Positives and Negatives vs Port Adelaide

Balls In

Brownlow Medallist
May 25, 2018
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Gov has been pretty ordinary in the last two seasons. Signed a big contract and then regressed from A grade star to the next level down. Still a good player that every team would want, but not playing at the level of our highest paid player.
Underrated post. Has regressed from being hands down the best defender in the competition to not even the best in our team. Its not just that other teams have worked out how to play around him either. He is one that we really need a lift from if we are going to go deep this year.
 

Rowan18

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 20, 2018
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He was never worth 1.1mill IMO.

900K MAX.
The McGovern brothers seemed very business orientated in their negotiations, with the aim of maximising their one big pay day. While Gov loves the team, he made it clear that he would go elsewhere if the pay gap was too large. No way we would have kept him on $900k.
 

Rowan18

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 20, 2018
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Underrated post. Has regressed from being hands down the best defender in the competition to not even the best in our team. Its not just that other teams have worked out how to play around him either. He is one that we really need a lift from if we are going to go deep this year.
I can't really put my finger on what has changed. He has had a lot of injuries, so that may have affected his form. Just seems to be a few % off, drops marks he'd always take, gets out positioned etc
 
Nelson had 21 kicks!

TWENTY ONE KICKS

25 disposals with three turnovers. Broke a tackle in plain sight for everyone to see then hit a tit with the ensuing possession, even though he’s never broken a tackle and turns it over every time.

Apologies can be sent to
JACKSON NELSON IS CLEARLY BEST 22
PO BOX 6000
* THE HATERS BOULEVARD
 
Gaff monstering Motlop in a front on tackle confirmed we have a new leader in the softest player in the league contest. I know he was already up there but for all gaff's pure heart bursting hard running and all round game if you were to put the top 100 experienced midfielders in the league in a full body strength contest I reckon gaff would come last and he monstered Motlop in that tackle.

Tackling aside, and I’m spewing I didn’t mention this earlier because I even made a note to during the game; for a bloke with a reputation around here as being soft with the physical side of things, how many times did Gaff back himself into the hole directly under the flight of the ball.

Against the side that sniped him doing the same years ago, I reckon he had about seven or eight moments where he backed under the flight of the footy in front of a charging pack. Intercepted most of them and killed the others. Immense.
 

THE A5

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 26, 2020
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25 disposals with three turnovers. Broke a tackle in plain sight for everyone to see then hit a tit with the ensuing possession, even though he’s never broken a tackle and turns it over every time.

Apologies can be sent to
JACKSON NELSON IS CLEARLY BEST 22
PO BOX 6000
fu** THE HATERS BOULEVARD
Had a convo about the Eagles the other day and it was going so well till that person called Nelson a spud. I ended it right there moved on.
 
Jan 13, 2013
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25 disposals with three turnovers. Broke a tackle in plain sight for everyone to see then hit a tit with the ensuing possession, even though he’s never broken a tackle and turns it over every time.

Apologies can be sent to
JACKSON NELSON IS CLEARLY BEST 22
PO BOX 6000
fu** THE HATERS BOULEVARD
Maybe his turnovers just stuck in my mind more than they should have, I was right down on the boundary. He did have a lot of cheap mark/kicks in those stats though.
Cole was definitely rubbish though. It's a shame Witherden hasn't really come on enough to put some pressure on our smaller defenders.
And for the record I'm not a Nelson hater, I've always backed him in. I thought we should have turned him into a midfielder a couple of years ago.
 
Govs probably felt worse as his 2 big clangers happened one after the other. But mostly due to where they happened, with no pressure on him at all and how far off his target they were.

Gov hates pushing back off his mark, probably deems it unnecessary cardio.

King of the turnover kicking off one step. Absolutely does my head in.
 

MeltMan

With The Power To MELT!
Mar 22, 2021
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I feel like i have seen gaff sit under up and unders more times then should happen to a bloke. If you sometimes hack kick out, at least he is the kind of bloke that would also sit in the hole if someone else does the same thing
 
Gaff's got plenty of ticker. The guy has been polaxed from pillar to post and never ducks his head in a marking contest despite being KO'd by that mongrel Jonas.

Nobody should ever question his courage and anyone who does should go stand at the end of a long jetty and uppercut themselves.
 

THE A5

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 26, 2020
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It's interesting how Nelson gets the kick in duties when Bunga isn't. I'd say Shep is a better kick and Rotham too.

Cole has been meh and needs to be careful. Witherden has been ticking along but hasn't set the word on fire but you suspect he's 1 or 2 strong games away from a call up. Also both Foley and Johnson looked very good against Perth
 
Jan 13, 2013
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It's interesting how Nelson gets the kick in duties when Bunga isn't. I'd say Shep is a better kick and Rotham too.

Cole has been meh and needs to be careful. Witherden has been ticking along but hasn't set the word on fire but you suspect he's 1 or 2 strong games away from a call up. Also both Foley and Johnson looked very good against Perth
Foley moved ahead of Witherden do you reckon? (I haven't watched the WAFL game)
 

southcoast

Premiership Player
Sep 25, 2006
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All three are good players but you really would like them to eliminate the 1-2 critical errors per game given how experienced they are now. Rotham already looks more reliable.

You can add Gov to that list.

It’s a given he’ll stuff up in a game. Looked better this week than first two games (pressure of captaincy?) but still he managed to fluff a couple.
 

MeltMan

With The Power To MELT!
Mar 22, 2021
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Shueys kick out of mid air was one of the sweetest intentional flukes. We will have to start saying he has as much tap control with his feet as nick does in the ruck.
 

Rowan18

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 20, 2018
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Shueys kick out of mid air was one of the sweetest intentional flukes. We will have to start saying he has as much tap control with his feet as nick does in the ruck.
I don't think it was a fluke. I saw him do it 5 mins earlier when play was stopped and he had to get the ball back to the middle (someone kicked it to him and he kicked it on the volley to the centre).
 
Aug 14, 2004
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I must admit that I did not see this result coming.

That first half finally showed the extra gear that we know this team is capable of - and it was positively scary just how good it was.


Port Adelaide are a very good team. Nobody won more matches in 2020 than they did and they had lasted 20 consecutive rounds of football sitting on top of the ladder. They have consistently been the benchmark for contested football, ranking first in 2020 for contested possessions, clearances and tackles.

Over the first two rounds of this season, Port had averaged 27 more contested possessions per game than West Coast.

Something extraordinary would be required to claim victory - and that was duly delivered.

The first half saw a total of 89 contested possessions from the club - the equal second-highest number in any half during the Simpson era.

In dry weather, with rules that have reduced stoppage figures and without Yeo.


Port Adelaide were beaten to the ball and then simply could not get it back as the possession game was allowed to dictate the tempo of play.

At half time the score was 67-15.

That was on the back of +23 contested possessions, +10 clearances and +13 inside 50s. An incredible half of football.


Replacing the second specialist ruck with an additional midfielder (a 196cm tall body at that) and using Allen to pinch-hit for Naitanui's breaks was revelatory.

Notwithstanding the fact that Brander arrived in a very promising way during this game (21 disposals, 6 marks, 481 metres gained and a goal), the additional player about the middle combined with the return of Shuey, completely changed the midfield's approach. Positionally, not much changed there apart from the addition of the extra body, however mentally it was like watching a different team. With the extra providing cover, the top tier played hyper-aggressive, hunting the ball and spreading forward without concern for the opposition.

To say it was a success would be an understatement. Clearances won on the back of Naitanui's ruck dominance were converted into forward entries and those spreading up the ground were then positioned to apply pressure to the opponent within the forward half when possession was lost - causing the quality of opposition disposal out of their back half to be affected and play into the hands of our intercepting defence.

It left Port Adelaide beaten in every area on the ground. Credit to the coaching group on this one for getting it right.


As for those being underwhelmed by the second half and not putting Port to the sword - I think that it is mostly down to Port actually being a good team and showing some fight in combination with a far amount of fatigue kicking in from playing at such a high intensity in sapping humid conditions.

McGovern looked absolutely spent when he made those back-to-back errors upon simple kicks that resulted in an opposition goal - it was like he was trying to kick with concrete in his boots. Perhaps the management of defensive rotations will be something that gets a closer look going into the next match.


The only downside in this match was the injury to Shuey. He will likely get at least a month off and thus result in the team being weakened during an important run of matches. That said, there is no reason the structure deployed against Port can't be retained and put to use in the forthcoming matches.


This was one of the outstanding team performances of the season thus far. The competition was starting to forget about the legitimacy of the club's chances this year - this result was a punch to the face reminder that West Coast are as good a chance as any in season 2021.
 
Negatives
- Shuey hamstring (thanks captain obvious)
- Conceding 9 goals in the second half albeit many (4 of the last 5) were in junktime after we’d led by 54 midway through the last quarter

Positives
- Nic’s tapwork
- Hurn aging elegantly
- the fist of sexual barrasment
- piggy’s first goal
- the pile on for piggy’s first goal
- Ryanair
- Allen’s contested marking
- Rotham’s progression into an automatic selection
- Welcome to 2021 Andrew Gaff
- Ditto Redden
- the 3 headed monster inside F50

The first half was as close to football perfection as you’re likely to see. No surprise that we couldn’t sustain it or that a good side like Port would make some sort of response but just a little disappointing that we didn’t finish with a 8+ goal win as that would’ve been a fairer reflection

Onto a new challenge next week
 

CM9000

BigFooty Optimist
Aug 19, 2016
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I must admit that I did not see this result coming.

That first half finally showed the extra gear that we know this team is capable of - and it was positively scary just how good it was.


Port Adelaide are a very good team. Nobody won more matches in 2020 than they did and they had lasted 20 consecutive rounds of football sitting on top of the ladder. They have consistently been the benchmark for contested football, ranking first in 2020 for contested possessions, clearances and tackles.

Over the first two rounds of this season, Port had averaged 27 more contested possessions per game than West Coast.

Just on this Dylan82 - I think we were just showing Port Adelaide’s true colours, showcasing the fact that, really, they still are massive pretenders. I never rated them last year that much, since IMO they got lucky with the circumstances (they adapted quicker then other clubs). They didn‘t deserve top spot last year, and their loss to Richmond last year was testament to that fact.

Not to take anything away from our performance, but I do our real test will come against Richmond, or someone like Sydney at the SCG.
 

Mudguts12

All Australian
Jul 6, 2011
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It's interesting how Nelson gets the kick in duties when Bunga isn't. I'd say Shep is a better kick and Rotham too.

Cole has been meh and needs to be careful. Witherden has been ticking along but hasn't set the word on fire but you suspect he's 1 or 2 strong games away from a call up. Also both Foley and Johnson looked very good against Perth
Cole was one of our best in R1. Hasn't been meh by any stretch. Goes hard when it's his turn and good for a few handy intercepts each game.
 
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