Opinion The player I thought Port should draft / would be the next big thing

Nemisis · Sep 13, 2025

I saw Jack Billings play at Alberton as an underager for Vic. under 18. I saw a future superstar. It turns out he was slightly above average AFL footballer.

EskimoPAFC · Sep 13, 2025

Macca19 said:
Adelaide have long had a knack of drafting players I was super keen on pre draft, mostly in that mid-late draft range. Graham Johncock, Paul Thomas, Ivan Maric, Darren Pfeiffer, Bryce Campbell, Jared Petrenko, Brodie Smith, Sam Kerridge, Riley Knight, Myles Poholke, Jordon Butts, Josh Worrell, Josh Rachele. Thankfully many didn't make it.

McAsey not on this list?

raptalia · Sep 13, 2025

I was always pissed off by the fact we missed Corey Enright. In the 1999 National Draft we took Paul Kouloriotis at #12, Cain Ackland at #27 and Geelong took Enright at #47. Corey was the nephew of Robbie Enright who played for Port and Corey played his under age footy at Alberton. In sixteen seasons he was a six time All Australian and played 332 games for Geelong.

It is easy to talk in retrospect but Corey was one of ours and we had the advantage of inside knowledge and it was a bad miss on our part and will always haunt me.

Fade to Gray · Sep 13, 2025

Daniel Flynn, is a huge "what if" for me. Good size, great speed. Just didn't know enough about the game. I was sure that if he stuck at it and had some good mentors in understanding the game. He could have been a superstar. His run against South at about the 1-minute mark, showed what could have been (minus the kick at the end).

Butters and Pepper · Sep 13, 2025

I thought Mitch Farmer was going to be a 200 gamer multii All Australian.

x_les_x · Sep 13, 2025

Thought Mitch Banner was going to be the next big thing when he had that purple patch in 2011 when we had our worst losses against the hawks and the pies

EskimoPAFC · Sep 13, 2025

raptalia said:
I was always pissed off by the fact we missed Corey Enright. In the 1999 National Draft we took Paul Kouloriotis at #12, Cain Ackland

Cain Ackland

Age
43

Ht

196cm

Wt
100kg

Pos.
Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D
8.7

2

K
4.9

2

HB
3.8

3

HO
11.7

5

No current season stats available

D
4.2

1

K
2.4

1

HB
1.8

2

HO
3.8

5

at #27 and Geelong took Enright at #47. Corey was the nephew of Robbie Enright who played for Port and Corey played his under age footy at Alberton. In sixteen seasons he was a six time All Australian and played 332 games for Geelong.

It is easy to talk in retrospect but Corey was one of ours and we had the advantage of inside knowledge and it was a bad miss on our part and will always haunt me.

Sounds remarkably similar to the Lachie Neale story. I wonder if other clubs have stories like this too.

philthy05 · Sep 13, 2025

I’ve never seen a more sure thing then serong as a junior.

I would happily have put any amount of money on him making it pre-draft.

I’ve gotten plenty of others wrong tho.

Portmagpies36 · Sep 13, 2025

Fade to Gray said:
Daniel Flynn, is a huge "what if" for me. Good size, great speed. Just didn't know enough about the game. I was sure that if he stuck at it and had some good mentors in understanding the game. He could have been a superstar. His run against South at about the 1-minute mark, showed what could have been (minus the kick at the end).

One of the quickest players I have ever seen at Alberton.

Portmagpies36 · Sep 13, 2025

raptalia said:
I was always pissed off by the fact we missed Corey Enright. In the 1999 National Draft we took Paul Kouloriotis at #12, Cain Ackland at #27 and Geelong took Enright at #47. Corey was the nephew of Robbie Enright who played for Port and Corey played his under age footy at Alberton. In sixteen seasons he was a six time All Australian and played 332 games for Geelong.

It is easy to talk in retrospect but Corey was one of ours and we had the advantage of inside knowledge and it was a bad miss on our part and will always haunt me.

Cain Ackland, a lot of potential but that was all Ollie Lord reminds me a lot of Cain Ackland and that’s definitely not a good thing.

Willsy10 · Sep 13, 2025

I remember thinking Damon White and Daniel Stewart were going to be good when we desperately needed another key forward. But they amounted to sweet fa.

Butcher came along with a lot of hype and fanfare but I was a bit battle scarred by our tall forward recruiting by that stage and I never really rated him, had way too any red flags for me.

Thank Christ we hit the jackpot with the Schulz in a trade because we couldn’t hit a key forward in the draft to save ourselves back then.

I think many of us were longing for Mitch thorp too lol.

Coobk001 · Sep 13, 2025

Cain Ackland is one that springs to mind.

StueyDaDew · Sep 14, 2025

Thought Ben Eckermann had a bit of potential before his career ending car crash.

I believe he now lives his life out in Southern Spain running a wellness centre.

tribey · Sep 14, 2025

Obviously the big one for me was Adam Thomson.

First round pick. Phenomenal clearance player (had the highest clearance-per-minute rate in the entire league in 2007), beautiful hands in-close, and despite kicking the ball not being his favourite, had above average goalsense and a reliable finish.

In his last game of ‘07 when competition for spots was at its highest — the last gasp win over Hawthorn in Tasmania — he had 16 touches (11 contested) & 6 clearances in just 40% gametime, suggesting a burgeoning engine room titan with a logical increase in opportunity.

Perhaps he was a poor trainer, his fitness metrics were terrible, or was viewed as too one-dimensional, but could just never hold his place in the team despite looking like a valuable piece with obvious potential whenever he finally got a go (ie, 21 & 2 with a goal assist in 61% GT against West Coast at Subiaco with the season already on life support in Round 5, 2008), but was always one quieter outing away from being relegated back to Sturt.

Choco cut bait after 4 years, and went full circle by preferring the returning husk of Josh Carr instead.

The sort of exquisite list management and player development that put us on the path to our lord and saviour, Saint Ken of Angleparkio.

Nemisis · Sep 14, 2025

tribey said:
Obviously the big one for me was Adam Thomson.

First round pick. Phenomenal clearance player (had the highest clearance-per-minute rate in the entire league in 2007), beautiful hands in-close, and despite kicking the ball not being his favourite, had above average goalsense and a reliable finish.

In his last game of ‘07 when competition for spots was at its highest — the last gasp win over Hawthorn in Tasmania — he had 16 touches (11 contested) & 6 clearances in just 40% gametime, suggesting a burgeoning engine room titan with a logical increase in opportunity.

Perhaps he was a poor trainer, his fitness metrics were terrible, or was viewed as too one-dimensional, but could just never hold his place in the team despite looking like a valuable piece with obvious potential whenever he finally got a go (ie, 21 & 2 with a goal assist in 61% GT against West Coast at Subiaco with the season already on life support in Round 5, 2008), but was always one quieter outing away from being relegated back to Sturt.

Choco cut bait after 4 years, and went full circle by preferring the returning husk of Josh Carr instead.

The sort of exquisite list management and player development that put us on the path to our lord and saviour, Saint Ken of Angleparkio.

Adam Thomson had concussion issues. I think he had very poor peripheral vision. I remember when he played for the Magpies and a Westie player took him out with a terrible collision. He just never saw it coming.

Portology · Sep 14, 2025

Seeing Hartlett’s first few games I thought he would become one of the best players in the comp. Very good on his day of course but not the level I thought he would get to.

afl2004 · Sep 14, 2025

Jarrad Irons

EskimoPAFC · Sep 14, 2025

Willsy10 said:
I remember thinking Damon White

Damon White

Age
42

Ht

193cm

Wt
95kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
11.1

3

K
7.7

3

HB
3.5

3

M
6.0

5

T
1.3

3

G
0.9

4

No current season stats available

D
8.8

3

K
6.2

3

HB
2.6

3

M
4.2

4

T
0.6

3

G
1.6

5

and Daniel Stewart

Daniel Stewart

Age
37

Ht

200cm

Wt
94kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
8.1

2

K
5.8

2

HB
2.3

2

M
3.7

4

T
1.2

3

G
0.9

4

No current season stats available

D
7.0

2

K
4.6

2

HB
2.4

3

M
3.6

4

T
1.8

4

G
0.6

3

were going to be good when we desperately needed another key forward. But they amounted to sweet fa.

Butcher came along with a lot of hype and fanfare but I was a bit battle scarred by our tall forward recruiting by that stage and I never really rated him, had way too any red flags for me.

Thank Christ we hit the jackpot with the Schulz in a trade because we couldn’t hit a key forward in the draft to save ourselves back then.

I think many of us were longing for Mitch thorp too lol.

Gotta ask to what extent this is us not picking them and to what extent this is us failing to develop them though.

We weren't the only club that wanted Butcher in the top 10.

EskimoPAFC · Sep 14, 2025

Portology said:
Seeing Hartlett’s first few games I thought he would become one of the best players in the comp. Very good on his day of course but not the level I thought he would get to.

I wouldn't write him off just yet. Reckon he could have a big few months tearing up the training track, and might get mid season drafted before heading in to our midfield.

philthy05 · Sep 14, 2025

Portology said:
Seeing Hartlett’s first few games I thought he would become one of the best players in the comp. Very good on his day of course but not the level I thought he would get to.

His potential really blind sighted people to how decent he was. I would take Hartlett the defender today in a heartbeat. In fact he’s exactly what we need on our list today. Looking at our defenders now and recently that kind of all round ability to use the ball , defend and take a mark is super rare for us to find.

Pity his body was made of wet tissue paper.

Willsy10 · Sep 14, 2025

EskimoPAFC said:
Gotta ask to what extent this is us not picking them and to what extent this is us failing to develop them though.

We weren't the only club that wanted Butcher in the top 10.

Probably a mixture of both.

I think we persisted with all of Stewart, white and butcher for long enough, they just weren’t good enough.

Butcher is an interesting one because he actually put in a couple really strong performances late in 2016, dominated against Brisbane at the Gabba, and with Schulz retiring he could’ve got one more year but he had 7 years on the list so and hadn’t cemented a spot so it wasn’t a harsh delisting.

EskimoPAFC · Sep 14, 2025

Willsy10 said:
Probably a mixture of both.

I think we persisted with all of Stewart, white and butcher for long enough, they just weren’t good enough.

Butcher is an interesting one because he actually put in a couple really strong performances late in 2016, dominated against Brisbane at the Gabba, and with Schulz retiring he could’ve got one more year but he had 7 years on the list so and hadn’t cemented a spot so it wasn’t a harsh delisting.

Yeah the mixture is probably correct.

Often young forwards look really poor early but if they are backed in (at AFL level) they can come good. I do wonder how different things might look if our previous coaching group was as patient with KPFs as they were with pressure smalls.

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