Port 2014 - Pre-Season/General Discussion

[Booney]

Yep but according to your club the saturday afternoon timeslot is the one which will maximise your attendances.

And I agree port have done a great job since Kochie has been there to become the number 1 AFL club in this city without doubt imho.

I don't believe so. For years the Port supporter base has declared Saturday night as the preferred time slot. Saturday afternoon for many other reasons is not ideal. So barring Friday nights which is a Collingwood,Carlton,Richmond strong hold, Saturday night is the slot Port fans want.

[whufc]

Yep but according to your club the saturday afternoon timeslot is the one which will maximise your attendances.

And I agree port have done a great job since Kochie has been there to become the number 1 AFL club in this city without doubt imho.

I don't believe so. For years the Port supporter base has declared Saturday night as the preferred time slot. Saturday afternoon for many other reasons is not ideal. So barring Friday nights which is a Collingwood,Carlton,Richmond strong hold, Saturday night is the slot Port fans want.

Before the showdown Kochie was on AFL360 and said they have requested to the AFL to have as many Saturday afternoon home games as that had been the most popular timeslot according to a members poll they ran, he then went on to say the Crows are trying to make Thursday nights their regular fixture

[Phantom Gossiper]

Before the showdown Kochie was on AFL360 and said they have requested to the AFL to have as many Saturday afternoon home games as that had been the most popular timeslot according to a members poll they ran, he then went on to say the Crows are trying to make Thursday nights their regular fixture

Dont forget they had a 3rd of the members when they ran that poll

[bennymacca]

I wonder how other clubs count their members, and whether other clubs have the tiered memberships like the crows and power. I think the 11 game members is the important number. counting members that dont go to the game can possibly overinflate that number. whilst the crows and power having over 50k members is great, that number translating to only 36k at the game, port's first "normal" home game at adelaide oval, would be a little disappointing i think. of course it was Brisbane who would have had next to no supporters there, but Im sure port's management would have hoped for more.

i think the power need to work on turning those 25000 members they have that dont have 11 game season tickets into such members. The timing of moving to adelaide oval, combined with one of the best teams to watch in the league on the park, they really need to make hay while the sun shines right now .

would love to see port get over 40k regularly to their games, and the time for them to do that is now. golden opportunity. can they sell out a game this season? do you guys have any home games against collingwood or essendon? would love for it to happen tbh, even as a crows fan.

[Hazbeen]

I think I had all 3 Brisbane supporters sitting behind me

[Freo HeaveHo]

Port Adelaide are a SERIOUSLY good football side. That was a massive statement to the rest of the AFL , they are the real deal.

[bennymacca]

Port Adelaide are a SERIOUSLY good football side. That was a massive statement to the rest of the AFL , they are the real deal.

most definitely.

[valleys07]

About ****ing time

In all seriousness- That win today, and the subsequent reaction from the fans, is a testament to just how good Geelong have been, especially against us, for the best part of a decade. Nothing will ever erase 2007, however that is another critical roadblock that we have hurdled in the pursuit of success.

Jeez the cats let us off the hook in the 1st half, with some easy set shots being missed that would normally be marked down, but its incredibly satisfying to see us make great opposition pay for their missed opportunities.

Both sides made simple skill errors in the 1st half, put down simply to the intense pressure, but once port got a run on early in the 3rd, the cats looked 2nd rate. Put it down to the extra 2 day break, put it down to a few names missing from the cats, but fair dinkum we would have to be the best 2nd half side in the competition at this rate.

My top 5 best players:

Boak- Wow. Him signing in 2012 was a huge statement for a number of reasons. It was a statement as far as his playing ability was concerned- to at that stage challenge himself to better a struggling side, and better himself against the best mids in the comp. 2 years on he has ticked both boxes in a big way, inspires a young group with his actions on and off the field, the fans love him and are indebted to his loyalty, and the rest of the competition cant not respect him. Very deserving Badcoe medallist

Ebert- If our best and fairest count was held tonight- Ebo would win it in a canter. Has continually improved his game since he arrived in 2012, and as I sit here, I will say I dont think there is a better 2 way runner in the competition. Averaging 25 touches a game this season, its clear to most that his skills by hand and foot have improved out of sight since his early days at west coast, and his 28 possession game tonight was as damaging as ive seen him. Another top performance and only just overtaken by Boak for the medal.

Lobbe- I must admit i had Redden as #1 ruck at the start of 2013- how much things can change in the course of 12 months. Lobbe has been outstanding so far this season, and his past 2 weeks have been out of this world. To break even, if not, beat Cox and NicNat last week, to smashing McIntosh and Blicavs today shows the giant strides this bloke is taking. 48-31 hitouts tells a significant story. Port Adelaides most important player at this juncture.

Cornes- Selwood is a star, and everybody knows it. Cornes is a gun tagger- everyone knows that too. Joel had his colours lowered today, and its not often at all anybody gets to say that, but cornes was huge the other way. Cornes was the leading possession getter on the ground with 33, was pivotal with quick hands releasing the likes of Boak, Ebert and Hartlett, and continually found space to provide link and run. Another brilliant game from this port adelaide legend.

Carlisle- Our back 6 was incredible tonight, but this bloke had the toughest match up of the lot and had a significant win I thought. Hawkins 3.2 probably flattered the matchup at the end of the evening, and Bobby not only won a majority of the one on ones, but seems to have elevated his game to include lots of run and drive from the back half. Its no secret Burgess has done wonders for his conditioning and his game now reaps the rewards of hard work- he has added a significant string to his bow and our back 6 reaps the rewards, sitting equal first for fewest points conceded at this stage of the season.

Honourable mentions:
Cassisi- won a few critical contests in the first half when the game was in the balance, skills let him down though.
White- What a pick up he has been! Run, Run and Run is this guys game, works just as hard in the 4th as he does in the 1st- plays every game like its his last.
Hombsch- Our back 6 looks as solid as a rock with this guy back there. Wins critical one on ones and generates plenty of drive. Why GWS got rid of him is anyones guess, but thank your mother for the rabbits says Kenny.

Flags aren't won in april and there is still a very long way to go- as I said though, another significant mental hurdle has just been jumped in this journey- GWS, Freo and Hawthorn presents more great opportunities to test ourselves against the competitions beasts.

[GWW]

Our defence, all over the ground, but in particular the back 6, is fantastic.

Backline is our single biggest improvement since Hinkley took over. Jonas and Hombsch couple of "no-names", guns!!.

To think that we beat Geelong with Schulz and Westhoff kicking 1 goal between them, I wouldnt have believed it if I didnt see it happen. Westhoff has hit a form slump since Phil Walsh said he is the equal best forward in the competition. I hope he can lift soon.

in saying all that, we are still notch or 2 below Hawthorn. They are clear premiership favourites in my opinion.

Freo will be a massive test too, despite their current form, I rate them highly and see them slightly above us too.

I see us in the next group down from last year's grand finallists, with Collingwood, NM, Essendon and Sydney. Not to mention Geelong too obviously.

With the age profile of our list, Im confident we can put ourselves up there and be top 4 contenders for the next 5-7 years.

[bennymacca]

I still think this is a game that you guys probably don't win in Melbourne. So I don't think it is panic stations for geelong just yet. But to finish top 4 these are must win games and port are ticking all of those boxes at the moment

[GWW]

Geelong are not a spent force, obviously.

If we put Mackie, Christensen, Motlop and Caddy into that side, its a very formidable line-up.

[stan]

Geelong are not a spent force, obviously.

If we put Mackie, Christensen, Motlop and Caddy into that side, its a very formidable line-up.

Simpson is the key IMO.

[bennymacca]

McIntosh certainly not having the impact they would have hoped

[stan]

McIntosh certainly not having the impact they would have hoped

Well he does he just can't do it on his own. Needz the support from Simpson.

[bennymacca]

McIntosh certainly not having the impact they would have hoped

Well he does he just can't do it on his own. Needz the support from Simpson.

they have played blicavs all year as well. had all 3 of them going for a few games this year.

I think simpson and blicavs is their best ruck combo at the moment.

[Phantom Gossiper]

You constantly hear the ribbing Port get about their bandwagon jumpers and supporters coming out the woodwork when they are winning, but I've got to say, they are one of the sides i've really enjoyed watching this season, so it's no surprise people are getting on board!

Even my brother who is a "special" Crows supporter commented last night Port are growing on him and he's beginning to get on the wagon.

It's a credit to everyone involved in the club down there and the playing group as well.

[bennymacca]

Hinkley has certainly turned things around - their playing group isn't that much different to a couple of years ago.

I think it was dwayne Russell commentating when he said he was almost seeing but not believing that he is watching port smash geelong in front of 47k fans at a new awesome stadium when you compare it to say 2 years ago when they couldn't get 30k to footy park.

[Hondo]

Yes, beating Geelong in front of a crowd of 47,007 too. An amazing turnaround happening here.

[Rik E Boy]

Geelong are not a spent force, obviously.

If we put Mackie, Christensen, Motlop and Caddy into that side, its a very formidable line-up.

Simpson is the key IMO.

This. Mackie and SImpson were two outs too many. If a final is played between the two sides the venue will be the decisive factor. If Simpson doesn't play and it's in Melbourne we won't win it.

regards,

REB

[Dutchy]

Port played well and got their first real scalp of the season who were coming off a Monday game.

Not sure Port have been really tested as yet and had a pretty soft early draw, had an excellent run with injuries also.