Review Round 1 2019 vs Melbourne

[Scholz Supremacy]

Players Reviews:

SPP - Bit sloppy but he went in hard and had many score involvements.

Burton - Pretty neat and showed that he has a nice leg on him. Would have been nice to see him nail one of those from long range.

Ryder - Not too noticeable but having Lycett in the team is hugely beneficial to him.

Motlop - Got involved with 7 score involvements and had some nice runs through the middle of the ground. I’d like him to hit the scoreboard more so hopefully our new game plan with help that.

Ebert - Did alright in his new role up forward and took some nice grabs.

Gray - Still needs to work on his set shot kicking

Boak - Amazing what happens when you put him back in his natural position.

Rockliff - Now this is the Rockliff we ordered! Plenty more of that please.

Marshall - Very smart footballer and his ceiling is high so he’s worth persisting with.

Amon - One of his better games for the club so hopefully he builds on that and has a decent year.

Clurey - Not too noticeable but I thought he stood up alright in defence.

Butters - Continued where he left off from in the JLT with 2 goals and showed how damaging he can be. Also a tough cookie.

Rozee - Still seems a little way off but some of his forward pressure was good.

Duursma- Showed plenty of confidence and I loved his goal celebration. I think he could be everything we hoped Pittard would be.

Watts - Best game for the club and may have found a permanent role that suits him.

Bonner - Nothing too noticeable or memorable

Drew - Good debut and should play a few more games this year. Amazing one for the Supercoaches too

Lycett - Exactly the player we needed. Helped nullify Gawn and makes Ryder a better player. He’ll be huge for us this year.

DBJ - Absolutely shocking start to the game. Unless he improves he’s first out for Hartlett.

Westhoff - Amazing performance and just gets better and better. Nice change that he’s nailing set shot goals now. Long may he play on.

Jonas - A win for his first game as (co) captain. Had a real physical presence too.

Houston - Just so reliable week in week out. Rarely puts a foot wrong and I hope he’s a 200+ game player for us.

 

[Harlott]

The frequent refrain "take care of defence and attack would take care of itself"

He used to say this in 2013.

 

[jakey]

Any idea what Connor was suggesting here?

View attachment 640728

Taking the piss out of Max Gawn in you first game of footy. Cojones.

 

[jakey]

Apart from the general style of play, the thing I liked best about this game was the hard footy from unexpected sources. Watts stiff arming blokes. Three teenage debutants having repeat head over it moments. The courage to attack and the willingness to put your body on the line. This is all I want to see.

 

[Port85]

What those stats show is exactly what we trained for in the off-season. At the inside port day they said they specifically trained more high speed work to adjust for the rule changes and a more attacking gameplan. I think they said something around 20% more high speed work. It showed. We led our opponents to the ball and smashed them on the outside.

I 100% agree with this, but my question is - how much of our success was based on the hard, fast running versus Melbourne's game plan of having everyone charge the ball, under 10s style, and leave free opposition players everywhere on the outside of the stoppage?

Will this strategy be as effective against teams that are less inside focused than the Dees? (Who, let's face it, are all about winning the inside game)

 

[S.Patrol.G]

I was most impressed with the attitude of the team to physically and verbally attack Gawn. That doesn't happen by accident, it would have been a directive by a coach, and the players did it perfectly- without starting fights or giving away free kicks. I haven't seen Port Adelaide be Port Adelaide like that for years.

Early days, but good signs.

 

[Schulzenfest]

I was most impressed with the attitude of the team to physically and verbally attack Gawn. That doesn't happen by accident, it would have been a directive by a coach, and the players did it perfectly- without starting fights or giving away free kicks. I haven't seen Port Adelaide be Port Adelaide like that for years.

Early days, but good signs.

Not sure that's Ken's style, seems like more of a Voss directive. Brisbane were fiends for that sort of thing back in his heyday.

 

[Young Gun #6]

Macca19

Will you be doing player reviews this year after the game? I look forward to these a lot and do appreciate the effort you put in.

 

[S.Patrol.G]

Not sure that's Ken's style, seems like more of a Voss directive.

Agree, I don't think it's Ken's style at all, otherwise we would have seen it before. Voss could be possible, now he has a more senior role. The reality is I loved it and I want to see more of it!

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

 

[Byrons Firen]

Let’s not undo the good work against Carlton.

Not gunna happen, Hoff said so post match, it's his 250th and we're at home.
Unpopular opinion but having just watched the replay SPP's disposal is shocking and his frees against aint great either.
Fix it Sam/coaches coz he has the potential to be a lot better and we need him to be.
Don't know Carltons' forwards but if their on the tall side Dooogs should come into consideration?
Another unpopular opinion is it Benny doing the post match interviews? Anyway the mic doesn't like his voice
and please leave out asking the players can you hear the crowd, does it lift you? Cringeworthy.
Great win

 

[Janus]

Quarter 4

Why did Ebert not take possession and then handball to Butters? Why try to punch it? ****ing lazy Brad.

Houston's kick to Ebert in the pocket was good, but like Powell-Pepper, Ebert had a 'nearly' game where on a better day he would have kicked 3 or 4.

Jonas - brilliant second effort after getting beaten. That's why you train sprint work.

Another bit of grass marking - this time from Amon:

If you look at where Burton is, that's who Amon should have been in line with on the field - as soon as Powell-Pepper got back into the deep position to cover space, Karl should have been sitting up the field a bit to stop the kick to a man in space. I reckon Jones dropped it because he thought it was too easy and someone must be coming to make him earn it. It was a huge let off for Amon - in this style it's about everyone knowing that a player has to be in a certain position on the field. Eventually these guys will learn every position on the field.

Butters showing Ebert the time to knock the ball on to advantage isn't when it's bouncing in front of you, but when it's in the air so you can get purchase on it. Marshall's delivery into the forward line screams 'centre half forward of the future' - why wouldn't Lukosius want to play with these guys?

Boak was fanastic in tight and on the outside all day. Delivers to Powell-Pepper in space who laces out Gray - don't know what people are talking about with his disposal, it's perfectly fine, it's just when he's in traffic that it's an issue...but it would be an issue for any player. That delivery led to a goal to Westhoff - who was the beneficiary of the work the team put into Gawn, because Max didn't want to go into the hole with Ryder, so the Melbourne defender who was on Westhoff had to go and cover the athletic Ryder. Paddy gives a cheeky smile to Gray after Westhoff marks that was like this:

Houston contested intercept mark, to Rockliff, to Amon contested mark. Westhoff gives away a "free" to Gawn that was all ball and nowhere near his head - the umpire was trying to get Melbourne back into the game at this point.

Good kicks from Burton to Amon to Powell-Pepper in space on the wing...if the ball had skidded on instead of popping up it would have been another goal to Port. This is why I say Pep had a 'nearly' game - 9 times out of 10 that ball does skid on instead of bouncing up so he has to stop and jump to take possession.

Just a great game from Clurey - if he wasn't intercept marking he was tipping balls on the mark. That resulted in a nice shot on goal from outside 50 to Burton who had pushed up the ground...it was a miss but it was done with purpose (unlike Pittard's shit which was always soft as ****).

Another Powell-Pepper 'nearly' goal on the run - he's getting to the right spots, so it's not like it won't turn eventually.

Gray missing another set shot at goal...needs to kick those. Add Burton to that as well.

Summary

Should have been a 40+ point win easily with the amount of opportunities we had. Complete and utter domination, as predicted, based on great defensive -pressure while keeping players outside the contest instead of getting sucked in to 'help'. That being said - Melbourne won't struggle with every team the way they did against us...because not every team plays the game style we play.

There were a lot of little things we need to tidy up, but you don't want to be playing fantastic at this time of the year anyway, because that means you've got nowhere to go and need to maintain the level for 25 games. Also, don't expect this sort of game against teams at Adelaide Oval - it's a smaller ground so the space to spread is more limited - it becomes more about sprint efforts.

Onwards and upwards

 

[Janus]

Not sure that's Ken's style, seems like more of a Voss directive.

At the convention the coaches said that they want to be known as a team where you know you've played us the next day and be a lot more unsociable.

Another reason to get rid of the introverts who wouldn't have been onboard with that sort of behaviour because it upsets them when others do it to them.

 

[tangolikelama]

Watching the replay and wow Duursma has really impressed me. Mistook him for Ebert several times yesterday. Incredible runner.

 

[Byrons Firen]

We played proper footy, for the first time since 2014 we actually played proper aggressive attacking footy.

Killed them in uncontested possessions which in my book is all credit to the coaches.

 

[Macca19]

Macca19

Will you be doing player reviews this year after the game? I look forward to these a lot and do appreciate the effort you put in.

Yes I will be. Just sitting down to watch the game now

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Nathan Jones took his eye off the ball. That's a measure of the pressure we put on them.

Scott Thompson and Jarrad Schofield made a point of mentioning the Port side and midfield in particular would be unsociable.

 

[Butters Made Me Do It]

Re: Rozee mouthing off, reckon his coach at North might have had something to do with it?

 

[GremioPower]

It was four seasons.

In 2017, we were an attacking side. We couldn't kick many goals and we would simply stop playing in parts of games, but the strategy was to lock the ball in our forward half as much as possible.

 

[Far Kern]

In 2017, we were an attacking side. We couldn't kick many goals and we would simply stop playing in parts of games, but the strategy was to lock the ball in our forward half as much as possible.

There is a difference between the way that we set up behind the ball, in any part of the field, and what we try to do when we have it. We are currently looking to move the ball on at any cost. That is the difference. We can defend behind that, but we take risks.

 

[Jonts]

Re: Rozee mouthing off, reckon his coach at North might have had something to do with it?

Not to mention the strut and smile that goes with it, it's hard to master the IDGAF smile I know I'm better than you, especially in your debut

 

[Doctor Feel]

Slightly concerning that JLT form seems to have carried over to the real season and we lost to the Crows and got over North comfortably. Melbourne were garbage in the JLT too. We didn't answer many question despite the face value of the win. Will be a few weeks till we truly learn where we are at I feel. What a weird round of footy. Great stuff.

 

[TeeKray]

Slightly concerning that JLT form seems to have carried over to the real season and we lost to the Crows and got over North comfortably. Melbourne were garbage in the JLT too. We didn't answer many question despite the face value of the win. Will be a few weeks till we truly learn where we are at I feel. What a weird round of footy. Great stuff.

Well in the first 5 rounds we play Melbourne, the fast improving Brisbane and West Coast, all away, plus Richmond at home thrown in for good measure. We'll have a very good idea of where we're at very early in the piece.

 

[GremioPower]

There is a difference between the way that we set up behind the ball, in any part of the field, and what we try to do when we have it. We are currently looking to move the ball on at any cost. That is the difference. We can defend behind that, but we take risks.

There is, but 2017 was an attacking team, nonetheless. That's all I've said.

 

[Macca19]

Very very enjoyable win. To be tested early, come back then hold our nerve through the second half was incredibly satisfying.

You could not have really asked for a worse first 25 minutes. From our players slipping over 87 times, to kicking into peoples backs, kicking straight to the opposition, poor defending, playing on for no reason and DBJ turning it over 8 times it really was the worse possible first quarter. We were lucky that Melbourne couldn't capitalise on those mistakes and made plenty themselves.

I asked Ken in our little pre season interview thing whether brave football was still a part of Port Adelaide's and Ken Hinkley's ethos and he said no doubt. I think we undoubtedly played brave football this weekend. We took the game on, didn't stress when we were making mistakes and found ways to get back into the match. I absolutely loved the way that we were able to find so much space on the switch and on the wings and it seemed like Melbourne had no answer for it. Through the last three quarters we were able to win the ball back and then do as we pleased as we ran the ball down the field.

Defensively I thought we were bang on in that second quarter. We played team defense perfectly, were able to shut them out of the game and work ourselves back into it due to the fact defensively we were so strong. Burton & Clurey were rocks back there and Jack Watts had some truly magical moments throughout the match.

The other thing I liked was how tough we played. There was genuine aggression in the way we played. It came from unusual places as well. Watts was getting involved, Marshall never took a backwards step, Butters copped some massive knocks, as did Duursma and Amon continued his hard edge he showed through the pre season.

Good win. Good start to the year.

PLAYER REVIEWS:
Jonas - Thought he had a poor start. His first 2 quarters were ordinary, but thought he was able to regroup and had a strong second half. Played on just about everyone forward of centre for Melbourne

Lycett - Nullified Gawn in the ruck. Was good early, maybe had a quiet second half but did what he had to do to get on top and in the end his ability to put Gawn off his game was crucial.

Ryder - Similar to Lycett, was good in the ruck. Provided minimal up forward or around the ground but his ruckwork especially through the second half was first clas

Marshall - There it was. The glimmer of hope that it's starting to click. Thought that was his best game of AFL football. Certainly his most complete. His lead up work, of which there has been almost literally zero of in the last two years was exceptional through that patch when we really started to get back into it. He demanded the ball, took it well and had an impact. That's the minimum standard he needs to hit from now on.

Clurey - Poor first ten minutes but after that was great. His best game for a long time I thought. Good on the talls, zoned off perfectly and had a real impact defensively.

SPP - Coodabeen best on ground had he not given away 37 free kicks and had he kicked some of his shots. Thought his impact both defensively and offensively was great, was just his execution which let him down (again). His grunt work through the middle was crucial, his ability to win key clearances at just the right time, or to be in the right place to run off with the ball was great. Thought he did a great job minding Viney most of the day as well. Great start to the year

Motlop - His wasn't a game that stood out to me at all, but he just kept doing his thing. Had a very good final 30-40 minutes

Butters - Terrible first kick but outside of that what more could you want in his first game. Two critical goals in that second quarter and had a genuine impact whenever he was near it. Was tough going in and getting it as well. Great.

Amon - Made a few errors but overall was a mature performance. Played his role well, found good space wide, laid some strong tackles and provided good link up play. He's playing like his career depends on it and its showing in his performances.

Houston - Solid as a rock down there. Didn't really put a foot wrong, was strong defensively, was great with the ball and showed some good leadership too.

Rozee - At some point this year he'll kick 4 goals and take mark of the year in the same game. Went in and out of the contest a bit but had a couple of bouts of momentum where he genuinely impacted the play. Had some real impact when we started getting back into it and had a good third quarter.

DBJ - Well the first 8 or so times he went near it were a disaster. Holding the balls, twice out on the full, selling teammates into trouble, turnovers. Thankfully he sharpened up after half time and was decent after that. Can't afford to play like that again.

Duursma - Had some real mouth watering moments through the second and third quarters. There was some good link up work and plenty of scoreboard impact. Just kept going and going. Better than any of his JLT games.

Bonner - Some good run but what I liked most was some better defensive work than what we've usually seen from him. Seemed more confident defensively

R Gray - A few magical moments but overall it wasn't his best game. Should have ended with 3 and was a bit wasteful at times. Still, 200th game, win, kicked a goal. Love ya Robbie

Drew - Played a better game in his first match than Andrew Moore did in 6 years on the list. Was just super consistent throughout. He thinks through his disposals and makes sure he executes. We have to find a way to keep him in the side when Wines is back.

Watts - Jacky boy. What a performance. Best game for the club. Controlled that CHB line. That moment where he evaded 3-4 opponents and dished off a handball was superb. To play like that against his old club with the off season he's had. He's found his spot. Hope he plays like that all year.

Burton - Some people questioned his performances in the pre season but I don't think they'll be questioning him now. Thought he was pretty close to BOG. Dominated down back, was cool with the ball and provided plenty of creativity. Deserved a goal as well. Great game

Ebert - Sluggish first half, didn't feel he had much if any impact up forward at all. Moved further up the field, spent some time as a chop out in the midfield and really started to come into it. His work from half forward through the middle was very good in that second half.

Westhoff - Hoff!!! What more can you say. He was gold. 5 goals, plenty of good marks and his positioning was very good throughout. He loves Round 1!

Boak - Had a dirty first quarter outside of his goal but thought he sharpened up after that and had one of his better games of the last few years. Just so consistent throughout. Presented constantly, won the ball, used it mostly well and had a real impact on the result.

Rockliff - Huge amount of the ball and that's what we need him to do. I don't think he was our best. Lots of chipping and sideways work. Had more impact in his JLT game. But, despite all that, how ****ing good is it to see him have a 40+ game in the real stuff. Can't wait to see how his season unfolds.

POTY Votes
10 - Westhoff
9 - Boak, Burton, Watts, Rockliff
8 - Clurey, Drew
7 - Lycett, Marshall, SPP, Butters, Houston, Amon
6 - Motlop, Rozee, Duursma, Bonner, Ebert
5 - Jonas, Ryder, R Gray
4
3
2 - DBJ
1
0