bennymacca wrote:Gerard on 360 tonight said that port really need to start asking the question whether they actually have the talent to be a top 4 team, or whether they were just a middling team that had a purple patch a couple of years ago.
Looks more and more like the latter.
Yes, and no.
We have the top end talent to be a top 4 team, I don't question the best 22 we could put out there are not being good enough, I think most would agree. Unfortunately two of them aren't there all year, one is laid up with a bad back and several are playing well below their best.
We just have no depth and none of the "kids" are coming on, having said that with the Monfries trade ( a second round pick ) in the '12 draft, Ryder ( picks 17 and 37 in the '14 draft ) and Dixon ( Pick 10 in '15 and second round pick in '16 ) we have not brought in much young talent for a few years. Not really an issue if the players you brought in are playing and in form.....while our core group is still young, Wines, Wingard, Boak, Hartlett, Gray etc etc we clearly looked at "topping up" more than "rebuilding", fair enough, 3rd in '14 suggested we were thereabouts.
The fact blokes like Stewart and O'Shea come in to make us "stronger" is a reflection on the list, it doesn't run deep enough. Having said that, put Schulz, Ryder, Monfries and Carlile back in the side and there's 4 who go back to SANFL level to make a case and the list looks a bit deeper all of a sudden. With the 4 of them out ( 2 all year ) we will never be at full strength.
I think the loss of Ryder and Monfries is greater than many expected, Lobbe's struggles are compounded with only kids ( Dougal Howard and Billy Frampton ) as back ups, Monfries forward 50 pressure is missed and Neade isn't a like for like replacement as Monfries, while good at ground level, plays taller than he is and can be the third/fourth lead up forward if needed to.
In brief, I'll back the "system", it beat Hawthorn twice in 2015, the process works when all are in form and pulling* in the same direction. At the moment it's form and personnel.
So is Healy right? Again, yes and no. We aren't at full strength to find out though.