Review Round 1 loss to North

[PJ Power]

I don't want to see Aliir and Esava in the same side ever again. They jump at the same balls, spoil each other and find new ways to brain fade. Also Watkins is probably one of the worst players we have ever given a AFL game to.

A few positives were:

Georgiades: Continued solid form from last year

Burgoyne: I think he will have a career best season, I don't remember him making any mistakes today, looked fit and confident

Whitlock: looks dangerous whenever the ball goes near him

Marshall: I thought he was one of our best and looked to be in form.

McKinlay: I think he has something and will improve if he gets a few games.

Durdin: I thought he was fantastic and found space and finished

Evans: Back to his 2024 form


My 3 most disappointing players were:

Rozee - He was literally embarrassed by the North players and made to look like a state league player

Bergman: He looks to have lost his class, his game was extremely disappointing

Berry - what the hell was that! He plays so well in the internals and then spuds it up against real opposition. While I do think he will get better, I can see him being a player that let's you down in finals.

Changes next week

Out:
Marshall
Aliir
Watkins
Berry
Lord

In:
Lukosius
Ramm
Zerk-Thatcher
Brodie
Zadow/Moraes

I thought Burgoyne was extremely poor today and would have had him in our worst not best players. Didn’t love Evans either.

Agree with Berry. Similarly poor to his early H&A form from last year.

Lai, Brodie, Zadow, Moraes, Lorenz, Sweet could all expect to come in after that.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Freo and Saints giving us a little covering fire lmao

Saints had a worse day than us. We were at least expected to be shit this year. Imagine if we'd given up two years worth of draft picks and like $4m in new recruit contracts over the offseason and still put up that performance.

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

He also kicks a football like it's the first time he's ever seen one before.

His kicking needs a lot of work and his judgement as well. How he allowed Simpkin to mark when the ball was high up uncontested was so bad.

 

[morell]

Xerri had 16 contested possessions. Visentini only had 1.

Vis had 30 hit outs, Xerri had 16

Are ruckman there to win the ball or get it those who need to win the ball? Depends on their role and instruction I guess.

Xerri is a beast, Vis held his own, but yes was beaten in the end

 

[Portmagpies36]

Can anyone name a more useless player than Ollie Lord? Hes 24 and probably around 100kg by now, yet 0 contested marks, 0 percenters for a 197cm rotating ruck forward just says it all.

For all the shit butcher copped around the league for his set shot kicking, he looks like prime Buddy compared to Lord. Hell id even take a SANFL milk tank Mitch Harvey at full forward over lord or even Sam Gray - at least he could out body opponents 30cm taller than him and be a threat at goal.

People need to get over that “oh but he kicked 4 against brissy in a final” FMD that was 4 seasons ago.

Hes a spud, absolute potato, list clogger and passenger; gets out bodied by anyone, cant kick straight or at all, provides no prescience or aerial threat, doesnt get back and or provide an outlet for a big man. Absolutely cant tell me otherwise

0 work rate that’s his main issue

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

Vis had 30 hit outs, Xerri had 16

Are ruckman there to win the ball or get it those who need to win the ball? Depends on their role and instruction I guess.

Xerri is a beast, Vis held his own, but yes was beaten in the end

Hit outs mean nothing if they constantly go to the opposition's mids.

 

[Portmagpies36]

Vis had 30 hit outs, Xerri had 16

Are ruckman there to win the ball or get it those who need to win the ball? Depends on their role and instruction I guess.

Xerri is a beast, Vis held his own, but yes was beaten in the end

100% they need to do a lot more than just tap the ball. Dante 1 mark today 1 contested possession. I would love him to do well but he is not physically big enough at the moment to succeed.
The trial game against the cows he was towelled up by an SANFL player.

 

[morell]

Hit outs mean nothing if they constantly go to the opposition's mids.

Or was he getting his hands to the ball, hitting it where he should but or mids didn't have a thirst for a contest?

Maybe a bit of column A bit of column B

No Wines or any inside midfielder of note didn't help.

Don't get me wrong, Vis wasn't in the best (and Xerri was) but he wasn't out worst

 

[morell]

100% they need to do a lot more than just tap the ball. Dante 1 mark today 1 contested possession. I would love him to do well but he is not physically big enough at the moment to succeed.
The trial game against the cows he was towelled up by an SANFL player.

That SANFL player just toweled up the Copeland trophy winner and widely recognised second best ruck in the game

We have to stick with Vis he has potential and big upside. Sweet ain't it.

 

[Rash]

I went to Melbourne and on the way back I flew with the players and coaches.

Carr had his head down at his laptop the minute he got into the plane, looked very mad. Whilst hammer and dew shared a laugh or two together.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

23,300 at Marvel today surely that’s a misprint

Lot of crows supporters stayed over

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

I went to Melbourne and on the way back I flew with the players and coaches.

Carr had his head down at his laptop the minute he got into the plane, looked very mad. Whilst hammer and dew shared a laugh or two together.

So Carr is the bad cop and Dew is the good cop.

Serious though, who wouldn't be mad if the team you coached today let themselves down big time with that putrid performance?

 

[wayb2912]

Also how did Watkins jump ahead of Brodie? Brodie was winning clearances, breaking tackles, tackling. Watkins got caught holding the ball like 5 times and had about 20 turnovers vs the Eagles. I feel his only role at Port Adelaide should be SANFL captain

 

[Waspy79]

Sobering reading. Port are in the worst position a footy club can be in - no man’s land.

 

[StrappingTape]

2 years ago? They finished third last in 2025 after smashing Melbourne in their first game by 70 odd last year then went on to win 4 more games for the entire year. Round 1 over reactions is right

Yes, let's just ignore they were developing players the whole time even if the results weren't showing on the scoreboard the signs were there especially when they had a fairly injury free team.

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

Also how did Watkins jump ahead of Brodie? Brodie was winning clearances, breaking tackles, tackling. Watkins got caught holding the ball like 5 times and had about 20 turnovers vs the Eagles. I feel his only role at Port Adelaide should be SANFL captain

What can he do I wonder?

 

[Rigs]

Also how did Watkins jump ahead of Brodie? Brodie was winning clearances, breaking tackles, tackling. Watkins got caught holding the ball like 5 times and had about 20 turnovers vs the Eagles. I feel his only role at Port Adelaide should be SANFL captain

Desperate call to keep ZB9

 

[MALTSY]

He also kicks a football like it's the first time he's ever seen one before.

Tried hard and the cupboard is pretty bare so there's not much point dropping him (he was less shit than the much older and more experienced Wehr today, for one), but he's not exactly screaming future premiership player.

Fair point but perhaps it’s a lack of composure rather than a technical deficit that can’t be addressed?
One of the only few players that looked close to matching the physicality and commitment of the kangaroo players.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Sobering reading. Port are in the worst position a footy club can be in - no man’s land.

I don't think we're in no mans land. We're a young side, only about to get younger if Butters leaves, and about to add Cochrane, Pilot, Salopek etc. No man's land is a team like St Kilda maxing out their salary cap and draft picks only to open the season with losses to two teams who I don't think are playing finals this year.

 

[Windy Cindy]

0 work rate that’s his main issue

He shows glimpses and you think he’s got something then for the rest of the game he plays from behind and is always led to the ball.

Should have a black line through his name..

 

[soafraid]

i watched zero minutes of this game, but it sounds like a reverse case of the ol primary school "all played well"

all played bad.

 

[Doctor Feel]

i watched zero minutes of this game, but it sounds like a reverse case of the ol primary school "all played well"

all played bad.

Bald man bad

 

[JUSTWORK]

The Chief on bounce names Lachie Jones knucklehead of the week for punching the ball through for a behind after the 3qt siren.

 

[Ported]

Every player looked like ass because we were disorganised as a group. Then the game was getting away so the panic clangers started growing. I'm not basing a lot of opinion on individuals from this game.

The main issue seemed to be not getting numbers to contests. As carr mentioned, we were often caught between getting to the contest or dropping back. Add to that our tackling was atrocious.

Fixing up our pressure and tackling is number 1 priority

 

[_VXV]

We had 1 bounce for the whole team, must be a record.