Kilda’s disposal. Defence moved the ball forward well. Our defensive set up in our forward fifty worked beautifully. When bombing it long to a tall as a bail out, our forwards/mids got front and centre to crumb it rather than let the opposition swarm them as has happened in recent weeks - finally!!!

Our forwards didn’t get many touches overall but that was because the defence was carrying the ball forward better, the midfield was providing the link up play and our forwards just had to finish.

Dougal worked well up front - no surprises there. He is a bit like Hipwood for brisbane. Due to his size and athleticism he can make the ‘chaos’ ball work. When Dixon is back and firing I would prefer Dixon and Howard forward with Ryder coming out of the side.

The young lads were tough as nails and showed good skills. Bonner was good, beaten defensively in the air but his kicking was solid and his goal kicking was next level. Amon has turned a corner, his skills and speed are becoming a weapon. Robbie is back. Boak continues on his fantastic form. Jonas looked better. Clurey looks knackered - hopefully this bye gets him back in form. DBJ was excellent, really, really good.

Dan the man. Loved his delivery through the middle. His skills are super necessary and I like that Ken has decided to use skilled players on the ball and forward of it.

Some last thoughts:
- if you get a chance, see the game in China, it’s a whole lot of fun
- Boak’s in and under work, SPP’s burst away, Houston’s kicking and Robbie’s movement, agility and reading of the play, all make for a dangerous combination. I’ll be intrigued to see how Wines and Rockliff fit into that mix.
- Hartlett in for Broadbent is obvious but harsh on Broadbent. He has lost his speed and agility but he works hard.
- Frampton and Ryder are done. Howard makes more sense up front. Howard, Marshall or Howard, Dixon. Perhaps all three
- We can play all these backs if they are willing to work like that every game and transition the ball so aggressively forward

Did you mean westhoff (Not frampton) and Ryder as being done?

 

[Dav]

Hmm, but I reckon he's too sharp of a shooter to drop just yet.
I'd say Sam Gray instead of Farrell for Ebert

Gray has had a better year than Farrell.

 

[x_les_x]

Im afraid of a plod midfield once rockcliff and wines are back. We will lose pace with amon out of centre circle and more importantly composure and ball use when houston is returned to the back line. Enjoy the delivery and composure while it lasts but im sure we will be back to rockcliff and wines dump no look kicks into our forward 50 when theyre back

 

[RossFC]

IN: Garner, Hartlett, Frederick, Sutcliffe, McKenzie, Grundy.

Moar defenders!

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Houston in the middle was unreal.

I said about 6 weeks ago we gotta get our best kick closer to goal more often. A few nervous nellies pissed their pants thinking that meant as permanent deep forward. It meant what happened today, getting the ball 50m-80m from goal and hitting a target rather than hitting targets with a kick 120m from goal.

 

[DazalenkoUBewty]

I said about 6 weeks ago we gotta get our best kick closer to goal more often. A few nervous nellies pissed their pants thinking that meant as permanent deep forward. It meant what happened today, getting the ball 50m-80m from goal and hitting a target rather than hitting targets 120m from goal.

I just knew you had something to do with the Houston move.

 

[snozulu]

Spent the second half watching from the ED at the local hospital. Still enjoyed it. Bonner was utilised well in the forward half. Still has a heap of work on his defensive game. If he is to play in the 22 going forward will need to play that role roaming more up forward IMO and not in the back 50. Mots looked better as the game went on bit am still not convinced. Love the young kids strutting their stuff. Love Butter's passion singing the victory song. Farrell's goal kicking is a thing of beauty.

Now we can all have a stress free bye week.

 

[AwwThatsApples]

Gray has had a better year than Farrell.

And a longer year, so not really a fair comparison

 

[Dav]

And a longer year, so not really a fair comparison

Still, on merit, you'd drop Farrell before Gray.

 

[snozulu]

Houston in the middle was unreal.

Was a great move. Wonder who's idea it was?

 

[Marat]

How many Kms did Duurs cover today? He seemed to be at every contest on both wings...

On both wings, kicking goals, and then getting back in the last line of defence - he was everywhere. He is already hard at the ball - give him a couple of years to physically develop and he will be an uncompromising athletic beast

 

[FallingLiefs]

Duursma is already a better player than the current Wingard.

The current Wingard. what are we basing the current wingard off? the 5.5 games he's played coming off calf,hamstring,hamstring in a new team playing in a position that's not his best?

or the one that is already 2 time all australian and B+F????

lets trade Wines for Petrucelle next.

 

[snozulu]

One of the early names thrown around for the Spice Girls.

POP TARTS

 

[Dav]

Was a great move. Wonder who's idea it was?

The coaching staff helped Hinkley get over his half back obsession by allowing him to pick them in different spots. So now Houston is a centre square half back, and Bonner played as a half forward half back.

 

[Adz2332]

For all the knocks, seeing Bonner goal from outside 50 on both feet is very refreshing!

 

[Chewy316]

The current Wingard. what are we basing the current wingard off? the 5.5 games he's played coming off calf,hamstring,hamstring in a new team playing in a position that's not his best?

or the one that is already 2 time all australian and B+F????

lets trade Wines for Petrucelle next.

Are you for real?!

Wingards best was in 2015. It has been a steady decline ever since. Last year there were plenty of times he was horrendous, and this year he has been flat out irrelevant. The problems of Wingard not being disciplined enough at port to ensure he get a his body firing has continued with hawthorn.

If you want to take into account the 3 superstar years of 2013-2015 that Wingard had back then, then sure you might have a point. But at the same time if those years had just happened as opposed to being 5+ years ago, Wingard would never have been traded in the first place.

 

[Hong-Kong Phooey]

Howard plays so much like Cameron from giants. We really need to find a new key defender.

 

[S.Patrol.G]

Duursma's development has been rapid. The early flaws in his game usually take years for players to work through, if they ever work through them at all. He's basically eradicated them in a couple of months. Very happy to say I got that one wrong.

Above all, I love his courage, both in a "put your head in the hole" sense and "take the game on" sense. Very quickly becoming my favourite Port player to watch...along with Butters and Rozee.

 

[True__Believer]

Very excited at the looming prospect of a Howard/Dixon forward line. That will be tough to handle.

Bold of you to assume we will play two big forwards lol

 

[OneGreatClub]

Now if Pepp can just improve his accuracy in front of goal.
The effort and want is there already, just some finesse required.

 

[Dav]

Howard plays so much like Cameron from giants. We really need to find a new key defender.

Got a Grundy that might be ready in a couple years. Or we could recruit Tomlinson.

 

[True__Believer]

lets trade Wines for Petrucelle next.

Subscribe

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

How good were Bonners goals!

Also Boak

He actually kicked 4 from on or outside 50m arc but the last one with a minute or so to go was touched deep in the goal square so that didn't count. His kicking on goal was brilliant especially his right foot goal, his second goal in the second quarter.

 

[RossFC]

Howard plays so much like Cameron from giants. We really need to find a new key defender.

Would having Clurey, Jonas, Lienert, Burton and Watts with Hoff roaming be tall enough or are we looking for a permanent 195cm+ key defender that isn’t a flanker or some other position?