GremioPower
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- May 26, 2017
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Boak's 350th and the Need of a Dekochication for Port Adelaide
Paulo Roberto Tellechea Sanchotene (a.k.a. GremioPower)
I agree with Hinkley.
I know it has been quite a long time since I have said those words, but I try to be a just man. If I hear something with which I concur, I recognize it regardless of the person who had said it.
Hinkley has said, in celebration of Boak's 350th AFL game for the club, that the former captain is responsible for "Port almost still being around". Let's be honest with ourselves here. It's true. Despite all the effort from the current regime, the essence of our club is not completely gone; and Boak has a lot to do with it.
It was a Geelong man making a compliment to another Geelong man. Both have been many years at Port, but they couldn't be more different. We are Port Adelaide, but Boak has constantly shown he understands what this means; while Hinkley, not so much.
Port's history is full of outsiders who came in and embraced Portness. They became Portmen, and, due that, their background couldn't matter less. On the contrary, surely there have been people who were born into the club and support it, but, in spirit, couldn't be further away from it; Port people in name only. Again, their background couldn't matter less.
In the 150+ years of Port's existence, our record of distinguishing both groups, bringing the former in, and keeping the latter at bay is pretty good. That, in fact, is the main reason why we are the most accomplished football club in Australia and the only traditional club outside of Victoria to be in the AFL.
However, we didn’t always get it right. We have made mistakes. We don't have a perfect record. What we do have is a couple of tools that helps us with such tasks. Whenever we realize that we have moved away from the right course, we got back to it using both Port’s historical paradigms of excellence and a set of documents laid down by successful people from our past.
Every new leadership needs to take those tools and learn from them. Then, emulating in the best way they can what they have learned, they must face the circumstances that befell them. Since Port’s birth, the club’s challenge has remained the same. The circumstances, though, are always changing. Hence, it’s not easy. It never is. It doesn’t matter.
There are two possible outcomes. If Port is successful, great! "Congratulations!" We exist to win premierships. We did it. Nothing more can be asked from everybody. "Welcome to the Pantheon of Port's champions. Onto next season…" Now, if the club is not successful, then, oh, well... Then, we need to check which of two distinct failures it has been. There’s one that is respectable; and another that is not.
A flag doesn’t always come, but there can be honour in defeat. If the people have completely exhausted all of their human endevour, then they have embraced the club's heritage and acted in its spirit. They may have failed, but their effort becomes part of Port’s tradition nonetheless. They were here to win, and this is all that matters. The torch may be passed on. Premierships will eventually come.
However, there are also dishonourable losses. It happens whenever people are at Port mainly for the bloody joke, the social life, and the prestige; whenever we rest in idleness during the season; whenever an atmosphere of non-professionalism is bred at the club. Then, we have rejected Port’s heritage and become a club not worth of its salt. We are not Port Adelaide anymore. We cannot accept those defeats.
We should look back at the last 20 years of failures with all that in mind. Let's see which losses were honourable and which weren’t. While doing that, we should ask ourselves:
- when did it become acceptable just making the numbers, because “it’s not the SANFL anymore”;
- when did it become fine merely reaching the Top-8 once every now and then, or going out in straight sets, or losing a home final by 71 points;
- when did Finals become scary (or big games, or games against Top-4 teams, for that matter);
- how Port Adelaide is all that;
- how does it all fit into our history;
- what all those great people who helped make our club what it is would think of that;
- why do I care about the Port Adelaide Football Club;
- am I Port Adelaide;
- is Kenny Hinkley Port Adelaide;
- is David Koch Port Adelaide.
We should be able to conclude that Hinkley is absolutely right. Currently, Port is "almost still being around", if not for a shell of its former self. Hinkley knows it. If Port were actually still around, he wouldn’t. But David Koch’s Port Adelaide is something else. Thus, Hinkley lingers on.
We have been for too long away from the right course. It won’t be quick to turn things around. It will be necessary a full dekochication of the club. Still, it can and must be done if we are willing to be Port Adelaide once again.
Uruguayana, March 21st, 2024
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