Review Round 1, 2023 - Port Adelaide vs. Brisbane Lions

[p4p1]

We barely use Berry as an option from what I've seen. Even last year you would see him make a big lead into space and one of the backs would just sit and wait for the space to get filled for ages before going long down the line. But you are right the junior wingers get used even less. I massively suspect its a tactical decision.

But I do really question its the coaching position on where they set up. On the weekend Port kept being able to pick their man outside the contest in a mile of space. We would generally hack the ball out to no where or forward to get intercepted. We dont have the forwards to contest a mark like that all day and we seem to be coaching the wings to cover the wrong spots too often against the best teams

We don't make space for our forwards to lead into either. Great forward lines create holes for the guys to lead into, even if that includes sacrificing their own lead, we don't seem to do that at all. I said it last year, watching the Eagles, who were terrible and will be terrible again this year, create so much space for Kennedy or Darling to lead into was so frustrating because we have the better cattle but still can't do that.

 

[25 years on]

At school I was taught most ball sports are games of possession, if one team has the ball the other team can’t score. So in an even game a kick up the line gives each team a 50/50 chance, if we get the ball take another kick to the fwd line another 50/50 chance. So in an even game we only have a 25% chance of getting a shot at goal, when we are being smashed in the contest are game plan fails miserably, so keeping possession even with 15 metre kicks means the opposition can’t score

 

[briztoon]

We don't make space for our forwards to lead into either. Great forward lines create holes for the guys to lead into, even if that includes sacrificing their own lead, we don't seem to do that at all. I said it last year, watching the Eagles, who were terrible and will be terrible again this year, create so much space for Kennedy or Darling to lead into was so frustrating because we have the better cattle but still can't do that.

I’ve been saying this for a couple of seasons now.

If you don’t honour Charlie’s leads, or kick it perfectly for him, he throws a mini tantrum. Such a bad look.

 

[briztoon]

I also notice Mighty Lions has been conspicuously silent, even though he checks the forum twice a day.

 

[Nathan Barley]

We don't make space for our forwards to lead into either. Great forward lines create holes for the guys to lead into, even if that includes sacrificing their own lead, we don't seem to do that at all. I said it last year, watching the Eagles, who were terrible and will be terrible again this year, create so much space for Kennedy or Darling to lead into was so frustrating because we have the better cattle but still can't do that.

I thought Gunston was meant to fix this

 

[p4p1]

I thought Gunston was meant to fix this

He can't fix 5 other forwards all heading towards the same spot on the ground.

I’ve been saying this for a couple of seasons now.

If you don’t honour Charlie’s leads, or kick it perfectly for him, he throws a mini tantrum. Such a bad look.

I agree, it is a terrible look. The frustrating thing is if he had space and it's not a perfect kick but it is to his advantage, he is probably going to burn his defender off on the way to a goal.

At school I was taught most ball sports are games of possession, if one team has the ball the other team can’t score. So in an even game a kick up the line gives each team a 50/50 chance, if we get the ball take another kick to the fwd line another 50/50 chance. So in an even game we only have a 25% chance of getting a shot at goal, when we are being smashed in the contest are game plan fails miserably, so keeping possession even with 15 metre kicks means the opposition can’t score

I feel it also forces your team mates to create some movement. On TV, which I'm sure is much different to at the ground it often looks like our guys don't move to create space for those small 15-20m kicks that would edge us forward and keep us in possession. Rather the kicker is forced to go as long and wide as he can and hope we win the contest. Of course a lot of that is also on the kicker making a quick decison when he gets the ball.

 

[M Malice]

I also notice Mighty Lions has been conspicuously silent, even though he checks the forum twice a day.

ML is Cam Bruce, under the pump at the moment, too busy to post.

 

[Elixuh]

Based purely on what I saw on Saturday, I disagree. Where we were cut up was having everyone drawn into the pack trying to win the ball, which meant every time the ball went out it either went straight to the port player set up to receive, or was free to be scooped up by said player anyway.

I don’t think using the weekend to rebut what Dlanod said is reasonable.
Saturday was down to factors of work rate, reactiveness, poor structure, inability to stick tackles and too many players committing to tackle a player or win the ball. It wasn’t purely down to what dlanod is describing.

 

[martinson]

I don’t think using the weekend to rebut what Dlanod said is reasonable.
Saturday was down to factors of work rate, reactiveness, poor structure, inability to stick tackles and too many players committing to tackle a player or win the ball. It wasn’t purely down to what dlanod is describing.

Agree . We did just about everything wrong. And one thing leads to another, sometimes not.

Surely we will come out with a totally different attitude this week which means many of the problems won't be there ,at least to the same extent.

Whether that's good enough or not I'm only hoping.

 

[LionCub29]

I am a big Hipwood fan, but his total uncompetitiveness was alarming. We need forwards to provide a contest if they can’t mark and he offered absolutely no contest. The worst game I’ve seen from him and I’m sure he’ll bounce back.

 

[25 years on]

I have mixed feelings about Chris’s coaching, I don’t think he will win a flag, but I do think he will keep us at the top end of the ladder longer than a more adventurous coach, so to see more wins over a longer time we should support Chris.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

When their big fwd are on top of our defence, why do we keep kicking to a contest which give them a good chance of sending the ball strait back?
The same at the front, if Alir is on top of our fwds why do we keep kicking the ball, to a contest in the fwd 50?

Because we don't make decisions fast enough to get it to a player running free. We dither until everyone is covered, and then we have no choice but to bomb it long and hope we take a contested grab. Port didn't do that, they always seemed to have an extra man at the outside of the contest so they could keep playing the run and handball game before kicking to forwards that actually lead, as opposed to ours who stay static.

 

[KissKiss]

I agree, it is a terrible look. The frustrating thing is if he had space and it's not a perfect kick but it is to his advantage, he is probably going to burn his defender off on the way to a goal.

With how well Hippy and Joe can lead up the ground, I'm surprised we don't move them up the wings and leave Charlie one out. Then deliberately put the ball in space for him to run onto. Chaos balls in the forward line more often is a good mix up to stop good aerial defences

 

[beardancer]

With how well Hippy and Joe can lead up the ground, I'm surprised we don't move them up the wings and leave Charlie one out. Then deliberately put the ball in space for him to run onto. Chaos balls in the forward line more often is a good mix up to stop good aerial defences

I agree. We're using a losing tactic at the moment. Only a couple of our big men can catch it.....but we continue to bomb it long to our talls and it comes straight back. Most of the time our talls don't even get to the drop.

 

[Gibbo_88]

I have mixed feelings about Chris’s coaching, I don’t think he will win a flag, but I do think he will keep us at the top end of the ladder longer than a more adventurous coach, so to see more wins over a longer time we should support Chris.

Feel the same. Over the next 3 years we've probably got the team to be top 6 and from where we were 7 years ago, it's great to actually see wins regularly. I might have it wrong but I'm pretty sure Fagan said that the weekends loss was uncharacteristic of the team. I don't think that's true based on our proven inability to stop momentum of other teams, we can't lock the game down when we clearly need to. I'm not referring to the Demons or Cats losses where we were destroyed, the games against Tigers and Blues late last year IIRC had the opposition score 8 goals in a row and we couldn't do a thing. Premiership teams might have a 1 or 2 games where they get destroyed but we've had a few more than that.

 

[On the quiet]

I have mixed feelings about Chris’s coaching, I don’t think he will win a flag, but I do think he will keep us at the top end of the ladder longer than a more adventurous coach, so to see more wins over a longer time we should support Chris.

I do to, suspect he is a good person manager and approachable and loyal to his players (especially some of the senior ones), but all things being equal if we don't make the GF or play well in a PF, then we have regressed and need to review strongly the line coaches and whoever is responsible for overall strategy. It seems to me the big Melbourne clubs seem to add a new assistant coach every few years and some of them are former head coaches.

 

[briztoon]

I do to, suspect he is a good person manager and approachable and loyal to his players (especially some of the senior ones), but all things being equal if we don't make the GF or play well in a PF, then we have regressed and need to review strongly the line coaches and whoever is responsible for overall strategy. It seems to me the big Melbourne clubs seem to add a new assistant coach every few years and some of them are former head coaches.

It's not just Melbourne clubs.

Gold Coast has Rhyce Shaw as their development coach. He restructured their academy last year, and has moved in to the senior set up as a development coach. They have Josh Drummond AND James Frawley coaching their VFL team.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

It's not just Melbourne clubs.

Gold Coast has Rhyce Shaw as their development coach. He restructured their academy last year, and has moved in to the senior set up as a development coach. They have Josh Drummond AND James Frawley coaching their VFL team.

Maybe we should put our hand up to sign someone like Scott Pendlebury as an assistant coach (when he retires) as he said that he doesn’t mind moving interstate to coach somewhere in the future.

What we do need most importantly though, is coaches that give honest and tough feedback at times to the players and coaches around them as well to get the best out of everyone, cause atm that isn’t happening at the footy club and will ultimately cost us a premiership IMO.

 

[Tom14]

Maybe we should put our hand up to sign someone like Scott Pendlebury as an assistant coach (when he retires) as he said that he doesn’t mind moving interstate to coach somewhere in the future.

What we do need most importantly though, is coaches that give honest and tough feedback at times to the players and coaches around them as well to get the best out of everyone, cause atm that isn’t happening at the footy club and will ultimately cost us a premiership IMO.

My recollection of that comment from Pendlebury was that it was made to Jay Clark (his personal journalist) and it was at the end of 2021 when his contract was up - hey presto, here's another 3 year deal. I doubt he goes interstate for anything less than a senior coach opportunity in the future if he pursues it.

 

[Thomasno]

Gunners is a good mark, but service was poop. Reason why i think Fort should come in, he is a great mark and overall i think better than O.

This is my argument that we shouldve done more to keep McStay - he was a great mark and should have been the money - id hazard to say that Hippy and Joe are overpaid, b/c they pick and choose when they want to play - Macca did to to a degree b/c he was not w/o his faults but he could mark. I get Charlie being paid well b/c he puts bums on seats and the kids love him. Linc Im having me doubts to to inconsistent and hopefully he gets a rocket but surely he know he has to be better.

I’ll put my foot down here, McStay is not worth anything close to what Collingwood pay him and I would be pretty pissed off if we did

 

[Dalions]

Maybe we should put our hand up to sign someone like Scott Pendlebury as an assistant coach (when he retires) as he said that he doesn’t mind moving interstate to coach somewhere in the future.

What we do need most importantly though, is coaches that give honest and tough feedback at times to the players and coaches around them as well to get the best out of everyone, cause atm that isn’t happening at the footy club and will ultimately cost us a premiership IMO.

You don’t think there would be honest and tough conversations going on at the club this week?

 

[Dalions]

Richy bombing to the wing is fine if you've got someone who can actually mark it.

None of our forwards can mark.

Our Ruckman is a very average mark.

I actually think that the main goal if you can’t mark the ball from a long kick to the wing is to atleast halve the contest and try and force a stoppage.
And then hopefully go again, unfortunately with the playing group being off the ball all across the park nothing was going to work because even if they forced a stoppage they lost the clearance from the stoppage anyway, time and time again.

 

[PattyKwasagun]

Fair enough but conversely, do you think Joe and Hippy would be worth what there on, i mean Joe would have to be minimum $750 K +, no Idea about Hippy but you'd think at least $600K?

100% worth it. Both of them have a number of games each season where they take over and almost win it off their own boot. Don't recall Dan having even one of those.

 

[Nathan Barley]

And we don't setup for forwards to kick big bags

Hippies first half of 2021 he was on track for 50 goals as well. Wouldn't surprise me to see him get back to that form

 

[rye]

joe is a marquee player who was willing to come to us on pretty much equal terms to the ones he would have demanded had he stayed at essendon. melbourne would have been frothing at the bit for a daniher type FA to be on the market for them last year.

he is a joy to watch and support