Opinion End The Negativity

[Ando39]

Yes it would be negligent not to look. And if there's something better out there they should make the moves to get them in. But who is that?

I'd wager good money we have a better option sitting in our own coaches box.

 

[Lagooner]

Let's be honest, this board has bordered on pathetic all year and for the most part is unreadable.

Even the posts with the most likes in this thread are predictable.

"Port sucks blah blah blah" is a sure fire way to get some freebie likes around here these days.

If it's freebie likes you're after making a hat is where it's at these days.

 

[El Zorro]

If it's freebie likes you're after pretending to make a hat is where it's at these days.

Fixed.

 

[bomberclifford]

Forgetting who is coach for a minute. I want an answer to the question: Do people feel like we will improve next year. Yes/No and why

Yes.

1. The sting of that loss will drive our players.
2. Dixon is coming into his own as a significant player in the AFL.
3. Trengove leaving will provide us some cap space to entice a free agent. (Rockliff would be my preference)
4. DBJ, Clurey, SPP, Houston, Marshall, Bonner & Howard are gems. (I'm also still bullish on Austin and Ah Chee)
5. Saunders sounds like a great get (unconfirmed but seems likely)
6. China won't be as much of a distraction as it was this year.
7. Gray, Hartlett, Jonas, Ebert, Wines, Wingard, Boak, Pittard, Ryder are all still in their prime.

 

[El Zorro]

Yes.a

1. The sting of that loss will drive our players.
2. Dixon is coming into his own as a significant player in the AFL.
3. Trengove leaving will provide us some cap space to entice a free agent. (Rockliff would be my preference)
4. DBJ, Clurey, SPP, Houston, Marshall, Bonner & Howard are gems. (I'm also still bullish on Austin and Ah Chee)
5. Saunders sounds like a great get (unconfirmed but seems likely)
6. China won't be as much of a distraction as it was this year.
7. Hartlett, Jonas, Ebert, Wines, Wingard, Boak, Pittard, Ryder are all still in their prime.

#1 has never worked before for this group of players
#2 yep
#3 hopefully
#4 time will tell. Many of our players seem to stagnate or go backwards under Hinkley and Co.
#5 Wot?
#6 I don't think China would've been much of a distraction for coaches and player. It shouldn't be.
#7 Maybe. Not sure about Boak.

 

[Port85]

Forgetting who is coach for a minute. I want an answer to the question: Do people feel like we will improve next year. Yes/No and why

No...Current state is no change to anything in the football department. I could be swayed by an active off season in coaching & player changes

 

[FishingRick04]

Forgetting who is coach for a minute. I want an answer to the question: Do people feel like we will improve next year. Yes/No and why

Where is the improvement coming from?

Defense is awesome. Howard, Cluery (both will improve), Jonas was great this year, will still be great. DBJ, Houston will improve, Pittard fit will bounce back. Leaving Austin, Bonner, as our back ups, both will improve, Hombsch (form recapture), Hammer to be hammer. So there is the making there.

Forward
Dixon (awesome year will play like that), Marshall will add a few KG's and will improve, Frampton has to come in. If they can't see the missing tall something is wrong.
Wingard, S Gray, R Gray won't improve but will be great to serviceable. This line I can see room for improvement but trading for a stronger player than S Gray whose skills are unreliable.

Midfield
SPP, Wines (will trend upwards), Ryder to stay the same but can improve under pressure, if he can, Ebert, Polec, Westhoff (will give us the same), Boak.

This my friends could be where our problem lie's. Are Ebert, Polec, Westhoff, Hartlett, Boak, Hombsch good enough to take us to the next level?

I also think a new fitness regime will be beneficial.

Preferable a new midfield coach too

 

[Lagooner]

Where is the improvement coming from?

Defense is awesome. Howard, Cluery (both will improve), Jonas was great this year, will still be great. DBJ, Houston will improve, Pittard fit will bounce back. Leaving Austin, Bonner, as our back ups, both will improve, Hombsch (form recapture), Hammer to be hammer. So there is the making there.

Forward
Dixon (awesome year will play like that), Marshall will add a few KG's and will improve, Frampton has to come in. If they can't see the missing tall something is wrong.
Wingard, S Gray, R Gray won't improve but will be great to serviceable. This line I can see room for improvement but trading for a stronger player than S Gray whose skills are unreliable.

Midfield
SPP, Wines (will trend upwards), Ryder to stay the same but can improve under pressure, if he can, Ebert, Polec, Westhoff (will give us the same), Boak.

This my friends could be where our problem lie's. Are Ebert, Polec, Westhoff, Hartlett, Boak, Hombsch good enough to take us to the next level?

I also think a new fitness regime will be beneficial.

Preferable a new midfield coach too

Excellent summary Rick. Pretty much nailed it.

We also need to improve on Impey's position for speed. Either he gets a cooler head and improves his disposal or AJ steps up. Probably the latter I'd imagine.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Forgetting who is coach for a minute. I want an answer to the question: Do people feel like we will improve next year. Yes/No and why

Yes. I expect Marshall to be bigger, stronger and more aware of what is required as an AFL forward. I also expect Billy Frampton to be in the side as another tall forward option. He may not continually play as a third tall and could swap off the bench at times, but he will be in the 22. I think our biggest issue was settling a tall forward line and we will do that from next year.

Howard will be more experienced and become a settled defender. Other young players who were given a taste this year like Bonner will apply genuine pressure to senior players and establish themselves as league players.

We will see the benefits of changes in our recruiting which have sought to address list imbalances, so again players like Marshall, Atley and Drew will get into the mix. Sam Powell-Pepper who had a bigger impact than you could have hoped for will take another step in his development.

I expect us to pick up at least one AFL standard experienced player, probably as a free agent.

Our older top tier players are still young enough to play on and deliver quality football.

We will use sponsorship money to tweak the coaching panel and support staff again that will bring benefits to the way we play. I would especially like to see us employ full time

• a stoppage coach
• a kicking coach
• a tackling coach

We will continue our physical development with some new ideas and wanting to be better prepared for tough contested physical footy.

Our midfield which can be flaky in big games will take a step forward with the addition of a stoppage coach and a forward structure that they can go to confidently with system.

 

[Coobk001]

We came into this year with a relatively negative mindset, thinking we were good but not great and that with players returning from suspension/injury we should make finals, but we wouldn't do much damage.

The year played out exactly like that with no real variation and no real new emerging hope for the future.

We performed to expectation and won as many unexpected games, as we lost expected wins.

So as we didn't perform above or below expectations we remain in the exact same position as a club and supporter base as we were last year. The emotional investment of our supporter base continues it's decline and we continue to be a side that can't win a flag and has no real scope for improvement to become a premiership team, having no first round pick left nor any good picks, whilst needing to turn over a good chunk of depth players.

I think thus the missed opportunities of our group, are what has fed our mood and I think the criticism and negativity is fully warranted.

Shewho loves these 'positivity' threads, but Port Adelaide teams earn their positivity, they don't just get it blindly like the other mob across the road.

 

[bomberclifford]

#1 has never worked before for this group of players
#2 yep
#3 hopefully
#4 time will tell. Many of our players seem to stagnate or go backwards under Hinkley and Co.
#5 Wot?
#6 I don't think China would've been much of a distraction for coaches and player. It shouldn't be.
#7 Maybe. Not sure about Boak.

#1 We have a lot of different players in the group than we've had before, with more weeding again this Spring.
#5 Steve Saunders http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/groin-guru-fixes-roos-20120815-2492s.html touted as Burgess' replacement.
#6 I think it was a distraction for the whole club, which will diminish in 2018
#7 Yeah, I debated on including Boak. Erred on the side of optimism.

 

[ZeroGlass]

End the negativity on the field and I might follow along. Stop this panic, kick to the pockets crap and just play to win.

 

[finbarr]

We also need to improve on Impey's position for speed. Either he gets a cooler head and improves his disposal or AJ steps up. Probably the latter I'd imagine.

Bonner.

 

[Mr39]

I'd wager good money we have a better option sitting in our own coaches box.

But in reality, you have no idea, none of us do. So what's your point?

 

[Lagooner]

Bonner.

I got one when I saw him do that blazing run through centre half back.

 

[ozph1870]

Happily mediocre... bizarre

 

[El_Scorcho]

Forgetting who is coach for a minute. I want an answer to the question: Do people feel like we will improve next year. Yes/No and why

Best case scenario is that we win a final, IMO.

I have absolutely no faith in this coaching group's ability to beat enough good teams to finish top 4 or win 4 finals consecutively.

If simply winning an elimination final would be considered adequate improvement then:

 

[steve4445]

Its funny I have never felt so frustrated and disinterested as a Port Adelaide fan in all my life!

If you had said to me at the start of the year we would finish the minor round in 5th I would have taken that every day of the week, HOWEVER how much of the crap can we take:
- Our forward entry has killed us all year full of panic kicks to deep in the pockets - why has this not been addressed by the coaching staff I have NFI. If I see another ball being bombed into Jake neade in a 2 or 3 on 1 I am going to slit my wrists.
- If only we had a Ken Farmer medalist in the SANFL that would take a bit of pressure off of Dixon and Robbie seriously why draft the guy on a rookie contract make him give up a high paying role as a stock broker if Ken is to pig headed to select him.
- Ken saying he will reward good form in the SANFL and then contradicting this with selections
- Gold passes to senior players - including the skipper although he picked up later in the year.
- Waiting until 3 rounds prior to the finals to start blooding the young kids, I loved to see the kids there and I am excited by the development of some of the kids but why the hell would you wait until the end of the season before you start unsettling the team.
-treatment of players like Jackson Trengrove - the guy bleeds for the footy club and because of the circumstances was forced to play out of position all of last year - then we decide he is a forward . It might not have lost us the game but it would have been nice to have someone of his size an experience down back on the weekend.
- allot of our players have gone backwards in development over the last year.

I just cant see where the improvement is coming from, this year we were basically injury free and the coaches have shown they are too pig headed to change anything. I think its dangerous to re sign ken for longer than next year until we see anything change.

 

[HighBudget]

Ok so Kens staying, I'm OK with this as long as we get some better, more tactical minded assistance around him! Show Nicks and Voss the door please they've run their course IMO and also get a proven fitness coach

 

[Magus]

Ok so Kens staying, I'm OK with this as long as we get some better, more tactical minded assistance around him! Show Nicks and Voss the door please they've run their course IMO and also get a proven fitness coach

If he's not up to it, he's not up to it. You reckon Clarkson or Longmire need tactical assistance in the box? If Ken doesn't understand football then we need someone that does.

 

[mic59]

We will have a harder draw than this year but it shouldn't be too bad. Since we officially finished 7th we're actually in the middle tier for fixturing purposes. So from memory that means we can only have a maximum of 2 double-ups from the Top 6 and the other 3 (possibly 4) will be against teams 8 and below.

The rules don't actually say that we will have a harder draw, in fact with the AFL trying to invent more "rivalries" we could even find that they have to double us up against some teams we don't usually double up against. We will have a showdown double up for the top 6 so they tchnically don't have to find another there.
Pappagallo was correct in saying the position for fixturing is the post-finals position, as can be seen from the attached explanation of the 2016 fixture. The Bulldogs finished 6th at the end of the 2015 H/A and Adelaide 7th but Adelaide won the final against the Bulldogs putting themselves into the top 6.

http://www.afl.com.au/fixture/fixture-explained

 

[PAFC66]

Yes.

1. The sting of that loss will drive our players.
2. Dixon is coming into his own as a significant player in the AFL.
3. Trengove leaving will provide us some cap space to entice a free agent. (Rockliff would be my preference)
4. DBJ, Clurey, SPP, Houston, Marshall, Bonner & Howard are gems. (I'm also still bullish on Austin and Ah Chee)
5. Saunders sounds like a great get (unconfirmed but seems likely)
6. China won't be as much of a distraction as it was this year.
7. Gray, Hartlett, Jonas, Ebert, Wines, Wingard, Boak, Pittard, Ryder are all still in their prime.

The sting of the 2014 loss drove no1.. I reckon it might sting our younger blokes who are our only hope of improvement really.. we know how our senior players will respond.

 

[BornPort]

The sting of the loss will drive them? Someone hasn't been paying attention.

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

End The Negativity? Nah End the delusion and become hard bastards! I don't wanna see players in tears after a game I wanna see visible campaigner anger.

 

[afl2004]

Not to be negative about the club atm . Is like asking a man that gets purposely kicked in the balls not to be angry