Let's talk Ports!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 21, 2002
Posts
55,196
Likes
87,541
Location
Port Adelaide 5015
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Port Adelaide Magpies
Thread starter Moderator #1
Yeah I know we do this in pretty much every thread but every now and again there seems to be a flurry of Port chat in the General AFL talk thread.

There's some interesting discussion there but it gets lost in the end. So here's a dedicated Port thread, kind of for discussion that doesn't deserve its own thread ... hmm sounds familiar. And maybe discussion here if robust enough can be hived off to its own thread.

There has been some talk of our season stalling and whether we've really improved so here are a few stats for comparative purposes.

Scoring for
2014: 14.13
2013: 13.12
2012: 11.11

Scoring against
2014: 11.10
2013: 13.11
2012: 14.12

Contested possessions
2014: 142.3 (=7)
2013: 137.4 (13)
2012: 135.7 (15)

Marks I50
2014: 13.2 (2)
2013: 12.9 (=4)
2012: 9.0 (16)

Clearances
2014: 39.9 (=4)
2013: 37.4 (=9)
2012: 37.7 (10)

Centre Clearances
2014: 12.5 (=6)
2013: 12.4 (=13)
2012: 11.7 (15)

Tackles
2014: 71.2 (6)
2013: 66.4 (3)
2012: 59.7 (13)

Last year we won 12 games in the minor round. We're already there now. 2012 we won 5 games.

We've improved in a range of critical team stats across 3 years. As Ken builds the squad he wants we will continue to get better. Last off-season he added pace. A fit Redden would have given us a bigger more flexible and robust forward/ruck structure.

Yes we've had a mid-season stall but as anyone with experience with KPIs will tell you, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to concentrate on short term results and ignore the big picture.

We've had issues with injuries to key players where we don't have depth, a loss of confidence, young players hitting the wall, bodies that aren't ready yet for the tough winter slog.

Ken is working to a strategic picture and will continue to build and develop this squad. This year might be beyond our reach and Ken has acknowledged that. But he's not done yet.
 
Last edited:

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Joined
Apr 21, 2014
Posts
920
Likes
596
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#2
I hope that tomorrow on the track they make them kick at the goals until each has scored 100 goals each or something. We had the run yesterday just missed our chances at goal (among other things). Such an easy thing to practice. Happy with the improvement thus far in 2014. Bring on Gold Coast.
 

PJ Power

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Oct 13, 2003
Posts
18,231
Likes
19,042
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#3
I just want to enjoy watching us play again tbh.
The excitement the first 12 rounds brought was because we played an exhilarating style of footy, combining intense effort and application at the contested ball, tackle and chase, with break-neck speed of spread and ball movement, usually executed with precision.
From the moment Jackson Trengove pulled up sore one minute before HT of the last showdown, we have lost those tremendous characteristics that made us so watchable.

Kicking <90 points a game for most of the past seven matches has become predictable, boring and depressing.

Full marks though to Matty Nicks and the defensive side of our game which has remarkably remained competent despite the injuries to Carlile and Trengove, and despite the lack of defensive pressure our forwards have applied to their opponents, and the all-round drop in form from our midfielders.

What I want to see between now and the end of the year, is that spark back. I want to feel that excitement that came with the first half of this year, that adrenaline rush with taking it up to Collingwood at the MCG in the final last year, and Geelong the week after. I want to see us find the right balance between playing brave footy and smart footy. I want to see Wingard and Westhoff light up centre stage again.

Contrary to what some might think about us "more negative" posters, we do love this club and we do believe. We're like the parent frustrated and disappointed with their misbehaving or underperforming child. We might throw our hands up in the air, shout a bit, and pull out our hair over the way our team is performing, but we are not giving up on them, nor have we stopped loving them.

C'mon Port. Time to rise up off the canvas. C'mon Wingard, Wines, Westhoff and friends, time to get the mojo back.
 

I Dont Care

Premium Platinum
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Posts
36,554
Likes
37,873
Location
Everywhere But Here
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#4
Contested possessions and tackles are my main interest. When those numbers are high we generally win, or at least go down fighting. Thinking back, we played OK against the Swans but our forward thrusts were our achilles heel. Backline was good, and in that 2nd quarter when Sydney started to dominate, they were not scoring freely...even with their supposedly potent forward line
 

PepeSilvia

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Jun 12, 2012
Posts
6,734
Likes
13,591
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Schadenfreude, Heat
#7
I just want to enjoy watching us play again tbh.
The excitement the first 12 rounds brought was because we played an exhilarating style of footy, combining intense effort and application at the contested ball, tackle and chase, with break-neck speed of spread and ball movement, usually executed with precision.
From the moment Jackson Trengove pulled up sore one minute before HT of the last showdown, we have lost those tremendous characteristics that made us so watchable.

Kicking <90 points a game for most of the past seven matches has become predictable, boring and depressing.

Full marks though to Matty Nicks and the defensive side of our game which has remarkably remained competent despite the injuries to Carlile and Trengove, and despite the lack of defensive pressure our forwards have applied to their opponents, and the all-round drop in form from our midfielders.

What I want to see between now and the end of the year, is that spark back. I want to feel that excitement that came with the first half of this year, that adrenaline rush with taking it up to Collingwood at the MCG in the final last year, and Geelong the week after. I want to see us find the right balance between playing brave footy and smart footy. I want to see Wingard and Westhoff light up centre stage again.

Contrary to what some might think about us "more negative" posters, we do love this club and we do believe. We're like the parent frustrated and disappointed with their misbehaving or underperforming child. We might throw our hands up in the air, shout a bit, and pull out our hair over the way our team is performing, but we are not giving up on them, nor have we stopped loving them.

C'mon Port. Time to rise up off the canvas. C'mon Wingard, Wines, Westhoff and friends, time to get the mojo back.
I've never seen you as a particularly negative poster, to be honest.

I agree with pretty much everything you've said in this post. The past 2 months have been such a let-down.
 

Janus

Dominus Ex Machina
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Posts
18,014
Likes
45,682
Location
Portland, Oregon
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls
#8
We haven't fallen. We may have stumbled, but that is going to happen with a young side. What I can't abide is people who have given up hope, who think the season is over, wasted. As if this journey begins and ends every season and we restart from square one. That might have been true back in the days of the SANFL, where we were in contention every year, but this squad needs to have the ability to make mistakes. It needs to be able to fail, so that it can learn to succeed. Every other team who has been destined for greatness has needed that - Hawthorn, Sydney, Geelong, Fremantle. If you guys want to wallow in the mediocrity of an Adelaide or an Essendon, by all means try to win finals based on changing the way we play so we can eke out results and get an inaccurate reflection as to where we are at as a team. That's what Adelaide did when they recruited Podsiadly, and now they've got a 32 year old as an integral part of their team structure - a player that won't be there after next season. Giving players like Josh Jenkins false bravado instead of actually letting him develop as a player.

Is that what you guys want? Or do you want us to go down the harder, but more right path, of sustained success? Everything had to go right for us to challenge this year. As soon as Redden didn't come up, we were always going to be screwed. Then ankle injuries, groin injuries, meningitis etc. But you know...it's about the structure, right? The structure that was fine for 12 weeks, and only got taken apart when we started to get those injuries. Other teams can cry about how hard it is, but they don't have the runners or the midfield that we will have. They're just scared. Scared of what they know is coming when we can rotate Lobbe and Redden through the ruck. Scared of what's going to happen when we get more and more pre-seasons into our young stars.

I'm looking forward to next year already, even though this year I haven't given up on. Because I know we are going to be working on skills in the pre-season. Working on our core strength. Our tackling. Our running. Getting better every single game, until we reach the standard of a top four team...then a top one team. All I asked for during the Primus years was some level of improvement, to see where we were going. I'm getting that.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Joined
Nov 16, 2004
Posts
53,166
Likes
67,398
Location
SE Oz
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
The Mighty Blacks
#13
Fixed the backine by getting a bloke who played 150 games at half back - not someone who played in the mid field - as defence coach, got a head coach who played half back and a director of coaching who was a half back.

Mid field was fixed by drafting, trading and developing enough mid fielders eventually scrapping the poor ones.

Now time to fix the forwardline. First get them to improve their goalkicking this season. Then trade for a KPF, keep drafting them, keep developing them and bloody pick them. Get a coach who played 200 games in the forward line as our forwards coach not a midfielder who is a good development coach.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2004
Posts
53,166
Likes
67,398
Location
SE Oz
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
The Mighty Blacks
#14
Remember when Choco and Primus used to always say - we dont get inside 50 enough, but when we do we are bloody efficent. I got sick of hearing that.

Now its -we get it in there often enough but we arent efficent enough. I starting to get sick of seeing that.

After rd 13 game against Sydney the stats said
Port 752 ave 57.8
HAW 739 ave 56.8
Syd.. 722 ave 55.5
GC... 709 ave 54.5
Adel. 708 ave 54.5
Gee. 680 ave 52.3

After Rd 20
HAW 1083 ave 57.0
Syd.. 1066 ave 56.1
Port 1049 ave 55.2
Adel 1048 ave 55.2
Ess... 994 ave 52.3
Gee... 987 ave 51.9
 

Pedro59

Club Legend
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Posts
2,609
Likes
1,478
Location
northern rivers NSW
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#15
We haven't fallen. We may have stumbled, but that is going to happen with a young side. What I can't abide is people who have given up hope, who think the season is over, wasted. As if this journey begins and ends every season and we restart from square one. That might have been true back in the days of the SANFL, where we were in contention every year, but this squad needs to have the ability to make mistakes. It needs to be able to fail, so that it can learn to succeed. Every other team who has been destined for greatness has needed that - Hawthorn, Sydney, Geelong, Fremantle. If you guys want to wallow in the mediocrity of an Adelaide or an Essendon, by all means try to win finals based on changing the way we play so we can eke out results and get an inaccurate reflection as to where we are at as a team. That's what Adelaide did when they recruited Podsiadly, and now they've got a 32 year old as an integral part of their team structure - a player that won't be there after next season. Giving players like Josh Jenkins false bravado instead of actually letting him develop as a player.

Is that what you guys want? Or do you want us to go down the harder, but more right path, of sustained success? Everything had to go right for us to challenge this year. As soon as Redden didn't come up, we were always going to be screwed. Then ankle injuries, groin injuries, meningitis etc. But you know...it's about the structure, right? The structure that was fine for 12 weeks, and only got taken apart when we started to get those injuries. Other teams can cry about how hard it is, but they don't have the runners or the midfield that we will have. They're just scared. Scared of what they know is coming when we can rotate Lobbe and Redden through the ruck. Scared of what's going to happen when we get more and more pre-seasons into our young stars.

I'm looking forward to next year already, even though this year I haven't given up on. Because I know we are going to be working on skills in the pre-season. Working on our core strength. Our tackling. Our running. Getting better every single game, until we reach the standard of a top four team...then a top one team. All I asked for during the Primus years was some level of improvement, to see where we were going. I'm getting that.
Great to be positive and we have omproved but my belief is that it was more than just injuries that have caused our losses
Ever since playing the demons other sides watched what Roos did and have been copying
I am sure we will work through it in the next few years including with drafting and more games on to our squad
 

Coobk001

Brownlow Medallist
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Posts
10,923
Likes
18,715
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
CWS, OakR, SAS, Ducks
#16
The biggest concern I have is that we've seen many teams over the years seemingly get the pieces of the puzzle right except for that key forward spot. Those teams have never tasted the ultimate success and regularly they are the ones in PF's for a couple years before dropping back to the pack.

As such it is just so incredibly crucial that we find a key forward. Schulz is a good player but can be nullified easily, Westy is and always has been a 3rd tall. Right now the man whose development we are missing is Jarrad Redden, he is the man who could've busted packs and helped us out, but right now we need to start praying for Shaw or Harvey to come on quickly before it's too late as Redden will never be a #1 forward, just a pinch hitting 2nd ruck.
 

Chrizzt

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Posts
7,060
Likes
13,120
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#17
I like the idea of the thread Ford Fairlane
When looking at most of those stats though, it's better to use the differentials as an indicator as to where the team stands, as this then accounts for more things like conditions (e.g. wet games leading to more contested possies) as well as how much we let the oppo get away with (e.g. we had one of the lowest total contested possy count in 2004, but were 4th in contested poss differential showing that we had more of a running game but also could beat most teams at the contest when needed).

Contested Possessions:
2014: +3.7 (7) - However before the Crows game we were first in the comp for contested poss differential, can't remember the number
2013: -1.9 (12)
2012: -3.6 (14)

Clearances:
2014: +1.7 (6)
2013: 0 (11)
2012: +0.7 (8)

Effective disposals:
2014: +12.5 (6)
2013: +6.8 (11)
2012: -44.8 (15)

Inside 50s:
2014: +8.6 (3)
2013: +2.2 (9)
2012: -7.3 (14)

Tackles:
2014: +0.4 (8)
2013: -0.9 (11)
2012: -6.6 (17)

Rebound 50s:
2014: -5.8 (18)
2013: -2.2 (13)
2012: +3.6 (5)

Now the R50 stat looks a bit damning, but consider that we have let through the second least inside 50s of any team in the comp this year (833 total, Freo clearly the best with 791). However, when looking at the total rebound 50's versus opponents inside 50s, we rank 13th rebounding 69.5% of opponent inside 50s (Swans being first with 77.4%). Ceebs doing this for the last few years.

Another thing to throw on this is we have the lowest average losing margin in the comp this year, with an ave. margin of 11 in losses. Sydney are the next best with 18. We've talked about how half our losses have been within a kick, and this just highlights how close we've come to winning a bunch of those games.
 

Adz2332

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Sep 9, 2010
Posts
8,730
Likes
6,406
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#18
Problem is our age bracket looks good, until you look at the forwards....
Schulz, Westy even monfires are getting on....
With shaw harvey still unkown and butch being butch we need to trade aggressively now while we can still get the best out of schulz!
 

Andre

Premium Platinum
Joined
Sep 3, 2002
Posts
22,626
Likes
23,765
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#19
I'm looking forward to next year already, even though this year I haven't given up on. Because I know we are going to be working on skills in the pre-season. Working on our core strength. Our tackling. Our running. Getting better every single game, until we reach the standard of a top four team...then a top one team. All I asked for during the Primus years was some level of improvement, to see where we were going. I'm getting that.
I'd hope so. I know this season is still going, but our deficiencies in these areas aren't exactly state secrets unknown to other teams and I'd feel a lot more confident about the future if Ken and Burgess did come out now and respectively said that skills and strength are two areas that they plan to prioritise the up-coming pre-season.
 

Steve Dore

International Trade Facilitator
Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Posts
26,629
Likes
34,142
Location
a three hour tour.
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Minnesota Vikings, Canadiens, Ports
#21
1st Priority - Draft/Trade for a KPF!!!!
We need to trade in a KPF that has been in the system for four or five years. Drafting a kid that is a year younger than Mitch Harvey is not going to help in the short to medium term.
 

Us against the rest

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Posts
9,274
Likes
8,305
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#22
I've added tackles which have gone up each year too, although we slipped a few positions this year. But we have had plenty of the ball so less likely to need to tackle.
Great improvement over the last 3 seasons but those tackles this year, numbers are ok but how many tackles have stuck this year, so many times this season our opposition still gets a disposal away by hand, we need to learn to pin those arms in a tackle.
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Posts
7,085
Likes
4,299
Location
Port Adelaide Oval
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Port Adelaide Magpies
#23
I'll be at Metricon and for me this game is really going to show if we're coming back or not. Must win, must!! If not i'm afraid we can tuck this season away.

Been a bit down in the dumps lately, hate us losing. But i feel very confident for the future. I sort of feel we are tracking the same as 2001 - 02 maybe.`1q2
 

Chrizzt

Norm Smith Medallist
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Posts
7,060
Likes
13,120
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#24
I've added tackles which have gone up each year too, although we slipped a few positions this year. But we have had plenty of the ball so less likely to need to tackle.
I've only done it for this year, but we are currently 4th in the league for tackles per opposition disposal with 0.196 tackles/opp disposal (taken from a whole year statistic, not game by game). Bulldogs are currently first with 0.208, Geelong 2nd, Sydney 3rd.
So we sit in pretty good company for tackles.

EDIT: I normally don't care to comment on the crows, but they are last for tackles per opp disposal. Lulz, soft, front runners, yada yada...
 

finbarr

Premium Platinum
Joined
Jun 19, 2005
Posts
30,082
Likes
94,655
Location
Adelaide
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
#25
I just want to enjoy watching us play again tbh.
The excitement the first 12 rounds brought was because we played an exhilarating style of footy, combining intense effort and application at the contested ball, tackle and chase, with break-neck speed of spread and ball movement, usually executed with precision.
From the moment Jackson Trengove pulled up sore one minute before HT of the last showdown, we have lost those tremendous characteristics that made us so watchable.

Kicking <90 points a game for most of the past seven matches has become predictable, boring and depressing.

Full marks though to Matty Nicks and the defensive side of our game which has remarkably remained competent despite the injuries to Carlile and Trengove, and despite the lack of defensive pressure our forwards have applied to their opponents, and the all-round drop in form from our midfielders.

What I want to see between now and the end of the year, is that spark back. I want to feel that excitement that came with the first half of this year, that adrenaline rush with taking it up to Collingwood at the MCG in the final last year, and Geelong the week after. I want to see us find the right balance between playing brave footy and smart footy. I want to see Wingard and Westhoff light up centre stage again.

Contrary to what some might think about us "more negative" posters, we do love this club and we do believe. We're like the parent frustrated and disappointed with their misbehaving or underperforming child. We might throw our hands up in the air, shout a bit, and pull out our hair over the way our team is performing, but we are not giving up on them, nor have we stopped loving them.

C'mon Port. Time to rise up off the canvas. C'mon Wingard, Wines, Westhoff and friends, time to get the mojo back.
This should be sent as an open letter to every person involved in the club's football program. :thumbsu:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom