Review Port defeat Umpires + Saints by 7 points

[kranky al]

Mint game for a neutral to watch. Loved seeing willie finally get his s**t together in the second half and do willie stuff.

Sorta over the hurt of him dumping us - hes an icing in the cake player for a challenging side not the player for a rebuild. Watching him work magic in a good side is still gold.

But still….

 

[240volt]

What an awesome game to watch. Two teams got at it hard.
I don't think St Kilda are quite as good as their ladder positions but they are the type of team in this present form that would beat us, that is, hard contested ball. Intense Stuff.

I have a few rants.

We might have a very good midfield and it may be the main reason we have played well recently. In years gone by, we had two very good players in Wines and Boak in the midfield, a 3 time AA and a Brownlow Medalist but they are not highly impactful on the game like some other midfielders. During those times, we could easily not score in a quarter or half or get a 7 goal run on by the opposition. Now, it wasn't their fault but it just showed they didn't have the midfield craft to constantly pressure the opposition.

Well that seems to have changed. We have two out and out superstars in the midfield, a generational talent in Horne-Francis and the classy Rozee, both who are highly influential on setting up play and in the contest. Butters is a little pocket rocket which means Wines and Boak are our 4th and 5th best midfielders, not the 1st and 2nd. This gives them lesser opponents with Drew getting the tagging role. We have the top end talent in the midfield but we also have really great depth. I mean Boaky played an amazing game and seems to be rounding out form since he had the rib issue.

So we haven't been typically smashed in the midfield. Only against the Pies and they are awesome and had the umpires on their side and the last quarter against the Cows.

Our core three guys of Horne-Francis, Rozee and Butters have only paid full time in the midfield for about a year so they still have a lot to learn and they haven't had a good ruck. Can you imagine a good ruck palming the ball down to those three? That would be ridiculous.

We have been coached during the weeks and I have noticed two good improvements. The lads are tackling better. There are no free kicks given away because of the sling tackles so our technique is better. Great stuff. Also, when the umpires give a bad decision against us, we don't put our heads down. We keep on going. We seem to be quite focused in this way. We are just playing to the whistle. Very impressive.

It is good to see Hinkley who is definitely not game day coaching. There was a part in the game when he had the headset in his hand and didn't seem to know what to do with it. Also, it is good that Hinkley went in for bat for Horne-Francis last week and the umpiring this week. I would say it has been a touch late but that is a bit over the top critical. But yes, good job.

Free Kicks Port Adelaide Game 2023

Round 1 - Brisbane 12-25
Round 2 - Collingwood 15 - 34
Round 3 - Adelaide 29 - 22 - we win the free kick by 7
Round 4 - Sydney 22 - 32
Round 5 - Western Bulldogs 23 - 24
Round 6 - West Coast 23 -24
Round 7 - St Kilda 14 - 28

This is a bit of a farce. We have been killed in 4 games by the umps. 2 games are evenish. Against the Cows, we got the good rub of the green. We could actually be a bit better of a team than we are with these free kicks counts.

The Game

Horne-Francis - awesome and so good he got a lot of close treatment later in the game. The clearances are great. His power is like that of Thor. He will start to clunk more marks and when he puts on more muscle and gets some air in the tyres, he will become a beast, if he is not already. He will also start to get more respect from the umps and get more free kicks. His kicking is awesome but during this game he wanted to kick lasers when he didn't need to.

Rozee - good considering the tag. He is always working in the game to add value. Very good game and hopefully he starts to break the tag. And was Horne-Francis tagged in the second half. He also had 8 tackles. Not as infulential as usual but still working his butt off.

Butters - really good and talk about value added. He is always doing the dirty work but also assisting. He is kinda like a point guard, like John Stockton, dishing it out, with hand, foot and mouth. His games are under the radar but he is so good.

Boak - amazing game. I have a feeling his ribs have been bothering him and so it is kinda behind him and we have the OG Boak. He missed that shot. Boaky, you go on about your professionalism. You are known for it. PLEASE WORK ON YOUR SET SHOT. Apart from that, fantastic game.

Wines - around the area. Not a bag game. Not a great game. Still in it though. I was thinking that it might be hard for him and his pride may have taken a hit because he is down the chart of the midfield when he won a Brownlow only a couple of years ago. If he has knee problems, I hope they come good and he gets back to 40 possies a game.

Drew - a more typical Drew game but did have some impact by foot. Some nice kicks into the F50.

Teakle - I thought he was OK. I will say this. He is better than the old, injured Lycett. He is young and might clunk a few marks and get better. At the moment, he does some good things. I don't think we have any other options.

Dixon - great game. He played on one foot and a big heart. A real Port Adelaide game of sacrifice. Hopefully his body pulls up. Was in just about everything when it came to goals.

Lord - young and not influential but trying

Rioli - tackled and had some good pressure acts. A couple of goals. It is just exciting to see him play when he is on. Who doesn't love watching him sell some candy and drill a goal. He just has too much potential.

McEntee - decent game, kicked a goal but struggles big time in the air.

Byrne-Jones - he is playing well in the forward line. He seems to be over qualified for what he is doing and so yeah, he is playing well and I'm sure will have a super impressive game some time soon. I like him up front. Gives us a bit of class there.

Powell-Pepper - how can you not love this guy. The Wrecking Ball. Did what SPP does and when he seems to get a bit angry, watch out.

Finlayson - very very good game and spectacular down back in the last quarter.

Houston - brilliant game. High tackle count and some beautiful kicking running through the centre.

Bergman - awesome game. He plays down back and then up the ground a bit. He's overqualified for the 3rd tall but he is just great. His marking will improve too. He was pretty darn good in the last quarter. I am a bit worried he hasn't signed a contract with us. It is getting to the point where I want to know who he followed when he was young to see what we could get for him. I really want him to stay as he could be another Horne-Francis type of player in the midfield.

Aliir - like a few other down back, a bit fumbly but a really good game.

McKenzie - another solid game. He is quietly have a really good year.

Williams - very good down back with 1 on 1 stuff and also has very good decision making and can kick a superb ball that sets up goal opportunities. What a great find this year. If he keeps it up, he will be back on the main list.

Burton - a very good game as well. He has a very nice kick too. Just playing really well.

Burgoyne - a bit fumbly but he was OK for a youngun.

Bonner - OK

Duursma - he's been a touch down recently and was looking at a good game but yeah, he got injured.

Given we had a few young guys in the team like Burgoyne, Teakle, Lord and McEntee, we have a lot of improvement to do. And there are a few other positions that could be upgraded like Bonner and possibly even Drew.

We are desperate for a good ruckmen to complement our midfield. I would take a crack in the mid-season draft.

Nice try but your still a couple of paragraphs behind the legend REH.

 

[Coobk001]

1.” Dropped marks and fumbles which can be improved “

- very rarely does this happen. Especially out of nowhere when they’re this far off. Literally nothing about his marking is close. Can’t read the ball, doesn’t know where to position. Doesn’t know how to use his body. Some of the worst hands you will see.

2. “He can clunk the ball”

No he can’t. He’s literally never shown any ability to do that. He hasn’t taken a contested mark in his 2 games this year. Marking definitely was not his strong suit at the magpies either

3. “And is a decent kick”

No. That turnover where he kicked it straight down an opponents throat under no pressure was one of the worst turnovers I’ve ever seen. He’s one of the worst kicks in our side. He just can’t be trusted.

4. “Hayes can’t run”

Maybe, but that poster here who tried to burn Hayes by posting stats showed the stats said Hayes was getting to as many ruck contests as lycett, who for all his shitness is as fit a ruck as any. So Hayes can get around the ground tp where we need him fine.

5. “Afl ruckman need to have presence around the ground”

Where is that in the rules? We won as many games with Hayes as we have with any other ruck.

There isn’t enough A grade tap rucks who are also great around the ground to go around… so clubs settle for what they can get.

The idea that tap rucks who don’t get useless 20d a game aren’t any good is a furphy peddled by fools.

If disposals mattered more than ruck impact why not play boak as ruck?

6. Your qb comment shows you have zero idea about the difference between nfl and afl.

The nfl is a free agency league that doesn’t develop players. College is for developing players. They can turf a qb every 2/3 years because every year there’s 5-15 other poor to bog average to decent qbs available as free agents, several available for trade and half a dozen grown ass adults in the draft that have played 2-4 years in a college system.






Those players showed signs and have high end traits but lacking in other areas.



Williams is a great example. He has always had high end elite traits but fitness has been an issue and didn’t find enough of it as a forward. Moved back and those issues weren’t issues anymore and those high end traits are flourishing


It’s not at all like teakle, how has shown exactly zero high end traits.

He’s got some athleticism and that’s it, and that’s so common that park footballers galore would be littered with similar.

^spot on.

I'm 100% comfortable with writing Teakle off on the back of the body of work I've seen. He makes Ladhams look like peak NicNat. The only thing Teakle has going for him is that athleticism, and the fact we have put a line through our other options, this will mean he plays AFL games he doesn't deserve.

Lycett needs to be moved on from, but is a far superior player to what Teakle will ever be. If Hayes isn't to be picked, then honestly the only other option is Visentini and we would lose nothing playing Visentini ahead of Teakle, even though he's significantly underdone. Visentini has traits that could develop into something, Teakle just doesn't, he's a dumb player, incredibly dumb, and as I said he is easily in the worst handful of players to ever represent us at AFL level. Easily.

 

[240volt]

Norf quickly returning to there before Clarko shyt.
There supporters can suck on that.

 

[Coobk001]

So you, in all your wisdom, have written him off after 3 and a half games. When across the history of Australian Rules Football we have seen numerous players take many games and multiple years to become good or great players. Especially so for tall players.

In fact, our Dylan Williams fits neatly in that category. Looked nowhere near it in his first game and now looks every bit of an AFL player. And is now rightly receiving the plaudits.

It's just a stupid conclusion to come to at this point in his career with such little evidence. Imagine all the players that would've been lost if you were in charge of list management...

No it's not, most people of his ability are never drafted, in fact he's been passed over by other clubs after being there, and only here from a mid season draft pick that was generous, and should've been delisted late last year. You going to say all the other clubs that passed on him, and was it Essendon he was with previously that rejected him, that they were 100% wrong. They are literally all writing him off when making those decisions.

Fact of the matter is he isn't up to it, is one of the worst players to have suited up for us in the AFL and just should not be out there.

 

[JakeNeadeFan]

No it's not, most people of his ability are never drafted, in fact he's been passed over by other clubs after being there, and only here from a mid season draft pick that was generous, and should've been delisted late last year. You going to say all the other clubs that passed on him, and was it Essendon he was with previously that rejected him, that they were 100% wrong.

Fact of the matter is he isn't up to it, is one of the worst players to have suited up for us in the AFL and just should not be out there.

This is just another moronic argument when there have been, again, an enormous amount of players in AFL football who were overlooked in drafts or taken late who are fantastic players.

Going by your logic we should've delisted Dan Houston because a bunch of clubs overlooked him or Ash Johnson is a spud because he was taken in a mid season draft.

I really don't understand why you would look to write off a player after 4 games. It is stupid and it is unfair.

 

[Vagabond0]

Gee. Umpiring getting attention. Even channel 7 news having a go.

Funny that, journos need to be fed and love anything that raises controversy.

Kenny finally says something about it and they suddenly have something new to fill in their content.

Mourinho is a classic for loading up the media with crap that distracts and keeps them away from focusing on his players. Unless of course he wants to turn the heat on one of them.

 

[240volt]

What a spectacular Saturday nights football action we have bestowed upon us.

 

[Peninsula Boy]

Nice try but your still a couple of paragraphs behind the legend REH.

He's an absolute jet.

 

[240volt]

Anyone feeling a bit depressed should take a gander at the Norf game day thread.
To say there not happy campers is a understatement

 

[chiwigi]

Anyone feeling a bit depressed should take a gander at the Norf game day thread.
To say there not happy campers is a understatement

Loving this game!

 

[Enviable Tradition]

Anyone feeling a bit depressed should take a gander at the Norf game day thread.
To say there not happy campers is a understatement

And tweeting David King.

On SM-G975F using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[agmsy]

So you, in all your wisdom, have written him off after 3 and a half games.

In fact, our Dylan Williams fits neatly in that category. Looked nowhere near it in his first game

Is the nearly two-year gap (spent toiling in the SANFL) between Williams' first AFL game and his second a compelling argument for keeping Teakle in the side now instead of dropping him back to the SANFL until he's ready?

 

[Coobk001]

This is just another moronic argument when there have been, again, an enormous amount of players in AFL football who were overlooked in drafts or taken late who are fantastic players.

Going by your logic we should've delisted Dan Houston because a bunch of clubs overlooked him or Ash Johnson is a spud because he was taken in a mid season draft.

I really don't understand why you would look to write off a player after 4 games. It is stupid and it is unfair.

Houston was drafted in his draft year. Teakle wasnt.

Teakles first crack was when Essendon decided to trial his athletic ability over a preseason when he was 20 y.o. They 'wrote him off' and he went back to the WAFL.

Teakle then only got selected as a mid season draftee, where teams see it as a free crack to try someone like him, he would not have been picked in an end of year draft. He was not picked on the basis of fantastic form, in fact he wasn't even in the squad for the WAFL rep team in the same season. He was a pure speculative pick.

The number of mature agers that succeed is small. I'd be surprised if the number in the comp is above 20 out of the 750 players that are on lists. When they do, they are selected on the back of being outstanding performers at the lower levels, and nearly every time they come onto the scene and perform from day 1. Teakle certainly doesn't meet any of that criteria.

I'm also writing Teakle off on the back of several SANFL games, preseason games and AFL games. He is a mature age 23 year old, playing as bad a footy as you could imagine a raw draftee playing. Visentini should be playing ahead of him based on what we've seen. At an absolute minimum Teakle should be playing SANFL and seeing if he can develop up to the level, and hell actually playing as a ruck in the SANFL might help too. Playing in the AFL is just not where he should be.

You can have your opinion, and I'll have mine. It's not moronic at all to think that a guy with very little footballing talent, that is being gifted games on the back of athleticism only, and is flat out embarrassing himself out there is not up to it. It's what list managers do all the time and have to do. He copped an embarrassing reaming last week by the worst ruck in the comp, then backing up with an absolute spanking plus just looking like a headless chook.

Based on your 'moronic' logic, every player on the list would have to be given a stack of AFL games to ensure you'd trialled them out before delisting them. Completely ignoring the reality of list management in the AFL, and the need to pick your best sides to win. As well as ignoring the reality that you don't just need to see someone at the top level to know what they can do, many players just aren't picked and are written off, and many players never debut at the level which is a standard part of list management and making calls on players after zero games, let alone 4 undeserved and miserably bad games.

 

[GremioPower]

Can't believe it, just looked it up. 25k for prime time slot, sitting top of the table, with a huge clash on the cards, in the perfect indoor stadium to protect from the elements.

A seriously, seriously poor crowd. It's hard to believe there's clubs like that out there, that pull those sorts of numbers even in their most exciting times, and yet we're regularly given crap about our 35-40k crowds.

Really wish that the AFL had some balls and moved a club to Tassie.

The mistake was taking clubs out of their stadia and into the Docklands.

 

[Ah12]

I cannot remember Hayes performing anywhere near as bad as what Teakle and Lycett have played this year. Maybe Hayes has gone backwards this year and training s**t house but the games he played last year he was solid.

 

[edgie]

I disagree. We weren’t having trouble finding the ball, but we struggled to move it. That’s why we couldn’t score.

On the other hand, they were scoring because they were finding space.

Once we closed the space and began to use the ball properly, we took control. Yet, we’ve failed to put the game away.

In the end, however, they started to play poorly. Even with the score tight, we seemed to have the game in the bag.

Still, it was dangerous.

Their ball movement got worse as the night rolled on and they were exposed for not having a proper KPF. Whereas our main KPF was a liability in the first quarter before working in to the game really well and arguable being a matchwinner, with his actions with and without the footy.

Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using Tapatalk

 

[edgie]

St Kilda are an average list and credit to Ross Lyon to have them performing so well as a team.

More credit to our coaches who must have identified this and broke it down by playing a contested man on man, very little zoning, game. Made each contest a one on one, removed the collective bonus of team football they need, and forced each individual player to win their position. We have a stronger list. We used it. We won because of it.

Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using Tapatalk

 

[It Just Is]

Teakle is too raw to be playing AFL. We won’t know if he’s going to be any good for another 18-24 months.

He should be leading the ruck and developing in the SANFL, with a chop out from Visentini and Hayes playing AFL.

 

[jakey]

Teakle is too raw to be playing AFL. We won’t know if he’s going to be any good for another 18-24 months.

He should be leading the ruck and developing in the SANFL, with a chop out from Visentini and Hayes playing AFL.

I really hope we don't put any more time into Teakle. He's got no AFL attributes. At one point I thought maybe we could turn him into a defender but he's an absolute turnover merchant.

 

[jakey]

I can't remember the last time we won by playing smarter than the opposition. It's a nice feeling.

 

[pastmyprimus]

Our defence looked vulnerable at the start of the season. It looks much better now with the addition of Bergman and Williams. Good positional moves.

 

[Sir Watchalot]

It was bizarre. I wasn't even sure he was talking about the game that had just been played.

Odd as it seems Lyons was as frustrated with the umpiring as Hinkley was. Not the imbalance in their favour of course, but the lottery of what was/wasn't paid. In an incredibly tight game where coaching interventions mattered it affected their ability to influence the game. Both coaches had trouble talking about it afterwards because it was huge but they didn't want fines.

 

[Sir Watchalot]

Mint game for a neutral to watch. Loved seeing willie finally get his s**t together in the second half and do willie stuff ...

We've had a few versions of Willie since the season started. R1 we had a bit of 'Centre clearance Willie' which I don't recall seeing before. And annoyingly we've had 'Where TF were you Willie?' a couple of times. But on Friday we had 'West Coast Willie'. He might as well have been wearing his blue and gold jumper it was such a recognisable performance. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

[backtozero]

I can't remember the last time we won by playing smarter than the opposition. It's a nice feeling.

Round 5, 2023.