Opinion Why I'm optimistic for 2016

[Lagooner]

One thing I would like to see in 2016 is a better strategy for clearing the ball from behind kick outs. Our major problem was bombing it out of our defence to contests where we were outnumbered which resulted in repeat inside 50 entries. Hopefully Bassett can fix this


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Good observation. We really needed a big fella who could take a few contested grabs at half back to give us an easier out every now and then.

Lobbe was pretty much useless in this regard, but hopefully a combo of Ryder and Dixon/Butch pressing up can add this dimension to our defensive transition.

 

[Kingfish73]

Interesting I have not met anyone in Melbourne this weekend who rates Port for next year. And yet we beat Hawthorn twice. Not much respect for our team over here. Maybe my sample was skewed and it was too small

When you loose to Brisbane and Carlton can see why along with the Bulldogs belting us. Respect for port has rightfully plunged. But the players next year get to change that if they work their asses off

 

[Kingfish73]

Good observation. We really needed a big fella who could take a few contested grabs at half back to give us an easier out every now and then.

Lobbe was pretty much useless in this regard, but hopefully a combo of Ryder and Dixon/Butch pressing up can add this dimension to our defensive transition.

Like to see Hoff be more permanent in back. He does not kick enough goals forward and he is strong defensive contested marker

 

[mic59]

One thing I would like to see in 2016 is a better strategy for clearing the ball from behind kick outs. Our major problem was bombing it out of our defence to contests where we were outnumbered which resulted in repeat inside 50 entries. Hopefully Bassett can fix this

I sometimes wonder how much of this may sometimes be affected by the crowd. I would hope very little but when you're taking the ball out of defence and the safest thing to do is kick it back and switch to the other side and there are 30,000 fans shouting to kick it forward and even booing you when you kick it backwards it must prey on your mind. I know there have been situations where people would much rather see Pittard bomb the ball out, unaware that it would come straight back and be a goal. Whereas if he takes the game on he may start an attacking move. Or if he gets caught and gives up a goal it's the same result.

 

[charcolechaddy]

What!!!!!
Well Hells Bells, thats not the Janus i know.

I like the new "plesently surprised" Janus.

 

[VineValerian]

Better kicking efficiency - it is FOOTball after all.
More team care - less playing for one's self.
More "intelligent" mongrel - no sense just bashing blokes or starting barneys. Hard at the agate / hard at the ball carrier / pressure pressure pressure.
Better exit strategy from defence - esp kick outs.
More clearance efficiency - won the ball from stoppages, etc but went to no one so often.

 

[MutleyDog]

Ditch Lobbe, bring in Impey or Jonas.

I was thinking more about team balance when starting this thread. I think Carlile, Trengrove, Jonas, Homsch was too top heavy down back. We actually looked better at the end of the season when a couple were injured. (granted, better midfield work played a big part)

There is always going to be a spot for Impey somewhere going forward, you would think.

There is not a lot of love for poor old Lobbe at the moment. But if the hawks can get a flag with two rucks, why can't we. You need at least two genuine rucks on the list (if can be fit into salary cap).

I did however mention Moore/Young/Mitchell but this is probably a topic for the list mgt thread. They have all had opportunities and never had a breakout game (neither has ever got a brownlow vote). So now they are further down the queue that Arch & Sam Gray, they probably don't have much of a role to play going forward.

 

[Janus]

I was thinking more about team balance when starting this thread. I think Carlile, Trengrove, Jonas, Homsch was too top heavy down back. We actually looked better at the end of the season when a couple were injured. (granted, better midfield work played a big part)

There is always going to be a spot for Impey somewhere going forward, you would think.

There is not a lot of love for poor old Lobbe at the moment. But if the hawks can get a flag with two rucks, why can't we. You need at least two genuine rucks on the list (if can be fit into salary cap).

I did however mention Moore/Young/Mitchell but this is probably a topic for the list mgt thread. They have all had opportunities and never had a breakout game (neither has ever got a brownlow vote). So now they are further down the queue that Arch & Sam Gray, they probably don't have much of a role to play going forward.

The difference between Hale/McEvoy and Lobbe is the first two can actually take a contested mark when called on, and so defenders can't sag off them when they go forward and clog up space. Lobbe has value for us, but only if he can learn to do the same.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Lobbe is more Jon Ceglar than David Hale. The Hawks dropped Jon Ceglar despite him being younger and better than Hale because playing both Ceglar and McEvoy was bad for their team balance.

 

[AdsGoNads]

 

[PeacefulWarrior]

The main difference can be summed up in one word, kicking.

as far as I'm concerned kicking efficiency is the great frontier for us. Improve measurably and so will our ladder position. Rocket science.

 

[*PAF]

as far as I'm concerned kicking efficiency is the great frontier for us. Improve measurably and so will our ladder position. Rocket science.

Yeah, but as someone mentioned it also has to do with game plan and training where other players gut running to a position to receive kicks.

 

[Power Raid]

we were very close in 2014. Get that 2014 mojo back plus dixson, plus polec back, plus a fit white, plus our ruck finds its rhythm again and the extra experience into wines, wingard and co = premiership!

 

[philreich]

We know we can beat them. Our age profile means we will be better next year whilst theirs means they will be worse.

I do believe we worked out what we were missing in those last 4 games- a bit of mongrel. You have to do more than just hope to win.

With a decent trade period, injury run and WASA outcome, we will be playing deep into September and we will not fear Hawthorn.

It's more than just Hawthorn though. We have to find a way past teams like Sydney, North and Geelong, who match up so well against us.

We also need to be a more ruthless team. When the really good teams have their foot on an opponent's throat, they're not satisfied with a comfortable 5 goal win - they go for the jugular, and try to turn it into a 10-15 goal thumping. I want to see Port doing that regularly in 2016.

 

[BIG MATTY WHITE]

Can't understand why everyone wants to get rid of Lobbe after a year that wasn't as good as 2014 but wasn't a total waste. We initially got Ryder as one of our deficiencies was deemed to be not having a back-up in the ruck, now that we have one people want to get rid of Lobbe? And spend the year with one 196 cm ruckman? He may be very good but at that height and jumping against players up to 15cm taller all day you need some respite.
Lobbe started off the year with an injury and then had to gel with a ruckman who he had had no pre-season with. Two possible back-up ruckmen have been delisted and Frampton is too green, we definitely need to hang on to Lobbe.
But back to look at the whole year, there were positives. Both Hawthorn wins were done with big outs. Wines and Gray in the first and Wines, Carlile and Trengove in the second. With all those players back we will be formidable. Just so long as we don't have those blips like Carlton, Brisbane and Geelong again. I could have included Richmond but they just read our gameplan too well.

with dixon ....lobbe is overkill given his contract length....at this point in time his value is high....and worth trading...

if he comes good again so be it...but its a risk I would be willing to take...but these things are best left to the experts

 

[*PAF]

Can you imagine the sombre atmosphere that would have swallowed up this board if Butchermania hadn't made the last 4 games of this godforsaken season bearable?

This quote is from the Wingard thread but it is quite relevant to this one.

At the start or 2015 we were hoping for Young and Moore to go up another notch and complete our midfield group, plus Ryder to play predominantly up front and straighten our attacks. When that didn't happen as hoped, coupked with the various injuries, the mood on this board was ... well you can describe it in many different ways.

Fast forward to the last few games and out of left field Sam Gray and Ah Chee stepped in and did what many were expecting Young and Moore to do, plus Butcher showed us what does happen with a KPF that does straighten the team up. All of a sudden 2016 is looking good again.

 

[wayb2912]

Good observation. We really needed a big fella who could take a few contested grabs at half back to give us an easier out every now and then.

Lobbe was pretty much useless in this regard, but hopefully a combo of Ryder and Dixon/Butch pressing up can add this dimension to our defensive transition.

None of the good teams seem to bomb it out long to talls. Hawthorn almost always kick it 20-30 metres out from a kickout and then do the long kick 40m+ kick. Why rely on a difficult contested mark in a dangerous area


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[mic59]

Hoff needs like, fifty greater than signs than schoenmakers. Roughie is in the top five best forwards in the comp and has been for the last seven seasons. Boak and Hodge are pretty even stats wise with boak getting a couple more contested possessions but having a worse disposal efficiency. I think you are right though our players are being overrated and if we don't keep adding new talent and turning over the squad then I'm afraid of us stagnating and becoming the dogs circa 2010.

As well as that, Roughead is a much greater asset around the ground than Dixon. He is well ahead in most categories.

 

[Chrizzt]

two words...and tapwork

ok three words, and tackling

ok last one....and coaching

Certainly not tapwork. McEvoy and Hale are two of the worst rucks for HO to advantage %.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Did our main trade and brought Charlie Dixon to the club
Did a handy ancillary trade getting Jimmy Toumpas to the club
Brought in some seriously highly rated international sports science experience

Then there's Bassett and Cornes and a burning hunger to remediate this year.

Can't wait for pre-season to start.

 

[Zakk Wylde]

Did our main trade and brought Charlie Dixon to the club
Did a handy ancillary trade getting Jimmy Toumpas to the club
Brought in some seriously highly rated international sports science experience

Then there's Bassett and Cornes and a burning hunger to remediate this year.

Can't wait for pre-season to start.

And the Serb farking

 

[Adam Marrett23]

I'm extremely optimistic for 2016. I can't see how this side with Dixon into it, the talent we possess, the staff we have and the staff we have added repeats this year.

Obviously you need luck with injury along the way but for me it's above the shoulders for this group. If their on all season, every game their switched on and learn the lessons from this year that they can't just turn up and win, and they do all the little things the didn't do in games this year then the whole comp will be worried.

For me it's all on the players, sure Ken and co have to justify their jobs but the players have to be united, switched on and hit every challenge head on. No more of this we got spooked by expectation crap, that's gone now, none of this taking Carlton, Brisbane, West Coast at home lightly that ends this year.

There is no excuse for me anymore, this on paper is a Port Adelaide side we could only dream about having all of 4 years ago, now it's on the players to justify that hype and get to where they and this club belongs.

 

[chadleverington]

Do we have any knowledge on how Polec is travelling? will he be 100% right for day 1 of pre season?

 

[Power freak 2008]

Gee, How a good trade period can lift our optimism. To be fair though, the appointment of Basset, Cornes, as well as our fitness team says a lot. Every single complaint that we had last year is being addressed.

Game-plan

I'd like everybody here to remember that we rocked the competition with our run the season before last. We thought if we could only force the other team to have to cover the ground enough times we could break the game open. It just didn't work but this year we have a dilemma. With the decreased interchange will the fatigue factor play to our advantage.The AFL is trying to get rid of congestion and you know how our team thrives with less congestion. That is something for the coaching staff to work out.

We hired Basset as well. I think that Basset would thrive at Port. I can't see James Hird allowing a lot of input into his game plan. Hinkley would have thought the same thing and told Basset how things work at Port. I am almost sure that if Basset is interviewed he would site that he had the best chance of developing as a coach here. People always talk about how impressive Ken Hinkley is. Toumpas mentioned it. We have a company culture here at Port. One thing is that we strive for best practice. The only way to achieve that is to utilize the talent that we have at the club. Other clubs may also adopt the best practice ethos but if the culture of the company doesn't allow for it...forget it!!! The team needs more focus on ruthless defense and hiring a someone that seems to have a natural flair for it is just smart business.

Contested Footy

A lot of people here feel that we need to bulk up. I put contested footy in the category of bulking up because we seemed to get pushed off the ball. When we seem to be losing one on one contests all over the ground, that is a failure of the coaching staff to deliver tactics or the fitness program to compete. The club has put a lot more emphasis on a strength training program. The beauty of the appointment of Mladen is that he is the Data scientist and the conditioning coach. He will have a lot more input into merging the running program with the weights program. The thing about Burgo is that he is an acedemic. A geek so to speak. They don't need the credit and don't allow their egos to get in the way of enlightenment. The more they surround themselves with talent the better the learning environment. Burgo is surrounding himself with mentors. Mladen seems to have the science as well as the know-how. Another thing. A poster here said that McKeown was the man that did the weights. I agree with that but he may be like a trainer for the players. Mladen is probably very hands on and has vast knowledge and that is why he was hired. His thoughts on the importance of the psychology of the players showed that he has a keen instinct of the finer points of training. What he is really saying about an exercise is, it's not how you lift but how you think about how you lift.

Consider this "An increase in muscular strength without noticeable hypertrophy is the first line of evidence for neural involvement in acquisition of muscular strength. (Gabriel and Kamen. Sports Med 2006).

Furthuremore "Strength training may cause adaptive changes within the nervous system that allow a trainee to more fully activate prime movers in specific movements and to better coordinate the activation of all relevant muscles, thereby effecting a greater net force in the intended direction of movementlvement in acquisition of muscular strength
(Sale 1998) Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1988 Oct;20(5 Suppl):S135-45.

What the research is saying is that the communication of the brain to the muscles or rather the electrical input to the taregt is what accounts for strength gains as opposed to an increase in size (hypertrophy). Mladen agrees with this and this makes me believe that he is very hands on.