The 2017 AFL season might be over for Port Adelaide. But the fight is still far from over for the club’s strategists and coaching staff as they’re still trying to figure out what went wrong.
Needless to say, this is what the club needs to do – a thorough and smart analysis of their weaknesses that led to their downfall. The dramatic loss to West Coast brought unimaginable ounces of disappointment to the players and to the fans.
But as hopeless as disappointing as it was, there is still a certain amount of hope that lingers. That’s just what we’re going to talk about here.
How the Season Went for the Power?
Though the Power might have fallen short this season, there were plenty of positives according to Port Adelaide Coach Ken Hinkley. The 50-year-old says that the team has undergone a massive improvement having made it to the AFL Finals following a disappointing 2015 and 2016 seasons.
The team’s heightened focus on team defense proved fruitful as they cut two goals from 88 points to averaging 76 points per game in 2017.
The team’s 14 wins out of the 22 games they had is also more than what they expected. To add up to the list of team’s accomplishments, they even finished the season in the fifth spot. But all of these came to a sudden end with Luke Shuey’s late goal after the siren in the elimination final.
What Went Wrong?
Well, it can be summed up in two points: lack of role players and lack of pace.
The Power had odds of 1.39 to the Suns’ 3.05 in Round 23 and enjoyed a 115-point win. But perhaps their overconfidence took a toll in their next game against the West Coast Eagles. The Power’s strong 1.43 odds did not result in victory, going down by two points to the Eagle’s, despite their odds of 2.83 prior to the match.
Charlie Dixon enjoyed arguably his best game for the club, but lacked support up forward.
The result? Teams that were once below the Power in ranking have overtaken them – for good. Adelaide’s strong 2.5 odds is a testament to their improvement and likely contention for a flag again next year. With this, it makes perfect sense for you to find the best free bets when wagering for Adelaide so that you can make the most out of the situation. Meanwhile, Richmond will again be there at the pointy end of the season, with impressive odds of 3.15.
Meanwhile, Greater Western Sydney is at 5.00, while Geelong is 6.0. The Power are12.00 odds to win the 2018 AFL Premiership.
Port Adelaide Vows for Vengeance
Next year’s premiership would surely show a brand new Port Adelaide featuring a more polished game plan. The solution to their problem is simple – protect their raw defense and keep the ball in the hands of the forwards as long as possible.
Add a little bit of chemistry, teamwork, and determination into the equation, and you get an overhauled Port Adelaide team that’s geared up to take what’s rightfully theirs.
