Opinion Non-Crows AFL 13: Cyclone Season

[Peter Doherty]

I'm not sure where the Power improve this year.

 

[AFC979810]

They self sabotaged through mismanagement and a desire to buy a premiership rather than earning it.

What nonsense and utterly stupid logic. No AFL premiership can be 'bought' and not earned.

Name me one premiership team that has been earned by having their entire premiership team drafted with no free agents or traded in players.

Did we buy our 97 flag by bringing in McLeod, Jarman, Ellen, Koster, Caven, Robran, Sampson, Bond, James and Connell?

 

[AFC979810]

I'm not sure where the Power improve this year.

I could see them improving on last year definitely.

New coach brings some freshness. Zero expectations. A dream start - Kangas, Bombers, Eagles, Tigers, Saints) and a great draw. They have an elite midfield group in Butters, Rozee and JHF.

The Todd Marshall injury is devastating for them - having Georgidias, Marshall and Luko would have been a decent forward line.

That being said - would I be surprised if they completely fell off and finished bottom 3 - probably not.

 

[Slim258]

It's the opposite. You are only as elite as your most elite players.

Its no surprise that Brisbanes top poll getters in the Norm Smith voting were all top 10 in their B&F.

You can carry some pretty average footballers as long as your top end producers at their elite level.

Disagree, look at us in 2024.
Our Bottom 6 players (who played more than 10 games) were:
Borlase - 10 games
Cook - 15 games
Murphy - 20 games
Jones - 16 games
McHenry - 10 games
Sholl - 20 games

Far cry from our 2025 team, our bottom six became a better crop therefore our performance improved due to less reliance on the elite players. 20 touches from Cumming & ANB are better than 20 touches from Murphy & McHenry

 

[Peter Doherty]

I could see them improving on last year definitely.

New coach brings some freshness. Zero expectations. A dream start - Kangas, Bombers, Eagles, Tigers, Saints) and a great draw. They have an elite midfield group in Butters, Rozee and JHF.

The Todd Marshall injury is devastating for them - having Georgidias, Marshall and Luko would have been a decent forward line.

That being said - would I be surprised if they completely fell off and finished bottom 3 - probably not.

Nice leg up with the draw, not sure it's enough. They had Butters, Rozee and JHF last year. Can't rely on Marshall.

 

[AFC979810]

Disagree, look at us in 2024.
Our Bottom 6 players (who played more than 10 games) were:
Borlase - 10 games
Cook - 15 games
Murphy - 20 games
Jones - 16 games
McHenry - 10 games
Sholl - 20 games

Far cry from our 2025 team, our bottom six became a better crop therefore our performance improved due to less reliance on the elite players. 20 touches from Cumming & ANB are better than 20 touches from Murphy & McHenry

I would suggest our rise could be far more attributed to the huge contribution from our 5 players selected in the s All Australian squad in 2024.

In 2024 - TT played 7 games. In 2025 he was #4 for goals, #3 for contested marks and an All Australian.
In 2024 - Rankine played 15 games. Played at All Australian level in 2025.
In 2024 - Woz played 13 games. In 2025 he played every game and made the squad.
In 2024 - Keane played 21 games and was decent, but went to another level in 2025 making the AA squad and finishing 7th in our B&F
In 2024 - Dawson was great, but he went to another level in 2025.

Adding in ANB and thats where 90% improvement came from IMO.

 

[AFC979810]

Nice leg up with the draw, not sure it's enough. They had Butters, Rozee and JHF last year. Can't rely on Marshall.

I wouldn't be surprised if its career over for Marshall.

198cm player will take 2 years to fully recover from an achillies. He should be able to play in 27, but won't be anywhere near fit and close to his best until the 2028 season (best case). He will be 29 that season.

 

[Peter Doherty]

I wouldn't be surprised if its career over for Marshall.

198cm player will take 2 years to fully recover from an achillies. He should be able to play in 27, but won't be anywhere near fit and close to his best until the 2028 season (best case). He will be 29 that season.

Maybe I confused him with someone else, I thought he was the one prone to concussions.

 

[FR0GGY]

Maybe I confused him with someone else, I thought he was the one prone to concussions.

That’s also him

 

[AFC979810]

Disagree, look at us in 2024.
Our Bottom 6 players (who played more than 10 games) were:
Borlase - 10 games
Cook - 15 games
Murphy - 20 games
Jones - 16 games
McHenry - 10 games
Sholl - 20 games

Tough on Sholl there. In 2024 - he was 10th in our B&F.

 

[GreyCrow]

What nonsense and utterly stupid logic. No AFL premiership can be 'bought' and not earned.

Name me one premiership team that has been earned by having their entire premiership team drafted with no free agents or traded in players.

Did we buy our 97 flag by bringing in McLeod, Jarman, Ellen, Koster, Caven, Robran, Sampson, Bond, James and Connell?

I think this is the nonsense post

I didnt read it as Port buying a Premiership - but that they attempted to

The rest is your rant to support the fantasy in your head

 

[adelaidecrows]

What nonsense and utterly stupid logic. No AFL premiership can be 'bought' and not earned.

Name me one premiership team that has been earned by having their entire premiership team drafted with no free agents or traded in players.

Did we buy our 97 flag by bringing in McLeod, Jarman, Ellen, Koster, Caven, Robran, Sampson, Bond, James and Connell?

We still went to the draft. And you've gone to the extreme. The trade table is a support structure to buy talent you can't get in the draft.

You can not say Port have balanced this approach. Hawthorn tried this very approach by bringing in Mitchell and OMeara to keep themselves in the premiership window only for the club to move on in just a few years because it was realised they need to go to the draft.

Geelong even couldn't win a premiership by constant trading so they even started hitting the draft table to help balance the side.

It's all a balance and Port were desperate and they went a step too far. Hence self sabotage. They rolled the dice and lost. Arguably they have the single worst list in the comp aside from the rebuilding sides.

 

[AFC979810]

I think this is the nonsense post

I didnt read it as Port buying a Premiership - but that they attempted to

The rest is your rant to support the fantasy in your head

You think Port attempted to 'buy' a flag rather than earn it? What silliness.

 

[AFC979810]

We still went to the draft. And you've gone to the extreme. The trade table is a support structure to buy talent you can't get in the draft.

They didnt use the draft?

Butters, Rozee, Bergman, Farrell, Drew, Georgiadis, Berry, Marshall weren't key pieces of the list they were trying to build.

You can not say Port have balanced this approach. Hawthorn tried this very approach by bringing in Mitchell and OMeara to keep themselves in the premiership window only for the club to move on in just a few years because it was realised they need to go to the draft.

They went all in the past few years no doubt. It's what you do when you have a list capable of making the top 4 in 4 out of 5 years.

Geelong even couldn't win a premiership by constant trading so they even started hitting the draft table to help balance the side.

It's all a balance and Port were desperate and they went a step too far. Hence self sabotage. They rolled the dice and lost. Arguably they have the single worst list in the comp aside from the rebuilding sides.

What does that even mean. They have the single worst list in the comp (apart from the other sides that have worse lists?).

 

[adelaidecrows]

They didnt use the draft?

Butters, Rozee, Bergman, Farrell, Drew, Georgiadis, Berry, Marshall weren't key pieces of the list they were trying to build.



They went all in the past few years no doubt. It's what you do when you have a list capable of making the top 4 in 4 out of 5 years.



What does that even mean. They have the single worst list in the comp (apart from the other sides that have worse lists?).

basically West Coast and Richmond have worst lists. Essendon maybe. But yeah they are in trouble.

But thats the point of the self sabotage. Its fine to make the top 4 year after year but somethings wrong if you arent winning premierships. This constant obsession massively hurt their list. The writing on the wall should have been when they started losing showdowns. A side that was rebuilding. We have beaten them 5 times in the last 6 games. They were also getting flogged in finals against the best sides. Losing 4 out of their last 5 finals and the one they did win was by just 3 points against the Hawks. This is not a good record.

A failure to read the tea leaves has seriously hurt them.

 

[Vader]

Disagree, look at us in 2024.
Our Bottom 6 players (who played more than 10 games) were:
Borlase - 10 games
Cook - 15 games
Murphy - 20 games
Jones - 16 games
McHenry - 10 games
Sholl - 20 games

Far cry from our 2025 team, our bottom six became a better crop therefore our performance improved due to less reliance on the elite players. 20 touches from Cumming & ANB are better than 20 touches from Murphy & McHenry

I would suggest our rise could be far more attributed to the huge contribution from our 5 players selected in the s All Australian squad in 2024.

In 2024 - TT played 7 games. In 2025 he was #4 for goals, #3 for contested marks and an All Australian.
In 2024 - Rankine played 15 games. Played at All Australian level in 2025.
In 2024 - Woz played 13 games. In 2025 he played every game and made the squad.
In 2024 - Keane played 21 games and was decent, but went to another level in 2025 making the AA squad and finishing 7th in our B&F
In 2024 - Dawson was great, but he went to another level in 2025.

Adding in ANB and thats where 90% improvement came from IMO.

You do realise that you're BOTH right, at least partially?

You can't win big finals without elite top-end talent, which is why Adelaide struggled to make an impact on the 2025 series (Rankine MIA, lack of elite midfielders). Simultaneously, you're going to struggle to make the finals at all if your bottom 6 are as bad as Adelaide's were in 2024 and Port's are in 2026.

What you need is quality across the ground, with a reasonable number of elite talents (particularly in the midfield).

 

[1970crow]

I'm not sure where the Power improve this year.

Having a proper coaching structure will help them a bit. Player wise, I think JHF has another level or 2 in him and reckon Mitch G has another gear. Overall, I don't think they're much, if any, worse than their 2024 side. Could be anywhere from around 13th to 5th I reckon. Although I haven't looked at their draw or done a ladder predictor.

 

[ams4crows]

He is always a good poller but i would be surprised if he can win in a losing team. Theres losing in close games and polling but its unlikely he will poll in 50 point loses which you would expect the power will have quite a few.

When Ablett won it playing for Gold coast was that one of the years they got relatively close to finals without making it?

 

[ams4crows]

I wouldn't be surprised if its career over for Marshall.

198cm player will take 2 years to fully recover from an achillies. He should be able to play in 27, but won't be anywhere near fit and close to his best until the 2028 season (best case). He will be 29 that season.

Wait have I missed another Marshall injury? As in a 2nd season ending injury in two years?

 

[AFC979810]

Wait have I missed another Marshall injury? As in a 2nd season ending injury in two years?

I thought I read he re-injured it on X.

 

[Coopers]

When Ablett won it playing for Gold coast was that one of the years they got relatively close to finals without making it?

Yes. It was also peak Gary Ablett though. He was an unstoppable force that year, just crazy good at every aspect of the game.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I'm not sure where the Power improve this year.

Coach.

 

[Crow_68]

I'm not sure where the Power improve this year.

AFLW

 

[CrowinNT]

Still lose Butters and will be a big mountain to climb.

I agree and whilst I have no crystal ball
He will be gone as most of us think
Why stay on a sinking boat in the Daly River

 

[Vader]

I agree and whilst I have no crystal ball
He will be gone as most of us think
Why stay on a sinking boat in the Daly River

Even being on a sinking boat is better than being IN the Daly River!