Opinion Why I'm optimistic for 2016

[MutleyDog]

How good were Hawthorn in the GF. They are obviously the blueprint for ultimate success.
Therefore I have written their GF team down below, accompanied by the closest Port match ups I can think of. (assuming a nice run of injuries & Dixon coming on board). Interesting note - 2 ruckmen. no room for "in & outers" such as Moore/Young/Mitchell.

FB Stratton Lake Frawley

Broadbent Carlile Trengrove

HB Birchall Gibson Burgoyne

Hartlett Hombsch Pittard

C Hill Mitchell Smith

White Wines Polec

HF Rioli Schoenmakers Puopolo

Wingard The Hoff S.Gray

FF Breust Roughhead Gunston

Monfries Dixon Schulz

Foll Hale Hodge Lewis

Ryder Boak R.Gray

I/C McEvoy Duryea Shiels Suckling

Lobbe Ebert Ah Chee Kraqouer

How did we not make finals this year
Sure does look pretty comparable on paper.
However "on paper" doesn't mean you can have the Hawks experience, mental toughness and just awesome disposal under pressure.

EDIT. I was not suggesting for a second that Port are as good as the current Hawks team. (I would like to think maybe in the future they will be) Just pointing out the sort of team balance that the best of the best has, and how we compare. Talls, smalls, inside mids, outside mids etc etc. Whether these players will ever get anywhere close to the Hawthorn guys, no one knows. But they will have to, if they want a flag.

 

[SureBuddy]

When you put it that way, I think the only two lines we are better than them are HF and Foll. We are still a long way off. We need some massive improvement next year from our middle tier players.

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

How about we just worry about 1 game each week next year instead of waxing lyrical about how we can challenge one of the best teams in history.

 

[BornPort]

The fact we couldn't make the finals this year has me a bit worried. Some of the teams that made the 8 were dreadful and I don't really buy the tough draw excuse when we lost to the worst of the worst.

 

[MutleyDog]

How about we just worry about 1 game each week next year instead of waxing lyrical about how we can challenge one of the best teams in history.

What's wrong with waxing lyrical.

 

[rogerjames]

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

 

[Andre]

When you put it that way, I think the only two lines we are better than them are HF and Foll. We are still a long way off. We need some massive improvement next year from our middle tier players.

Ditch Lobbe, bring in Impey or Jonas. Shift White to HF, Wingard FF line and S. Gray to centre.

Then where we are better - FB, FF, Followers. Them ahead HB. Rest close to even.

The difference is the Hawks turn up to every game ready to play. They play a Minnow they come out hard and smash them, not have unforgivable defeats. Ken pushed this throughout the Inside Port, without mentioning the Hawks. We are able to match Hawks (and anyone else except possibly Sydney who just match up against us so well).

Hawks also have an aging list. They slowed down in 2015, just the teams in finals were shit They'll be worse next year, with us Schulz will be our only over 30 at the start of the season.

Injuries and fixture aside (and they will play a significant part), the main thing is our players (and Ken by dropping under performing Senior players a lot more quickly) being ruthless. They have to make it happen, not just expect it to happen. Ken's done his Morpheus role and shown them the door. It's up to the players now to walk through it.

 

[snozulu]

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

Just the way we like it. Under the radar and under estimating us.

 

[*PAF]

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

 

[Janus]

For the little it's worth, Dermot Brereton also believes that Port Adelaide and perhaps Fremantle if they can get a couple of players to fill some gaps are the only two sides that are capable of challenging Hawthorn next year.

I'm not optimistic for 2016. That implies there is a level of hope required for success. As long as the players work on their skills this preseason and get a bit more muscle on their frames, I have no doubt we will be lifting the premiership cup on the last Saturday in September. Do the little things right, and the big things take care of themselves.

You're going to see something you've never seen before.

 

[bacharach]

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

Plenty of expectation for Port to do well on the 2016 ladder predictions on the main board...also we're in the top 4 or 5 betting odds for the flag next year too.

Not saying it's a good thing or bad thing. just that the expectation is very much still alive.

 

[TeeKray]

Personnel wise I think there's three key variables for us at this stage. First we need to secure Dixon in the trade period. Secondly we need Ryder to escape the 2 year WADA ban. And thirdly we need to get Polec back up and running. If all of those things happen and we get a middle of the road draw/injury run then we should expect top 4 with this list.

 

[TeeKray]

Let's compare West Coast's nominal best six midfielders against our nominal best six midfielders:

Priddis v R.Gray
Gaff v Boak
Shuey v Wines
Masten v Ebert
Sheed v Polec
Hutchings v Hartlett

Honestly, with all due respect to West Coast who had a fantastic season, we win all of those match ups on paper. I hope our players watched yesterday's game and were embarrassed by the fact that a far inferior West Coast team played off in a grand final whilst their season was done and dusted in round 18.

 

[The_Big_FUNK!!!]

im optimistic because we have the talent, and as bad as we were last season we still won 12 games.

im pessimistic because we havent put together a whole season of consistent football at any point during Ken Hinkley's time here. We need to finish top four to have the best chance to win the flag. and we have proven we play our best in finals.
we cant play pretty, fast, free flowing football all the time which is what i think Ken Hinkley believes and is trying to make us do. we have to scrap and fight at times which we proved last season we werent prepared to do. if we did we wouldn't have lost to Richmond, Geelong, West Coast, Brisbane, Carlton and Adelaide, we would have finshed top four and would have at least made the grand final.

No more trying to appeal to the neutral, no more being everyones second team, no more pandering to that mob kochie. Premierships arent won by being nice, they are won by being hard, tough, mean, and having a bit of bastard in you. We have as much talent as hawthorn, we do not have the toughness, the arrogance, the bastardness of hawthorn. it was no coincidence that we games at the end of the year when the games were spiteful, tough, and had biff in all of them.

I have grave fears that the coaches see last season as a blip, and will try and persist with making us just a pure running team. if we continue this, we will be doomend to repeat last season.

 

[SgtSchulz]

If we don't get a final at Adelaide Oval next year it is a failure.

 

[Andre]

We need a top 2 finish. Vic sides can get away with top 4 and miss winning week one, as the advantage of knowing the MCG due to more games there can offset the extra game played. We don't have that luxury. We need something to even out their edge.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Dixon
Bassett
Cornes
Gameplan tweak
Fitness tweak
Lessons learned

I'm ready!

 

[Magpiespower]

Not getting too far ahead of myself or anything but I've already got Grand Final weekend and premiership celebrations sorted for next year...

 

[BIG MATTY WHITE]

How about we just worry about 1 game each week next year instead of waxing lyrical about how we can challenge one of the best teams in history.

We did it once before...



Funny thing about "once"....

We could of easily been brisbane of the naughties

 

[AdamMarrett]

Like the idea but that's the same comparison that got us in trouble in 2015. We worried so much about Hawthorn and served up utter tripe against most other sides until it was to late. All I hope is we get our deals done in the trade period, the club from coaches down to player 44 on the list have learnt the lessons of 2015. No more publicly stating a grand final is our aim, look at Hawthorn they only ever state making the 8 then the top 4 is their aim then they go from there. Learn from the best but we have to adapt with the game and get ahead of everyone. The list on paper is up there with anyone in the comp but this pre season is vitally important to where we head from here. But maybe lets all just take it one week at a time, and hope the players and coaches don't deviate from the belief of getting each win as it comes. No crystal balling in 2016, we need to be ruthless each and every week whether it be against Hawthorn or Brisbane. If we get that alright the season is our oyster, but if we repeat the same errors we may well be sitting here having the same discussions this time next year

 

[PhoenixPower]

I've actually been to the future and this time next year we are all celebrating our second flag with 5 all Australians and a brownlow medalist

Don't even sweat it - just sit back and enjoy the ride

 

[Duck Farmer]

When you put it that way, I think the only two lines we are better than them are HF and Foll. We are still a long way off. We need some massive improvement next year from our middle tier players.

Yet we are the ones with an imploding salary cap.

 

[Duck Farmer]

If we don't get a preliminary final at Adelaide Oval next year it is a failure.

 

[SgtSchulz]

**** it, if we don't win the whole thing it is a failure.

 

[philreich]

I reckon we'll see a far different, more ruthless Port Adelaide in 2016, and I think it'll be obvious from the first bounce in the first game. Our blokes are hurting, they're embarrassed, and they're hell bent on atoning for what happened in 2015. I wouldn't want to be a supporter of our round 1 opponent, because our boys will be out to make a statement from the very beginning that we mean business in 2016.