Finals Week 1

[Wedgie]

Absolutely, it's why I've been saying for a long time it's a disadvantage to come top. 2nd is the best spot for most teams unless you're Geelong where 3rd is better if teams get to play Geelong at their home ground.

Or if North, Essendon, St.Kilda & Western Bulldogs had to ever play a home final away from Etihad.

Same town.

Different ground.

Correct, just like if the Crows or Port had played their finals at Footy Park instead of Adelaide Oval. No advantage there for those teams.

Explain to me again how many clubs dont get to play home finals in their home city and remember Brisbane got to do it when the GABBA held half the amount of people as Kardinia Park.

[MW]

Geelong played five games at MCG. Port and Crows played zero at footy park.
But i agree with you, geelong finals need to be at kardinia park

[cracka]

Absolutely, it's why I've been saying for a long time it's a disadvantage to come top. 2nd is the best spot for most teams unless you're Geelong where 3rd is better if teams get to play Geelong at their home ground.

Or if North, Essendon, St.Kilda & Western Bulldogs had to ever play a home final away from Etihad.

Same town.

Different ground.

Correct, just like if the Crows or Port had played their finals at Footy Park instead of Adelaide Oval. No advantage there for those teams.

Explain to me again how many clubs dont get to play home finals in their home city and remember Brisbane got to do it when the GABBA held half the amount of people as Kardinia Park.

There is only 1 reason Geelong don't get more finals at Simmonds Stadium. The AFL want the crowd numbers up.

[LaughingKookaburra]

These are scenarios that played out 15-20 years ago. Times change just like that MCG agreement that was pissed off ages ago.

[Booney]

Certainly disappointed with the result, very disappointed with our execution during the game and extremely disappointed I dropped two $13.50 bourbons when SPP slotted the goal in extra time.

I questioned our selection of the side last week, in the end it wasn't selection that cost us. If we'd lost by 9 goals then you can question the selection, losing after the siren after extra time comes down to execution on the night and that's been our achilles heel since mid-2015, skills under pressure.

If you had said last week that during the match we would keep WCE to 9 goals at full time I'd have taken it and said we'll win comfortably. In the end it wasn't our defensive mechanisms that cost us but our use of the ball I50.

Plenty of people around the place, in here especially, questioned the recruitment of Charlie Dixon, how much we paid for him and if he was capable of a return on our investment. Stick your questions where they fit, he's been enormous for us this year, hasn't missed a game and closes out 2017 as his best year on a personal level. He was the stand out forward on Saturday night and he'll be hurt by the ones he missed that he should have kicked, as will S.Gray, Impey, Boak and Wingard who all missed very, very getable shots on goal.

Wines and Ebert did the heavy lifting, Howard was sound in defence, while he didn't touch it much Marshall was ok in his 3rd game and 1st final, was disappointed in a couple of his efforts one-on-one with McGovern but that's no knock on him, plenty of forwards struggle with that bloke, SPP could have kicked one of the great goals with his third effort in a string of play, Bonner used the ball well at times but got lost in some crucial moments, Houston is a real player, Clurey kept Kennedy out of it until the 115th minute in another solid full back display.

I'm not going to spend the summer crying about what if, we got what we deserved, we deserved to play finals with wins in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Ballarat and Shanghai and could have pinched one in Geelong. We didn't deserve to go any deeper into September as all year when the crucial moments came and we needed to execute we didn't, as it was on Saturday night.

We had 5 blokes with 22 games or less, 3 of them in their first year of AFL football, 2 of them from last years draft play Saturday night. The future looks bright at Alberton with some kids coming in who look to have long careers ahead of them after we went with familiar faces year upon year without any change.

Those who question Hinkley's "gold pass" selection policy are simply wrong. Trengove, Young, Ah Chee and Broadbent all were left out in preference to the likes of SPP, Marshall, Bonner and Houston who all played their role. So anyone who questions the "gold pass" theory is that poor they can't even pay attention.

For me, glass half full. It's only football.

We lost a football match, last week some parents lost their daughter at her own hands because of the impact of on line bullying. Perspective in times like this.

[MW]

Good write up Booney, especially the last paragraph.

[Booney]

Surely the AFL's goal when pricing tickets is to fill the place. Even though I think 41k is disappointing, the prices probably go most of the way to explaining it

There's not much to explain, really. The only side you can "compare" Port Adelaide to ( which you can't really, a side representing the state v a side representing a suburb ) is Adelaide. Adelaide get 52,000 bums on seats, Port get 41,000, who expects any different with the difference in the size of the supporter base? Idiots, that's who.

[Booney]

What a beautiful day this morning, how is everyone?

Please stop teasing the footy gods

It's a fine line, isn't it?

[helicopterking]

WC did not kick the ball well at all to Kennedy, lots of ball dropped right on his head. Both teams midfield pressure was brilliant all night, so entry to both teams forward line was poor.
WC played 1 to many talls down back, Yeo and Barrass didn't really have an opponent at times, with Barrass being on Impey or Neade at times.
I know Ryder had 50 hit outs, but he was beaten by Petrie and Vardy.
What I disliked about WC set up, we had everyone in Ports forward 60, which is why we scored so little from half way through the 2nd qrt. I know most teams do it, but the 2 blokes with 120m behind them were Partington
,Lecras and Kennedy, hardy blokes enough speed to cause any damage over 120m against there direct opponent . To me, Kennedy sitting at WC forward 50 mark one on one is much more dangerous then being part of a group of 10 players at HAlf Back. We win the ball at Half back, turn and go straight away, Kennedy gets a 1/1 with 50m to work with. Instead we dump kick out, even if we did mark it, we had to hold the footy up, which then in turn allows all Ports players to run back and set up. Priddis was enormous, he was Best on in the first half and his last 15min was crucial, some of the hard ball gets and tackles he laid in the dying 5mins were brilliant.
Amazing game to be at, and heaps of WC supporters, because I high fived just about every single on of them on the way out.

[Spargo]

Surely the AFL's goal when pricing tickets is to fill the place. Even though I think 41k is disappointing, the prices probably go most of the way to explaining it

There's not much to explain, really. The only side you can "compare" Port Adelaide to ( which you can't really, a side representing the state v a side representing a suburb ) is Adelaide. Adelaide get 52,000 bums on seats, Port get 41,000, who expects any different with the difference in the size of the supporter base? Idiots, that's who.

Turn it up, 41k is a poor turnout for a Port home final no matter how you spin it. Reports there were 3k+ West Coast supporters who made the trip also.
Port averaged 38k+ per home game this season which is a very good figure, Saturday nights turnout was below what they would've been expecting.

[FlyingHigh]

Yep because me saying they are shit is going to make the crows lose to them...

I don't rate them at all. Geelong Sydney and GWS are much tougher prospects

Absolutely, it's why I've been saying for a long time it's a disadvantage to come top. 2nd is the best spot for most teams unless you're Geelong where 3rd is better if teams get to play Geelong at their home ground.

Or if North, Essendon, St.Kilda & Western Bulldogs had to ever play a home final away from Etihad.

Why don't the AFL just make the simple rule that the first week the higher team gets to play at their home ground and second and subsequent weeks are at the MCG?

After all, Richmond only finished third on the back of a pretty soft draw.

[bennymacca]

Surely the AFL's goal when pricing tickets is to fill the place. Even though I think 41k is disappointing, the prices probably go most of the way to explaining it

There's not much to explain, really. The only side you can "compare" Port Adelaide to ( which you can't really, a side representing the state v a side representing a suburb ) is Adelaide. Adelaide get 52,000 bums on seats, Port get 41,000, who expects any different with the difference in the size of the supporter base? Idiots, that's who.

Plenty of port fans - including yourself earlier this year if I remember correctly - love to wax lyrical about the amount of members they have - 52,129 compared with the crows 56,865

So don't or turn around and start with the single suburb rubbish - that argument suits you now but all year you have been correctly advocating that port needs to move past that (china et al)

Tickets were very expensive but that was still a woeful crowd for a final

[Booney]

Surely the AFL's goal when pricing tickets is to fill the place. Even though I think 41k is disappointing, the prices probably go most of the way to explaining it

There's not much to explain, really. The only side you can "compare" Port Adelaide to ( which you can't really, a side representing the state v a side representing a suburb ) is Adelaide. Adelaide get 52,000 bums on seats, Port get 41,000, who expects any different with the difference in the size of the supporter base? Idiots, that's who.

Plenty of port fans - including yourself earlier this year if I remember correctly - love to wax lyrical about the amount of members they have - 52,129 compared with the crows 56,865

So don't or turn around and start with the single suburb rubbish - that argument suits you now but all year you have been correctly advocating that port needs to move past that (china et al)

Tickets were very expensive but that was still a woeful crowd for a final

46,000 in Sydney where there's 7 millions people and we're getting ballsed for 41,000. UK Fan finally has some mates.

I was there, I did my bit, go and ask the people who you think should have been there why they didn't go. Of all the ******* things to focus on.

[JK]

I was there, I did my bit, go and ask the people who you think should have been there why they didn't go. Of all the ******* things to focus on.

I watched the game with a few mates at the Lakes, and among our group were a Port couple who go regularly with their kids, but they found it too cost prohibitive to attend. The games getting away from a lot of working class folk at finals time these days.

[MW]

The crowd figures seems to be a good dick measuring tool.
I prefer premierships.

[Brodlach]

46k in Sydney with 12k Essendon supporters; 41k at AO with 3k West Coast supporters

Do the math

[bennymacca]

Surely the AFL's goal when pricing tickets is to fill the place. Even though I think 41k is disappointing, the prices probably go most of the way to explaining it

There's not much to explain, really. The only side you can "compare" Port Adelaide to ( which you can't really, a side representing the state v a side representing a suburb ) is Adelaide. Adelaide get 52,000 bums on seats, Port get 41,000, who expects any different with the difference in the size of the supporter base? Idiots, that's who.

Plenty of port fans - including yourself earlier this year if I remember correctly - love to wax lyrical about the amount of members they have - 52,129 compared with the crows 56,865

So don't or turn around and start with the single suburb rubbish - that argument suits you now but all year you have been correctly advocating that port needs to move past that (china et al)

Tickets were very expensive but that was still a woeful crowd for a final

46,000 in Sydney where there's 7 millions people and we're getting ballsed for 41,000. UK Fan finally has some mates.

I was there, I did my bit, go and ask the people who you think should have been there why they didn't go. Of all the ******* things to focus on.

Pretty hard for them to have more than 46k at their game given it's the capacity of the ground.

All I said was its disappointing. Plenty of other port fans I know have said the same thing.

The cost is likely the major factor but it's the only final port we're getting. So not even getting close to filling the place was disappointing.

[Spargo]

2014 Elimination Final at Adelaide Oval, there was 50k there that day and there weren't 10k Richmond supporters

[Booney]

2014 Elimination Final at Adelaide Oval, there was 50k there that day and there weren't 10k Richmond supporters

You recall that, do you?

[Booney]

Pretty hard for them to have more than 46k at their game given it's the capacity of the ground.

All I said was its disappointing. Plenty of other port fans I know have said the same thing.

The cost is likely the major factor but it's the only final port we're getting. So not even getting close to filling the place was disappointing.

Capacity is a bit over 48,000 I think, anyway you stay on the crowds, UK probably never thought he'd have support, here it is little guy. Here it is.