Prediction Sell me on Port Adelaide 2023

[Ocha905]

Port Adelaide are the most interesting team in the competition next year. Plenty of conjecture about where they’ll finish.
I have them mirroring Fremantle last season and being around the top 4 mark or just outside.
Reasons being that they have too much top end talent, finished last season as one of the best teams but the sting of missing finals will add fuel to the fire.

 

[MickG88]

Hinkley is Ports biggest negative going into 2023, I don't see Port being a top 6 side with Hinkley at the helm and until he goes they will be in no mans land.

 

[Toump Ass]

Port Adelaide are bums.

 

[PrinceCharles]

Hinkley is Ports biggest negative going into 2023, I don't see Port being a top 6 side with Hinkley at the helm and until he goes they will be in no mans land.

Didn't they finish top just a few years ago?

Edit. Just checked, top in 2020, second in 2021. Bizarre comment.

 

[Triggering Tiger]

Hinkley is Ports biggest negative going into 2023, I don't see Port being a top 6 side with Hinkley at the helm and until he goes they will be in no mans land.

Have you seen another coach without a personality like him?

 

[Lingsface]

Great midfield rotations to the forward line I think equal with Richmond of JHF goes to another level.

Midfielders Boak Wines Rozee Houston Butters JHF Durrsma and SPP with everyone but wines being an option to rest forward and be damaging.

A lot rests on Marshall going to a consistent target.
If him and Dixon can become genuine targets every week they have georgiades and the resting midfielders to form a dangerous forward line. Willi Rioli to fill the Robbie Gray hole. Not saying he is anywhere near the player that Gray is but in his last two years and willie at his prime maybe.

Defensively is my worry they are decent but not great. Maybe Farrell back there could provide a bit more push offensively from defence.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Great midfield rotations to the forward line I think equal with Richmond of JHF goes to another level.

Midfielders Boak Wines Rozee Houston Butters JHF Durrsma and SPP with everyone but wines being an option to rest forward and be damaging.

A lot rests on Marshall going to a consistent target.
If him and Dixon can become genuine targets every week they have georgiades and the resting midfielders to form a dangerous forward line. Willi Rioli to fill the Robbie Gray hole. Not saying he is anywhere near the player that Gray is but in his last two years and willie at his prime maybe.

Defensively is my worry they are decent but not great. Maybe Farrell back there could provide a bit more push offensively from defence.

Key lockdown defender is their main issue.

Won't be near the spoon though.

Probably around mid-table... but could be +/- 4 positions.

 

[JGreezy]

My question is just how much is Hinkley in the hot seat?

They start the season with;

Lions, Pies (away), Crows, Swans (away) Bulldogs

If they lose the first two then that Showdown game looms large and I imagine that his seat gets very hot if Adelaide beat them, with two tough opponents following.

 

[QPower]

Port don’t lack talent, but have been incredibly flakey for a long time and you wouldn’t bet stolen money on that changing.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Hinkley is Ports biggest negative going into 2023, I don't see Port being a top 6 side with Hinkley at the helm and until he goes they will be in no mans land.

The players (rightly or wrongly) love Ken, arguably too close to them objectively speaking

 

[Corn Cobbers]

I don't get the Hinkley hate. They were very very close to a GF in 2020, played one bad game in 2021 in the prelim, then recovered ok after a bad start last year at 0-5, take out those 6 consecutive losses and it's been a decent 3 years.

 

[MickG88]

I don't get the Hinkley hate. They were very very close to a GF in 2020, played one bad game in 2021 in the prelim, then recovered ok after a bad start last year at 0-5, take out those 6 consecutive losses and it's been a decent 3 years.

No hate.
It's the Buckley effect, he's been there to long and a new coach with some new ideas could propel them into a grand final.

 

[Corn Cobbers]

No hate.
It's the Buckley effect, he's been there to long and a new coach with some new ideas could propel them into a grand final.

Just saw these stats posted on the Port board, I see what you mean!

 

[PAFC_FOREVER]

Thread lost all credibility the moment you suggested bottom 4.

Absolute stupidity.

 

[PAFC_FOREVER]

Port Adelaide are bums.

Like the 1 hit wonder era of the Dee's?

 

[the harry]

Thread lost all credibility the moment you suggested bottom 4.

Absolute stupidity.

Would make that second round pick of yours worth a little more.

I don't see Port improving much though.

 

[Rich01]

Just saw these stats posted on the Port board, I see what you mean!
View attachment 1594271

That’s highlighting an issue with the industry.
Clubs and media are so quick to sack coaches when things aren’t working. Fact is there’s 17 teams that don’t win it each year.

 

[Toump Ass]

Like the 1 hit wonder era of the Dee's?

Pretty hard to win back to back flags. Even the great Geelong team in the mid to late 2000's never managed it.

And it was a pretty good flag. Shame our beloved Port shat the bed in the home prelim, would have been lovely to see them play in another Grand Final.

 

[HugeJohnson]

Just give us the cup now. Todd Marshall is the second coming of Warren Tredrea. Connor Rozee will perform like peak Judd. Kane Farell to dominate from half-back. Aliir back to his AA best. Charlie Dixon has slimmed down and ready to dominate. Boak is one of the most consistent players in the league. Who better to have than him and brownlow medallist Ollie Wines to guide a number 1 draft pick through the midfield. Georgiades to find his kicking boots and slam through 50+.
Surprise packet will be Jase Burgoyne who will be electrifying off half back.
Ryan Burton just puts his head down and does his job, Dan Houston in a similar boat is hugely underrated.
Fantasia might actually get on the park this year and will be dangerous with Rioli.
Try and stop us.
Hinkley is the weakest link, but rightly or wrongly the players love him and I think will deliver for him this year as they know it is do or die in 2023.
Don't sleep on young Jed McEntee either, he's poised for a breakout season.

My other big call is Geelong to miss the finals.

 

[Macca180]

I think they are going to be good.

I can't back it up with any solid evidence, just a feeling.

 

[Wargreymon90]

We are part of a group of teams that could finish anywhere between 4th and 14th.

Geelong, Melbourne and Brisbane are the only team I think “yep, they’re clearly better”

 

[tswizzle]

Pacey engine room (midfield) a lack of true, proven KPF stock (Dixon's cooked imo) and am not sold on your ruck prospects either.

I don't believe your list bats deep either, if (hopefully not) Port Adelaide sustain injuries to key personnel next season, I think it's pretty frim

Pace in the midfield - yes, that was a weakness for Port last season. Amon leaving doesn't help, but this should be offset by improvement by Jase Burgoyne and the addition of Rioli. Duursma and Butters returning to full fitness should also give us a boost in legspeed.

KPF stock - disagree that was a big weakness of our list. Finlayson, Marshall and Georgiades don't tickle your fancy? With Lycett returning, Finlayson will be able to spend more time forward. Dixon has just had laser eye surgery so hopefully he'll be better placed to clunk a few of the big marks. Dixon had a rough start to last year with injury so hopefully an injury free run will get him up and going.

Ruck prospects - Lycett has been a solid mid-range ruck for the past few years (imo he sits between 6 and 10 in the league ruck pecking order). Injury ruined his 2022. Finlayson did well last year but should be relegated to pinch-hitter / relief with the return of Lycett. Teakle showed promising signs in his few games last year after joining mid-year. Hopefully Hayes and Visentini have improved in the off-season.

The biggest weakness (bigger than the above items IMO) is true KPD stocks. Our key backs are 195cm and shorter, so have always been vulnerable to the monster forwards (Lynch, Hawkins, McKay, etc). Our backs work together well but it does come unstuck from time to time sadly. This is something that we tried to address with the unsuccessful pursuit of Ratugolea. It will be interesting to see how we try to manage and mitigate this weakness in 2023.

Other items to note:

• Gray: a lot of folks see the retirement of Gray as a big loss, which isn't the case as his body was cooked last year. His experience was handy around the group, but he was slow and injury prone, so he called it at the right time.
• Boak: the evergreen Boak, we absolutely love him. However, the time will come that Boak's performances tail off, however the recruitment of JHF should offset this.

 

[the harry]

Hard to see a side who is banking on Dixon being better than erratic in terms of play and accuracy being very good. Especially when names like Fantasia get mentioned as possible additions to last year's team.

Outside of their midfield (excluding rucks) I can't see any real strengths? People may say small forwards with Junior Rioli but I'd like to see him put an injury free season together before banking on him.

 

[aCunningPlan]

Hinkley is Ports biggest negative going into 2023, I don't see Port being a top 6 side with Hinkley at the helm and until he goes they will be in no mans land.

Same was said about Chris Scott this time last year.

There's a feeling about Port this year, they are in the finals for me.

 

[RonnieRaven]

Same was said about Chris Scott this time last year.

There's a feeling about Port this year, they are in the finals for me.

Yeah but he had a flag and another grandfinal under his belt