Preview 2022 Goodbye (To 2023) New; Preseason Discussion

Remove this Banner Ad

Status
Not open for further replies.
Apart from turning over players and assistant coaches, have we actually changed anything of substance to the way we play?

From what I saw in the match sim and trial game, no.

However, I am no tactical genius.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

From what I saw in the match sim and trial game, no.

However, I am no tactical genius.
I am 100% convinced that Hinkley is a tactics by numbers man. Essentially a very expensive David King. The kind of analysis David King does where he looks at the good teams, he then looks at the numbers to identify what it is that sets them apart from the average teams, and then he finds some vision of something that supports that. Oh look, the teams that make the final 8 have more inside 50s than teams that don't. Repeat inside 50s has a higher percentage of scoring than those from the back half. etc etc. Since 2014 there doesn't seem to have been any overarching plan, other than these micro-tactics that can satisfy these numbers.
 
Considering its list build and strong finish to its 2022 campaign, Power fans would be entering this season optimistic they can return to the finals come September. But Port‘s WA pre-season road trip resulted in two defeats to the Eagles and Dockers – and the positives were tough to pick out.

After going down to West Coast in a match simulation hitout, the Power were then overrun by Fremantle six days later at Fremantle Oval.

Sam Powell-Pepper and recruit Francis Evans were dynamic up forward, Miles Bergman showed some promise on the wing and Connor Rozee was classy around the ball against the Dockers. But that was about it. Port for the second week in a row won the inside 50 count but were inefficient and inaccurate forward of centre. Ken Hinkley’s men also lost the clearance (-6) and contested possession (-10) counts convincingly.

Four-time Port best and fairest winner Kane Cornes said he had concerns over the club‘s lack of midfield depth and inconsistency up forward as Charlie Dixon, Mitch Georgiades and Todd Marshall combined for just one goal. “I watched all of Port Adelaide who were mightily disappointing, I’ve got to say,“ Cornes told SEN Breakfast on Friday. “A few concerns about Port Adelaide … there’s reason to be concerned, you’re looking for little (positive) nuggets and I couldn’t find many.” Hinkley said his team was simply outplayed by the Dockers. “We need to be better than we performed today,” Hinkley told reporters.
“It‘s not so much concern because that’s what trial games are about. They give you information and we’ve got to do something with the information.
“Defensively they got through us a bit easily but mind you, a couple of those we gave up when we were pushing really hard and the game blew out a bit.”

“It‘s not so much concern because that’s what trial games are about ... Defensively they got through us a bit easily ..."

Hello! I think that is a very BIG concern!!
 
Warren makes too much sense to be involved in our club. He wants forwards to play in front, lead and not trail their opponents all the time. That’s an archaic attitude to forward craft.

And midfielders to adjust to losing rucks.

I don't suppose he would be any good as a forward coach? Does he know enough about Port and forward craft? Anyway he said he doesn't want to coach.
 
Cant help but imagine getting rid of Ladhams was a mistake. Going through our 2021 season stats hes really the main missing link between then and last year/now in terms of the squad.
 
Cant help but imagine getting rid of Ladhams was a mistake. Going through our 2021 season stats hes really the main missing link between then and last year/now in terms of the squad.
Yep, that will bite us in the arse big time for years. But how's the connection?!?
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Cant help but imagine getting rid of Ladhams was a mistake. Going through our 2021 season stats hes really the main missing link between then and last year/now in terms of the squad.

Getting rid of Ladhams in itself is not a mistake (he’s a decent player who will almost certainly never fulfill his promise thanks to his lackadaisical manner and for me commits the cardinal sin of being a ruckman who makes a good midfielder but below average ruck)



Getting rid of Ladhams for a packet of chips (after publicly stating you want a first rounder) then refusing to play and develop the young ruck left on the list is the mistake.



If we had gotten a good draft pick for Ladhams, and settled into backing in Hayes while lycett sailed into the sunset as a mentor at the magpies it would look like a genius move.

But instead we’re here.
 
Getting rid of Ladhams in itself is not a mistake (he’s a decent player who will almost certainly never fulfill his promise thanks to his lackadaisical manner)



Getting rid of Ladhams for a packet of chips (after publicly stating you want a first rounder) then refusing to play and develop the young ruck left on the list is the mistake.



If we had gotten a good draft pick for Ladhams, and settled into backing in Hayes while lycett sailed into the sunset as a mentor at the magpies it would look like a genius move.

But instead we’re here.
The hinkley era has a breathtaking list of getting opportunities and not taking advantage of them because the whole place has been ultra weird with regards to picking players for a structure that makes sense.

The only thing they weren't conservative with is trading, but most trades have not been ones to solve critical shortcomings in structure. They've had this weird thing about not picking for structure but rather what appears to be, almost at random with significant bias against certain players.
 
The hinkley era has a breathtaking list of getting opportunities and not taking advantage of them because the whole place has been ultra weird with regards to picking players for a structure that makes sense.

The only thing they weren't conservative with is trading, but most trades have not been ones to solve critical shortcomings in structure. They've had this weird thing about not picking for structure but rather what appears to be, almost at random with significant bias against certain players.
It's been in full blown 'high picks and moneyball' efforts and nothing inbetween for almost a decade.
 
Cant help but imagine getting rid of Ladhams was a mistake. Going through our 2021 season stats hes really the main missing link between then and last year/now in terms of the squad.
100%.

We literally drafted Teakle in hindsight because of it. Ladhams would be our starting ruck come round 1, that is undoubtable. He has gone past Lycett.
 
Ladhams sucks, stop acting like he was some top 10 ruck in the comp or something.
He very much doesn't 'suck' but crazily that means youre calling Lycett a top 10 ruckman? Just wow.

Get your hand off it. Moving Ladhams on has undoubtedly proven in hindsight to have been a bad call.
 
Ladhams was the one ruckman we actually put years of development time into. We played him in two prelims in a row. Then we got rid of him for nothing.

In reality, Finlayson has more or less replaced Ladhams and is a superior player. But gee, with Lycett slowing down it'd be nice to have a legitimate AFL ruckman with 50ish games to his name on the books.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Remove this Banner Ad

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top