PAFC 2026

[Booney]

Take aways from last nights community consultation on the Alberton Square project :

- Rezoning process completed in around 4 months
- Final designs completed in 8-12 months ( rezoning impacts this )
- Developer selected in that 12 month period
- Club retains ownership of the land
- Developer recoups money via sale of residential property
- Club draws on going revenue from commercial tenancies

Not as many NIMBYs as I expected, a couple of older folks were vociferous and it descended into a car parking on Port Road discussion but in the main a good informative night.

[Dutchy]

Did they mention how long the development approval will take? Sounds like Port will end up owning the commercial side of the development and the residential will be taken over by a developer, which lines up with the anticipated returns that Kochie was spruiking. That mitigates the risk significantly which is a smart move as while it reduces the potential windfall they could make, it reduces there exposure greatly.

[Booney]

5-7 years for completion.

*Edit

Rezoning and approval are two different things.

Rezoning around 4 months. Approval is in a (can't recall the actual term) shadow (I think) stage, basically running in the back ground.

[RB]

- Club retains ownership of the land
- Developer recoups money via sale of residential property

I'm probably just ignorant of how these sorts of arrangements work, but I assume if they're selling off properties then the residents own the land? I know it's going to be flats, but wouldn't that just be a strata-type arrangement with the common property being owned by the strata corp?

Or did you mean club retains ownership of the land during the development and sells directly to the residents, with the developer receiving an agreed cut or amount equivalent to the increased value etc.

I'm probably missing something.

[Booney]

- Club retains ownership of the land
- Developer recoups money via sale of residential property

I'm probably just ignorant of how these sorts of arrangements work, but I assume if they're selling off properties then the residents own the land? I know it's going to be flats, but wouldn't that just be a strata-type arrangement with the common property being owned by the strata corp?

Or did you mean club retains ownership of the land during the development and sells directly to the residents, with the developer receiving an agreed cut or amount equivalent to the increased value etc.

I'm probably missing something.

No, the club will own the land full stop. I see that the club will allow the developer to "use" the land to build upon and when they sell the apartments they recoup from there.

The club is at pains to reinforce to the community that this isn't a developer coming in, building, cashing in and leaving. The club has a vested long term interest in the facility.

[RB]

Roger re the developer not owning the land. I assume though the club are eventually going to sell the units when they've been completed (and common property) under strata/community title, unless they do wish to retain ownership of the land, in which case perhaps they're considering long-term lease arrangements.

[Dutchy]

Not sure how Port could hold the residential side of the project if it is being sold off.

I would think the DA could take a good 12 months, but its all obviously contingent on the rezoning being approved, so makes sense that this is running in conjunction with each other.

[Booney]

A wins a win they say and we’ll take the 4 points after defeating Essendon by 63 points at Adelaide Oval on Sunday but we’ll take it on advisement.

From the opening moments the game looked to be on Ports terms and the changes to the line up, in particular the inclusion of Jordan Sweet, looked to be the right move up against young Blakiston from the Bombers who in his 13th game looked about 15kg shy of being able to go with Sweet. At their feet it was a total domination by Port, 13 clearances to 4 in the opening quarter and 21 to 6 inside 50’s ( Essendon had the last 4 ) resulting in a 33 point lead and the game was effectively over. Jason Horne-Francis was on a tear in the forward 50 for Port, 5 touches, 3 marks, 3 goals. He’d helped ice (bath) the game in 30 minutes.

In the middle Drew had 5 clearances and 3 score involvements, Sweet had 2 clearances, 3 score involvements and a goal and by quarter time the midfield was humming but it’s easy to hum when nobody is telling you to be quiet. Essendon’s pressure was, to use some recency bias, about as poor as Port’s was last week against North Melbourne, particularly post clearance where Port just moved the ball at their leisure as the Essendon defenders were left to wonder where the help was going to come from. One glaring aspect to their play was their inefficiency by foot, going at 58% at one point they gave their midfield and forwards very little chance to generate scores as they coughed the ball up over and over.

When Essendon did move the ball forward Caddy looked dangerous, he finished with 4 for the day and livewire Kako had some moments that suggest he’s a player that will offer some proper highlights in the future. The Bombers showed a bit of spirit to open the second quarter, as they did to close out the first they won some ball inside 50 but it wasn’t to their advantage as Port’s first 3 scores of the term were goals Essendon’s were behinds ( one rushed ). The visitors won the I50 count for the quarter but lost the term by 17 points, 8 score from 24 inside 50’s showing how inffective their ball movement is, it’s more by accident then design then they do score.

The second half isn’t going to be easy to write home about.
Some notable numbers I've come across -
Essendon conceded 25 marks inside 50 and 165 for the match, that's a reflection on how poor they were defensively.
Throw in 8 Essendon players didn't lay a single tackle and 4 of them laid 1 each. That's 4 tackles between 12 players.

For Port there was some positive signs from the week before, the forward line all got a lick of the ice cream, Lukosius with 3 would be feeling good about himself for the first time since arriving at Alberton, time to back it up next week, Durdin hit the board with 2 majors for the second consecutive week and I may have to eat my words on him, Watkins looked more at ease with the pace of the game, Berry did some nice things and got plenty of the ball (career high 19 + 2 goals ) and Logan Evans with 11 marks might just be coming of age.

Again, we'll preface any positive news with the weight of negativity that hangs over Essendon at the moment but the bad news from the game didn't end there. Captain Connor Rozee suffering a potentially season ending (who knows) hamstring injury. Tearing the tendon off the bone sounds excruciating. With the timeline down for 12-16 weeks and given we have 22 weeks remaining there is a chance we don't see him again or at best it won't be until very late in the season. A massive blow as we rely on our top end talent to be at their best but as with all injuries in the game someone gets a chance to step up. With Bergman out for a couple with a rolled ankle we're two of our best down. Not ideal.

Boons best - Butters, Horne-Francis, Sweet, Rozee, Aliir, Evans

[Booney]

With that 2 point loss to West Coast at Adelaide Oval we can settle ourselves in for a long, long year ahead. Several, in fact.

Early on Port held all the cards, 4 Jacks, actually, as Lukosius, Watkins and two to Whitlock the Power had the first 4 goals on the board and the midfield was humming. Sweet had early aerial dominance, Drew was racking up possessions, Butters was doing his thing and behind the ball Josh Lai on debut had some very positive moments. Lai opened his AFL career with 8 touches at 88%, 3 marks and some smart play off half back, one of the positive from the match of which there weren’t many. Whitlock and Georgiades were off the leash, both of them having 3 marks inside 50 in the opening quarter and Port’s pressure was up. When the pressure is up the midfield give the defenders and chance and the recipe for our success is simple. Pressure, without it we’re not talented enough to move the ball with any fluency.

The end of the first quarter should have been alarm bells in the Port coaches box though, despite the 22 point lead and the territory dominance the Eagles had 6 of the last 7 clearances as Kelly and Reid got going in the middle and the signs were there that momentum was shifting. Shift it did.

Georgiades was giving Gibney a well needed bath but with the pressure rating dropping ( 212 in the first quarter to 128 in the second ) the back half was under the pump, with the ball deep in the Eagles forward 50 for much of the term Georgiades was finding himself offering an option as the bail out from defence and when Port did get the ball across the back of centre options forward had dried up. The Eagles made the most of their opportunities with 5.0 from set shots and 5 goals to 3 for the term but it was how they went about it that was the worry. 3 goals from clearances shows the pressure around the contest was sub par but what they did was pressure us. As most sides are now doing moving the ball forward with handball our run was stopped, transition from defence to forward line in the opening quarter looked easy, in the second quarter it looked impossible.

The second half opened as the first, this time it was Georgiades on the lead straight up the guts and he turned and kicked truly, that was it for the term though as the Eagles mids took over. Reid had two goals in 5 minutes but it was Kelly who touched something and turned it into a goal. 6 of his 10 touches for the term resulted in scores ( 5 of them goals ) as he combined with Reid for 11 clearances to ¾ time. The Eagles won the term by 19 points as the 8 point half time deficit turned into an 11 point lead at the last change. Duursma was impressive as was Shanahan who felt like he clunked everything in the air that was anywhere near him. Worryingly for Port the midfield stopped working both ways, they weren’t prepared to run defensively and the Eagles had men loose across the midfield and half forward far too often.

When Byrne-Jones kicked the first goal of the last quarter inside a minute the game was on, in reality Port had the best of the first 10 minutes of the last quarter but the skills on display were deplorable. The first 6 inside 50’s of the term butchered by 45% efficiency by foot, missing simple targets hurts you against every opponent and the young hungry Eagles swooped on anything loose to clear the ball. When Davis then Waterman with his fourth goaled the Eagles had nailed 10 of 13 goals since quarter time and the 18 point lead suggested the game was over. Not quite. Horne-Francis goaled, Lachie Jones was out of his post code to mark and goal and when Whitlock took one of what will be many impressive marks in his career and goaled the margin was under a goal. That man Shanahan took another towering defensive mark, the ball moved to the Eagles end and with the margin at 1 point the game was over. Cripps missing one after the final siren to snatch a 2 point win.

I’ll go with the positives as the negatives will come thick and fast in the weeks and months ahead I feel. Lai showed he has some promise at the level, Whitlock with 5 marks and 3 goals ( in particular his last pack mark ) has shown anyone watching he has what it takes, Burgoyne had his best outing of the year and Watkins, who I had questions over, is suggesting he too can play at AFL level it’s just a shame there are several who look like they can’t.

Boon’s best – Butters, Burgoyne, Sweet, Georgiades, Whitlock

[wenchbarwer]

Whitlock is a gun, you've got a good one there

How many more games do they need to give Mead? Surely they've got the answer by now...

[amber_fluid]

Whitlock is a gun, you've got a good one there

How many more games do they need to give Mead? Surely they've got the answer by now...

A gun?
Might need to see a bigger sample size yet

[wenchbarwer]

Whitlock is a gun, you've got a good one there

How many more games do they need to give Mead? Surely they've got the answer by now...

A gun?
Might need to see a bigger sample size yet

Fine, he will be a gun, happy now?

[amber_fluid]

Whitlock is a gun, you've got a good one there

How many more games do they need to give Mead? Surely they've got the answer by now...

A gun?
Might need to see a bigger sample size yet

Fine, he will be a gun, happy now?

Much!

[The Bedge]

MacKinlay was average. Horne-Francis is soooo effin frustrating! Will we ever see some consistency with that man?

Georgiades could've kicked a bag, and dropped some critical marks in the second half.. Thought Farrell was pretty good.

Credit to West Coast though, Waterman was massive - couple crucial long goals at critical times, and Reid, Yeo, Kelly, Graham stood up.

Bad loss for Port though given the start - should've been 6+ goals up at 1/4 time.

[Brodlach]

Waterman was almost a late out, so to play how he did was incredible

[Lightning McQueen]

MacKinlay was average. Horne-Francis is soooo effin frustrating! Will we ever see some consistency with that man?

Georgiades could've kicked a bag, and dropped some critical marks in the second half.. Thought Farrell was pretty good.

Credit to West Coast though, Waterman was massive - couple crucial long goals at critical times, and Reid, Yeo, Kelly, Graham stood up.

Bad loss for Port though given the start - should've been 6+ goals up at 1/4 time.

Reid is going to be an absolute beast, pretty much is already.

Didn't think that I'd be saying this any time soon "West Coast are closer to a premeirship than Port".

They have an impressive list of kids out there having a crack.

[The Bedge]

They have an impressive list of kids out there having a crack.

So they should have after sucking for a few years and getting early draft picks.

[Brodlach]

In seriousness, Eagles were so slow early, how much did the early start effect them I wonder

[Lightning McQueen]

In seriousness, Eagles were so slow early, how much did the early start effect them I wonder

It was an absolute joke, should be able to watch your team play on a Sunday with a beer in hand without getting told off.

[Lightning McQueen]

They have an impressive list of kids out there having a crack.

So they should have after sucking for a few years and getting early draft picks.

Can quite easily pick the wrong kids and still be shit! Plenty of clubs have.