Sanity prevails

[Power Mad]

After the embarrassment of losing to the Fremantle Levis last week, it was good to see Port beat Ansett Cup trend setters Carlton.

Not by enough to get through to the semis, but a much more determined effort by the boys which should give them confidence for round one against the Bombers.

Young Michael Stevens stepped up from a disappointing showing against Freo. If he can become even half the player his big brother Anthony is, he will be a very valuable player.

And didn't Derek Murray play a great game? Against the Dock - sorry, Freo - he often got into trouble with the experimental possession rule, but now that that is out of the way he will be able to get into the packs even more.

Steve Brosnan also consolidated on last week's encouraging showing, kicking 3 goals and providing a spark up forward.

Jared Poulton showed the sort of form that makes him a star in the SANFL.

Wangas stamped his class on the game when it mattered and Darren Mead and Fabian Francis toughened up the defence.

The forward set up is still a bit of a worry, although Tredrea was pretty good. I'm a bit worried about Stewie Dew's form. He'll lose his place if he doesn't pull his socks up.

With so many quality players to come back into the side (Lyle, Francou, Che, Paxman, Wilson, Bode, Kingsley) I'm much happier now than I was after the disappointing showings against Collingwood and Fremantle.

And especially now that the @$#%*& experimemtal possession rule has gone!

 

[Legend]

Who cares

 

[Power Mad]

You're not a legend - you're a w***er.

 

[Legend]

You smell too

 

[Arch]

well- if i wanted to read match reports on the power id go to AFL.com, but thanks for wasting your time anyway.
also- essendon will make mince meat of port, when they play in melbourne in round one.
The fact you beat us in adelaide last year, should give you some false hope.With your huge stars Francou, Che (snicker), Paxman, Wilson, Bode, Kingsley- you should be really hard to beat (by more than 60).

 

[Power Mad]

You may be an idiot Arch, but your coach has a healthy respect for Port Adelaide. I think the record between Port and Essendon stands at 2-all. Not quite as good as our record against Carlton, but impressive enough for such a new, traditionless club like Port!

 

[Arch]

well you may be a loser, but ill still take time out of my busy schedule to respond to your crap.
consider yourself lucky.

 

[Power Mad]

I don't think any Port Adelaide fans feel as if they are losers.

 

[Mong]

But yet they all are. Funny that.

 

[Power Mad]

Translation: "Really, I'm jealous of Port Adelaide and secretly admire them, but daren't admit it."

 

[Keir]

ROFLMAO! Oh yeah, SURE.

 

[Power Mad]

If people want to think Port fans are losers, then I'm a happy loser. We've got a club we can be truly proud of and anyone who says otherwise hasn't got a clue.

 

[Dan26]

Power Mad

Nothing wrong with getting behind your club. A lot of people don't.

Don't think you're gonna beat us (the Bombers) in Round one. We won't let it happen. Port only had a percentage of 92 last year showing that, despite 12 wins and 10 losses, they were actually outscored on average.

You will need to improve a hell of a lot on that for and agaisnt ratio. But you are an improving team, but one that is not going to trouble the top teams this year.

Sure, you might casue an upset (you beat Brisbane atthe Gabba last year), but anything can happen on a one-off match. I don't think Port have got the talent to consistently win and peak over the whole season to get top spot (or close to top)

You can't kick enough goals. You rely a lot on your running players to score goals. If you can shut down the key forwards, Port is a beaten team.

Bombers to win it all in 1999

1.) The Ansett Cup
2.) Top spot (to PROVE we are the best team, even if the acheivement itself isn't recognised.......much)
3.) The Grnad Final in September to keep our supporters happy, and for the recognition (even if its not the true test of how good you are)

BOMBERS all the way (half of Australia will be rejoicing)

60,000 people average per game over 22 games, playing at the two best stadiums in the country, and the best team in the AFL withe the biggest following and the best nickname (I've always thought the Bombers is the most original and marketable nickname), and best guernsey (Nothing beats the intimidating black with red sash). Does it get any better than barracking for Essendon ?

 

[Power Mad]

HA HA - you didn't win it all in 1999 (re-read your post) because you choked against your arch rivals Carlton in the prelim final. So if you don't go all the way in 2000 you will have failed. Again.


BTW - I do like your guernseys.

 

[Dan26]

We won more than what Port and Carlton won.

At the end of 1999, Essendon finished with having won top spot. North won the GF.

Port Adelaide and Carlton both won NOTHING.

At least Essendon won something !

Like I've said, 22 players can't choke. How can 22 players all play bad simultaneoulsy. Choking is only appropriate in golf or tennis where it is a one-man sport.

Anyway, Eesendon lost by the smallest possible margin, and had 9 more scoring shots, a sure sign that they performed and performed well.

I'ts not like they didn't perform and lost by 10 goals !!!

God, I mean isn't there such a thing as a honorable loss, by the smallest pssible margin after having played well in a well fought match that could have gone either way ?

God, if Carlton had been elimiantd after their 76 point loss to the Lions in week one of the finals, people would have been saying :"Carlton choked. They didn't perform.

Bottom line is, Carlton played well, Essendon was unlucky, Essendon played better having 9 more scoring shot, clearly perfroming well, and in the end got beaten in a close one.

Unlike some team who don't play well in fials (Bulldogs in 1998 against Adelaide *cough,cough*)

Choking is only an appropriate term if a team doesn't perfrom when they should. Having 33 shots to 24, and losing by only one point is a sure sign that Essendon perfromed. There was aslo the samll matter that Carlton, whilst an average team, played probably their best game of the year.

 

[Power Mad]

I'll tell you something Port won in 1999 - their match against Essendon. Comfortably.

 

[Shinboner]

Dan24

I wouldn't say that Port and Carlton came out of last season without winning anything. What they won was *respect*. It took three years for Port to make a finals series, that should be applauded. Carlton made the Grand Final when nobody expected them to. That is to be applauded as well. Essendon, who played against Carlton without paying any respect to them, became, well, let's just call them underachievers.

If Essendon want to console themselves, here's a thought. You brought a little bit more love into the world. You brought North and Carlton fans together, no mean feat considering they tried to take us over in 1989. We went to the Grand Final, we enjoyed ourselves, and we laughed, and we laughed in unity....at Essendon. We laughed at your fans who spent the two months leading up to the Grand Final covering themselves in club merchandise and telling all and sundry that 1999 was your year. We laughed that when you said you would be premiers, we didn't realise that you meant the reserves...that was our fault. We laughed at how all the Dons fans quickly left the GF ticket queues the moment the siren rang. Some shed a tear, and well, I'm not such a cold hearted man that I didn't feel for them. We wished them goodbye until the new season. And here is the new season....the question that needs to be answered is, are Essendon the new Bulldogs?

 

[Mong]

Dan24 has got a good point.

They put in a great performance against a team who also put in a great performance and lost in a very close game.

Port were crap and were flogged. They were lucky it rained or they may have lost by 10 goals.

Do you think Port choked?

 

[Power Mad]

Apart from the Eagles-Bulldogs game, which was between the two closest matched sides, Port's losing margin was less than the other two finals. Carlton got annihilated by the Lions and were then rewarded with a home final!

No one gave Port a hope in hell against the Roos, and they were going OK until Wayne Carey turned on one of his blinders. Definitely not a choke. Had it not been raining it could well have been much closer. On a fine day during the season Port gave North a real fright in one of the best games of the season.

The biggest 'choke' of 1999 was the back-to-back premiers suffering the biggest decline in VFL/AFL history.

 

[Dan26]

Shinboner,

You really do barrack for a small, meaningless, pointless club. Oh, how I am so glad my club is not playing home games in Sydney.

Carlton did NOT win respect in the finals last year. Perhaps they won a bit, but Essendon earnt more respect last year than Carlton did.

Ask anyone.

They will tell you (rightly or wrongly) that Carlton were a bunch of flukes who didn't deserve to get where they were. No one gives them any credit.

Compare that to Adelaides performance in 1997 and 1998, when they won by big margins, cleary OUTPERFORMING their opponents.

Carlton, were NOT like this. They did not clearly out perfrom Essendon, and the football world, sadly from Carltons point of veiw, perceives them as a bunch of flukes.

Whether that is right or wrong is not the point, but that is the way the football world perceives them.

It is almost laughable to compare The Bulldogs to Essendon. In finals, the Dogs have not performed and have lost by big margins. Essendon on the other hand have always peformed, either winning easily, or losing narrowly.

Losing to Carlton (a side we should beat) by a small margin is axactly like 1994 when North lost to Geelong by a small margin. North were a better team than Geelong that year, but anything can happen on the day.

Geelong, whilst inferior, played a great game (as I am sure you were aware of, especially in the second quarter). The Roos JUST got beaten in a close finish. A very creditbale performance.

Essesnon earned respect all through 1999 on their way to 18 wins and top spot. Any football fan who doesn't respect a performance like that doesn't know their football. I therefore question your football knowledge. Any fan who questions a team earnt respect becasue of a one point loss to a team that was playing well has to have their head examined.

I mean, If Essendon didn't earn respect last year, why them is everyone tiping them as premiership favourites ??? Shouldn't people be expecting them to fall down the ladder if they lost respect. I can tell you 18 wins and tiop spot earsn respect. Like I said, any football fan that can't see that needs their head examined.

If you ask any club right now who they respect more Esendon or Carlton, they will say Essendon. Reason ? Becasue of their performance in 1999 earnt that respect. While blind Freddy is aware that Essendon didn't make the GF, every man and his dog knows that they finished top and every man and his dog knows that they are one of the favoured teams again.

Why are they favoured to win it this year ? Becasue of the respect they earnt from their performances last year. Do you think the book makers forgot that we has 18 wins or something ?

I might ad that Nort Melbourne has never acheived 18 wins in the H&A season beofre.

You have also only ever won 4 Grand Finals over 75 years (a crap effort), anfd you have finished on top of the ladder 4 times too.

You have 'won" 15 woden spoons, and have an all time win-loss ratio of 42 %

North's head to head record against Essendon is 85-40 (approx) in favour of the Bombers.

Essendon on the other hand have made 29 GF's, have won 15, finished on top 15 times, have won about 60% of their games (all time win-loss ratio) and have the most supporters in the league.

We also play all our home games in Victoria

Oh, and in the ONE GF we have played agaisnt North (in 1950), Essendon won easily.

Are you jealous of a club that has got it all, Shinboner ?????

You'd never admit the jealousy (which obviously exists), but you can't even compare the Kangaroos to Essendon.

So in a nutshell, in 1999 Essendon won both respect and the McClelland trophy. Nothing more. No GF win admittedly. Bit like I said, this more than Carlton won. They won NOTHING, and in addition to not winning anything, are perceived by the football world as a bunch of flukes.

 

[Dan26]

Power Mad

Yes, you did beat us very comforatably in 1999. You played very well that day. We had a lot of injuries, such as Lloyd and Rioli (as well as Hird obviously and Lucas), which made it VERY difficult to kick goals. We had no forward line.

Port are always a hard team to beat, but I don't think we will have too many problems in Round 1 (not at home anyway)

 

[Power Mad]

Yes, Port have little chance of beating Essendon in round one. As you say, the Bombers have got it all and are obviously red hot favourites for the flag in 2000. They will be seen as underachievers if they don't take it off this season.

Rather like most of the 1990's really.

 

[Port Stink]

Powermad you are really full of it.
Go back to your swamp who cares about powerless port. Go the BOMBERS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Port Stink]

Yeah we know port beat the Bombers last year after Sheeds decided the boys deserved a weekend of R&R in Adealide after winning so many games on the trot.
Wake up Powermad you loser!!!Look at the side that came over for the break.

 

[Port Stink]

Yeah we know port beat the Bombers last year after Sheeds decided the boys deserved a weekend of R&R in Adealide after winning so many games on the trot.
Wake up Powermad you loser!!!Look at the side that came over for the break.