Opinion 9/25/2004

[Ford Fairlane]

(Apologies in advance for the non-standard date notation, but I've pinched the idea from the Stephen King novel so working for authenticity here )

Imagine you found a time portal that took you back in time to the day of the 2004 grand final. Knowing what you know now about how history unfolded, what would you try to change the course of Port Adelaide history from that point?

 

[chiwigi]

(Apologies in advance for the non-standard date notation, but I've pinched the idea from the Stephen King novel so working for authenticity here )

Imagine you found a time portal that took you back in time to the day of the 2004 grand final. Knowing what you know now about how history unfolded, what would you try to change the course of Port Adelaide history from that point?

A sniper to take out Williams.
Should have left on a high.

Give job to Clarkson.

 

[Sewer de Lance]

3 major sliding door moments

1) Extending Mark Williams contract
2) Our disastrous 2009 draft class
3) Extending Ken’s contract instead of showing him the door

 

[Life_Of_Agony]

Take your foot off the pedal and have an honourable loss in the 2007 prelim.

 

[Malibu#27]

Can we change the date to 1/9/2004 ?
In which case - agree to terms with Alistair Clarkson to take over Port in 2005.

 

[Lagooner]

Take your foot off the pedal and have an honourable loss in the 2007 prelim.

Alternatively we get on the gear and face Geelong on a level playing field.

 

[Scholz Supremacy]

Avoid making the 2007 GF

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Can we change the date to 1/9/2004 ?
In which case - agree to terms with Alistair Clarkson to take over Port in 2005.

Feel free to imagine the time portal takes you back to a month or two before (in the book it takes Jake back to 5 years before the actual event, that seemed a bit too long )

 

[Del80659]

obviously keep alistair clarkson and other important figures, have a long term strategy after winning 1 flag. also find a briefcase with $10 million cash in it

 

[dirty2]

Get desexed.

 

[Garibaldi Red]

(Apologies in advance for the non-standard date notation, but I've pinched the idea from the Stephen King novel so working for authenticity here )

Imagine you found a time portal that took you back in time to the day of the 2004 grand final. Knowing what you know now about how history unfolded, what would you try to change the course of Port Adelaide history from that point?

Like the reference, the book was a good read.

I would go back to the week after the GF, or before the ‘02 finals series, and try and influence the future from that time on.

 

[Andre]

I don't think I'd touch anything that was done prior to the confirmation of Adelaide Oval going ahead. If we hadn't lost the 2007 GF by that margin, if we hadn't sunk to losses to GC and GWS, we'd have been that little bit more attractive and had those few more supporters.

Sounds nice in theory, but I'd worry that it'd have been enough for Olsen and Whicker to justify staying at Football Park and we'd either playing at that shithole still, with it's 'upgrades', in front of shit crowds and well on the way (if not already there) to being Southern Power. Or worse we'd have folded by now.

As for once the move was confirmed, no Hinkley and Cripps and try to get a coach and list manager that value talls over flankers.

 

[Lagooner]

I don't think I'd touch anything that was done prior to the confirmation of Adelaide Oval going ahead. If we hadn't lost the 2007 GF by that margin, if we hadn't sunk to losses to GC and GWS, we'd have been that little bit more attractive and had those few more supporters.

Sounds nice in theory, but I'd worry that it'd have been enough for Olsen and Whicker to justify staying at Football Park and we'd either playing at that shithole still, with it's 'upgrades', in front of shit crowds and well on the way (if not already there) to being Southern Power. Or worse we'd have folded by now.

As for once the move was confirmed, no Hinkley and Cripps and try to get a coach and list manager that value talls over flankers.

If we went down this path I guess you could argue that we might’ve pushed hard to play at an undeveloped AO instead. Not as good as the actual outcome but it would’ve been a lot more interesting having Port at AO and the Crows at FP. Probably as close as you’d get to having real home grounds that reflected each club’s history.

 

[spookism]

Invest in Google.

We could literally own the AFL

 

[TeeKray]

I'd stop Toby Thurstans going to the mic to say CatDog. I feel like that was the moment it all started to go wrong.

 

[Powerstufff]

.... Imagine you found a time portal that took you back in time to the day of the 2004 grand final. Knowing what you know now about how history unfolded, what would you try to change the course of Port Adelaide history from that point?

Assuming I'm the club I'd begin negotiations to get Matthew Carr to Port so Josh wouldn't leave*. I'd tell Byron Pickett to give hand over his car keys, the work experience kid would be available 24/7 in the off-season, anywhere in the country, to drive him around.
Assuming I knew how the trade/draft would go that November I'd be tempted to murder our list manager beforehand just on the trade part alone. Especially but not restricted to the Scott Thompson fiasco. The only things that would have saved him would be I liked Peter Walsh.
Come the draft I'd just have myself blindfolded and throw darts at the available picks pinned up on a dartboard. 5 picks and only Adam Thompson had any sort of career with us. This when we could have had Buddy, Jordans Lewis and Russell, LeCras, Rosa, Monfries.

* I think it was an already delayed commitment to play with his brother that caused big family issues for Josh

 

[badbeats]

Not catch the bus back to Adelaide the next day after zero sleep

 

[Power Raid]

Start the rebuild after the 2004 flag trading out big names for draft picks.

We would have missed the 2007 GF but entered the Suns Giants concession period strong like the hawks and cats

 

[Del80659]

hire Donald Trump

 

[mic59]

I'd stop Toby Thurstans going to the mic to say CatDog. I feel like that was the moment it all started to go wrong.

Yeah, if he'd said "Meet the Flintstones" we'd have had at least 2 more flags.

 

[Us against the rest]

We should have convinced Bucky Cunningham to stay.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Honestly I think we were going okay until we extended Ken last year. Should've called his bluff and let him go to the Gold Coast.

Our list was good enough last year if it had been coached properly. Next year without Wingard and Polec and with our senior players all a year older, it probably isn't good enough. The damage is done now. Even if we replaced Ken with ClarkoBot 3000 tomorrow, we've still probably got another rebuild ahead of us before we'll be serious contenders again.

 

[finbarr]

Anton gets a raise.

 

[Willsy10]

Make Tredrea Captain 2005 not go back to a cooked Primus.

Lock the 2007 GF down. Lose by 60-70 not 119.

Don't extend Choco's and Hinkley's contract.

Don't appoint Primus.

 

[Portology]

Put in place a secret succession plan for Clarko to start in trade week 2004.

Get the Thompson trade done.

Get the Thurstans trade done.

And we’re already in a vastly different universe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk