Progressive Aggresion
All Australian
- Jan 30, 2022
- 712
- 1,924
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
I'm not a fan of allocating scores out of 10 or grading an an A-E scale so I'm only ranking players by three categories. Success, Pass or Fail.
I'm doing it for every player that played at least 1 AFL game this year, although I will also allocate a N/A to any players who I feel like can't fairly be judged.
1. Connor Rozee - FAIL
I was almost tempted to say pass as he was was definitely derailed a bit by his injury from earlier in the year, but then you also have to consider that he was one of the main people at fault for electing to play through that said injury. I won't deny that in the first 5 rounds of the season he looked like one of the competitions best players, but his defensive efforts and ability to stick tackles got pretty quickly exposed in the games we struggled in. And although his gather round performance and a handful of others were certainly captain worthy, another poor finals campaign wraps up an overall underwhelming year compared to his back-to-back AA seasons.
2. Sam Powell-Pepper - N/A
Only played 3 games after serving a suspension and looked underdone, but without a proper chance to shine and an ACL injury mid-way through his third game it's too harsh to say anything of his tiny season. Missed having him in the forward line as opposed to some of our other small forward pedestrians so I am hoping that he can come back to a career best season next year.
3. Ryan Burton - FAIL
Played the first half of the year until getting dropped to the SANFL through injury and a complete lack of defensive chase. His disposal quality was also a notable downgrade this year and while he wasn't Pittard or Bonner tier levels of sh!t he was also clearly inferior to what Houston and Farrell were providing. He did ok when trying to cover for them during the finals but ultimately not enough to show that he's a premiership quality defender.
4. Todd Marshall - FAIL
Obviously all my best wishes go out to him for a healthy recovery from his recurring and potentially career ending concussions, but let's be honest. Even before he got injured in the late stages of the year, he was still underperforming. Down 15 goals from last year and an even further 24 goals from his career best 2022 season. Not only was he averaging less goals but he was also having less impact up the ground and not able to utilize his field kicking to any major affect. Extremely disappointing considering the 5 year extension he recently obtained.
5. Dan Houston - SUCCESS
I'm gonna miss this guys if he does infact decide to depart. One of the best quality kicks in the competition. And while his early season days weren't quite as reputable he was still one of our most consistent players and was a major part of the reason that we won 8 of our last 9 games in regulation. His suspension should've been 1-2 weeks shorter and may have costed us a grand final although I doubt even he could've done too much to turn the tide in those QF & PF losses. 2 top 10 picks for him should be the absolute minimum!
6. Kane Farrell - SUCCESS
Improved his defensive craft and started to stick more tackles. His left foot kick is one of the best in the whole team and he would've been the ideal Houston replacement if not for his injury on the eve of finals. Will become even more crucial to our backline if Houston leaves.
7. Jase Burgoyne - SUCCESS
I was not expecting this guy to improve so much in the span of just 1 year. While his disposal efficiency is still something to work on, his intensity and pressure was a massive lift in 2024 and was arguably the only reason we didn't go out in straight sets. Hoping he can also add some extra kilos in the off season to become even more dangerous defensively.
8. Josh Sinn - PASS
He was never dropped on bad form, and only missed games for injury related reasons, still progressing much slower than we'd all like but he has still shown good composure and run that definitely belong at AFL level. If he can overcome the injury setbacks he can become an easy mainstay for us.
9. Zak Butters - PASS
Is only a pass too harsh for another AA season? I think Butters showed glimpses of his best in some early games this year as well as his showdown medal performance, but that middle portion of the year where he got tagged certainly showed that he was down from the heights of his previous year. That's obviously still a high bar to clear, and while his finals campaign was poor you could ponder the excuse of his bruised ribs holding him back. He wasn't a complete downgrade but certainly isn't one of the top 10 players in the comp anymore, hoping he can get back there next year.
10. Travis Boak - PASS
Yes, I KNOW that his skills are still an issue to this day and his Prelim was god awful, but I still think Boak had a better season than his 2023 campaign when you consider he managed to pretty much lock down a full time spot on the wing instead of having to be made the sub all the time. Duursma's departure created a new opportunity for him and I reckon for the most part he handled it well, always trying but just... never clean enough. I'm still giving him a pass for making good use of his new role.
11. Jeremy Finlayson - FAIL
Wasn't a starter in the preseason teams which was already concerning, and came back in the first few rounds with absolutely god awful goal accuracy even by Port standards. He then played one of his best career games in gather round before getting suspended for using a homophobic slur, which alongside the problems with Kellie are obviously taking a mental toll on him. Didn't do much for the side after coming back from suspension but looked somewhat lively in the SANFL. Eventually obtained a spleen injury and wasn't seen again for the rest of the year. I think he has the potential for some excellent versatility but just needs to be more skillful and get his mind in the right place for 2025.
13. Ivan Soldo - PASS
People forget that he was one of the best hitouts to advantage in the first 5 rounds of the year and was way better than Lycett at pitching up forward. Then his injury history resurfaced after round 6 and only played one more game for the year after that. It's such a shame because I liked the look of him until injury also seemed to affect his SANFL form and supposedly spat the dummy after Sweet became the new starter. Not sure if he will still be here in 2025.
14. Miles Bergman - SUCCESS
He started the year playing the majority of time on a wing where his disposal efficiency and speed couldn't quite live up to what we'd hoped, but after our defensive cards shuffled and he was made the 3rd tall in the backline again, he showed some pretty awesome form that remined me a bit of peak Tom Jonas but with more reliable marking skills. I reckon that needs to become his full time role from now on.
15. Willie Rioli - SUCCESS
It really hurt us in the middle of the year when he had extensive injury/personal concerns and you could even argue it costed us the top spot. We looked lost without him and while he's still had some quiet games, ESPECIALLY at the MCG, you can't deny that he is our most important small forward right now and the only one with the consistent class to really charge us.
16. Ollie Wines - PASS
Spent more time on ball this year, crazy right!? Still not anywhere near his Brownlow season quality but did plenty of the important in and under work that we needed to compliment the better ball users around him. One of his top 5 seasons in the AFL but probably not top 3. Not sure how many good seasons he has left in him at this stage.
18. Jason Horne-Francis - SUCCESS
Kicked 27 goals for the year as a midfielder and still showed strong craft playing as a 3rd tall. Had some excellent games and was one of only a handful of players to average 20+ a goal in every game. If not for Chad Warner he definitely would've fit in to the AA team. Still needs to improve his defensive running but the same could be said about the club captain. Should win the B&F and also get promoted to the leadership group.
19. Mitch Georgiades - SUCCESS
Coming straight off of an ACL and yet still produces a career best year. If not for missing 6 games through injury and suspension, he would've had a 50+ goal season. Reminds me a lot of those Mihocek & Fritsch type players who can play a the number 1 forward without being super tall. Hopefully a full preseason can take him into Coleman medal calculations in 2025.
21. Allir Allir - PASS
Played his role, but I thought he improved more as the regular season went on. I think when we played 3 tall defenders at the start of the year we tried to get him to peel off his man too much so he could intercept. After Esava moved forward I think Allir played much better as the number 1 tall and is continuing to improve his 1v1 battles. Still not quite at the heights of his AA season though.
22. Charlie Dixon - FAIL
I'll be fair and say that Marshall & Finlayson both had disappointing seasons too so Charlie isn't completely alone, but my god his entire presence really breaks down our forward entries and his positioning is just awful. While he managed to have a couple of serviceable games throughout the year, he ultimately only kicked 1 extra goal in 5 extra games compared to 2023, and despite losing weight and resting for enough games to avoid injury, he still navigates the ground poorly and can't shake off his opponent. It's not a physicality issue, Charlie is just a dumb footballer. Should be well and truly finished by now.
23. Dylan Williams - FAIL
What TF happened? He was one of our most calm and composed defenders last year, and for whatever reason (I presume injury) he moved around this year with what felt like cement legs and couldn't replicate even a fraction of his success this year. Yet another out of form player that if fully fit could've really helped with our finals campaign.
24. Jordan Sweet - SUCCESS
When I first saw this guy I thought that he was just a more match fit version of Sam Hayes and wouldn't be featuring in our best teams, but after Soldo's injury and a couple of rough games early in the year, he really started to shine and has become a really great pickup for us. I'd like to see him do more marking across the ground, but a full season next year should see him recognized as a top 5 ruckmen in the competition. An improvement over Lycett in every way.
25. Brandon Zerk-Thatcher - SUCCESS
I know his prelim was sub-par, but considering the fact that McKenzie and Clurey are both spent, it's nice to have another key defender with good pace and intensity. Yet another former bomber who's now played in a winning final without them. My biggest critique of BZT though is his decision making. He can still be really hasty and panic at the worst moments with his ball use in a way that can be costly, but you can't deny that his 1v1 ability and intensity if definitely there for a strong key defender. Him and Sweet were both successful pickups in my opinion.
27. Esava Ratugolea - FAIL
Oh boy, I just knew that Geelong were trolling us by demanding a high price for him, and they knew about his faults and we were unfortunately dumb enough to fall into their trap. I will say this. He held Larkey goalless earlier in the year and I thought that he looked ok as a defender when you exclude his stupid goal line shenanigans and costly lateral kicks, but once Tyson Goldsack realized that a 2 tall defensive system was better anyway, he was moved forward purely to cover injuries to Marshall and Finlayson. He had ONE good game against Carlton as a forward and that was it. In fairness his positioning was better than Dixons and he wouldn't often concede intercept marks to his direct opponent, but that was also largely because he couldn't lead into his own space and 6 goalless weeks in a row just isn't good enough. Maybe if we dedicate a full preseason into his forward craft he might turn out ok for us, but his first year with Port has without a doubt been a massive flop.
28. Willem Drew - PASS
Was solid again this year and wasn't afraid to play a bit more on the outside to let Wines get more minutes in the center, but overall I can't really say he took any major steps forward towards having a breakout year, and while some of his tagging jobs were notable I feel like overall he struggled to negate his opponents as vividly as last year. Need him to go to the next level next year so our midfield mix doesn't stagnate.
30. Ollie Lord - FAIL
Had a significant leg injury on the eve of the season which obviously set him back a fair bit, but if you can't put your hand up to replace the walking corpse of Charlie Dixon then you're not having a good season. 6 goals from 6 games but most of them from frees and little contested marking or backup ruck ability. Couldn't find form in the SANFL either.
31. Francis Evans - FAIL
As plain and vanilla as they come, which isn't always a bad thing if you can be consistent with it, but really shouldn't be getting games for a side that wants to win a flag. He's ok at everything but isn't above average at anything. Superior only to one other player on our list...
33. Darcy Byrne-Jones - PASS
Stood up at times this year to get some good run in goals including a match winner, and had an even bigger responsibility with SPP out of the side, but I still feel as though his ground pressure will always be superior to his arial game, hence why he should never play in the defensive half ever again.
34. Lachie Jones - PASS
Started the year with a case of butter fingers and panic, but his defensive closing speed and pressure kept him in the team over players like Williams and it eventually paid off. If he can get his injury setbacks right in the off season he could become a top 5 player for us, but needs to find some skills to match his defensive ability, can still go missing in games where the defense is stretched thin, but had enough good performances this year to warrant a pass.
36. Will Lorenz - N/A
Barely played 40 minutes worth of AFL time this year and started as sub twice. Nothing much to go off of.
38. Dante Visentini - SUCCESS
Success for a player who only had 3 games for the whole year seems like a stretch, but in my opinion Dante is shaping up as a really good backup ruck option and it's hard to believe he almost ended Rhys Stanleys whole career earlier in the season. He's still too raw to take the full mantle but has demonstrated some really good run down pressure and chemistry with the other mids. I've got full faith in the path he is on.
41. Jed McEntee - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The worst player on our list right now and slowly creeping into the conversation with Nathan Lonie and Simon Phillips as one of the worst ever AFL listed Port players. Only 2 good things he did for the club this entire year was tag Tom Stewart for half a game and then also tackle Karl Amon to spill the ball out for a DBJ match winner. And while you could argue that Narkle and Evans aren't that much better, at least those players knew how to prove some sort of form in a struggling SANFL team. McEntee literally gets rewarded games for training sessions and nothing else. No speed, no skill, and the myth about his pressure is something you can get with almost any other player on the list. And the worst part is he's still on a contract and could even have a 50+ game career.
42. Quinton Narkle - FAIL
The thing is I actually liked the look of Narkle a lot from last year. In 2023 he kicked at least 1 goal in every game he played for us and while his SANFL form was never much to write about I thought his skills were clean enough to warrant games. Did ok as a sub in a couple of games this year, but his skills started to stagnate and get worse. And during the finals he started to get more game time up the ground and I think that exposed his loopy kicking style and poor navigation a little bit. I don't think he gets many if any games next year.
43. Logan Evans - SUCCESS
Just awesome to see how quickly he could slot right in to AFL level football and continue to play well during our streak of momentum towards the end of the year. He still has plenty of ways to go with sustaining pressure at the elite level but still looks insanely promising for someone who was completely missed in the draft. Let's hope that unlike Williams he builds upon this year and can become a 200+ game player.
44. Jackson Mead - PASS
Improved off of last year by spending more time in the midfield where he looked a natural at times, but certainly struggled under additional pressure and is ultimately still a bottom 5 player in the main lineup. I'd like to see him add some kilos too, but it's really just a matter of whether or not his disposal can hold up in games against the top sides, as a few games this year showed that it's still a weakness for him.
I'm doing it for every player that played at least 1 AFL game this year, although I will also allocate a N/A to any players who I feel like can't fairly be judged.
1. Connor Rozee - FAIL
I was almost tempted to say pass as he was was definitely derailed a bit by his injury from earlier in the year, but then you also have to consider that he was one of the main people at fault for electing to play through that said injury. I won't deny that in the first 5 rounds of the season he looked like one of the competitions best players, but his defensive efforts and ability to stick tackles got pretty quickly exposed in the games we struggled in. And although his gather round performance and a handful of others were certainly captain worthy, another poor finals campaign wraps up an overall underwhelming year compared to his back-to-back AA seasons.
2. Sam Powell-Pepper - N/A
Only played 3 games after serving a suspension and looked underdone, but without a proper chance to shine and an ACL injury mid-way through his third game it's too harsh to say anything of his tiny season. Missed having him in the forward line as opposed to some of our other small forward pedestrians so I am hoping that he can come back to a career best season next year.
3. Ryan Burton - FAIL
Played the first half of the year until getting dropped to the SANFL through injury and a complete lack of defensive chase. His disposal quality was also a notable downgrade this year and while he wasn't Pittard or Bonner tier levels of sh!t he was also clearly inferior to what Houston and Farrell were providing. He did ok when trying to cover for them during the finals but ultimately not enough to show that he's a premiership quality defender.
4. Todd Marshall - FAIL
Obviously all my best wishes go out to him for a healthy recovery from his recurring and potentially career ending concussions, but let's be honest. Even before he got injured in the late stages of the year, he was still underperforming. Down 15 goals from last year and an even further 24 goals from his career best 2022 season. Not only was he averaging less goals but he was also having less impact up the ground and not able to utilize his field kicking to any major affect. Extremely disappointing considering the 5 year extension he recently obtained.
5. Dan Houston - SUCCESS
I'm gonna miss this guys if he does infact decide to depart. One of the best quality kicks in the competition. And while his early season days weren't quite as reputable he was still one of our most consistent players and was a major part of the reason that we won 8 of our last 9 games in regulation. His suspension should've been 1-2 weeks shorter and may have costed us a grand final although I doubt even he could've done too much to turn the tide in those QF & PF losses. 2 top 10 picks for him should be the absolute minimum!
6. Kane Farrell - SUCCESS
Improved his defensive craft and started to stick more tackles. His left foot kick is one of the best in the whole team and he would've been the ideal Houston replacement if not for his injury on the eve of finals. Will become even more crucial to our backline if Houston leaves.
7. Jase Burgoyne - SUCCESS
I was not expecting this guy to improve so much in the span of just 1 year. While his disposal efficiency is still something to work on, his intensity and pressure was a massive lift in 2024 and was arguably the only reason we didn't go out in straight sets. Hoping he can also add some extra kilos in the off season to become even more dangerous defensively.
8. Josh Sinn - PASS
He was never dropped on bad form, and only missed games for injury related reasons, still progressing much slower than we'd all like but he has still shown good composure and run that definitely belong at AFL level. If he can overcome the injury setbacks he can become an easy mainstay for us.
9. Zak Butters - PASS
Is only a pass too harsh for another AA season? I think Butters showed glimpses of his best in some early games this year as well as his showdown medal performance, but that middle portion of the year where he got tagged certainly showed that he was down from the heights of his previous year. That's obviously still a high bar to clear, and while his finals campaign was poor you could ponder the excuse of his bruised ribs holding him back. He wasn't a complete downgrade but certainly isn't one of the top 10 players in the comp anymore, hoping he can get back there next year.
10. Travis Boak - PASS
Yes, I KNOW that his skills are still an issue to this day and his Prelim was god awful, but I still think Boak had a better season than his 2023 campaign when you consider he managed to pretty much lock down a full time spot on the wing instead of having to be made the sub all the time. Duursma's departure created a new opportunity for him and I reckon for the most part he handled it well, always trying but just... never clean enough. I'm still giving him a pass for making good use of his new role.
11. Jeremy Finlayson - FAIL
Wasn't a starter in the preseason teams which was already concerning, and came back in the first few rounds with absolutely god awful goal accuracy even by Port standards. He then played one of his best career games in gather round before getting suspended for using a homophobic slur, which alongside the problems with Kellie are obviously taking a mental toll on him. Didn't do much for the side after coming back from suspension but looked somewhat lively in the SANFL. Eventually obtained a spleen injury and wasn't seen again for the rest of the year. I think he has the potential for some excellent versatility but just needs to be more skillful and get his mind in the right place for 2025.
13. Ivan Soldo - PASS
People forget that he was one of the best hitouts to advantage in the first 5 rounds of the year and was way better than Lycett at pitching up forward. Then his injury history resurfaced after round 6 and only played one more game for the year after that. It's such a shame because I liked the look of him until injury also seemed to affect his SANFL form and supposedly spat the dummy after Sweet became the new starter. Not sure if he will still be here in 2025.
14. Miles Bergman - SUCCESS
He started the year playing the majority of time on a wing where his disposal efficiency and speed couldn't quite live up to what we'd hoped, but after our defensive cards shuffled and he was made the 3rd tall in the backline again, he showed some pretty awesome form that remined me a bit of peak Tom Jonas but with more reliable marking skills. I reckon that needs to become his full time role from now on.
15. Willie Rioli - SUCCESS
It really hurt us in the middle of the year when he had extensive injury/personal concerns and you could even argue it costed us the top spot. We looked lost without him and while he's still had some quiet games, ESPECIALLY at the MCG, you can't deny that he is our most important small forward right now and the only one with the consistent class to really charge us.
16. Ollie Wines - PASS
Spent more time on ball this year, crazy right!? Still not anywhere near his Brownlow season quality but did plenty of the important in and under work that we needed to compliment the better ball users around him. One of his top 5 seasons in the AFL but probably not top 3. Not sure how many good seasons he has left in him at this stage.
18. Jason Horne-Francis - SUCCESS
Kicked 27 goals for the year as a midfielder and still showed strong craft playing as a 3rd tall. Had some excellent games and was one of only a handful of players to average 20+ a goal in every game. If not for Chad Warner he definitely would've fit in to the AA team. Still needs to improve his defensive running but the same could be said about the club captain. Should win the B&F and also get promoted to the leadership group.
19. Mitch Georgiades - SUCCESS
Coming straight off of an ACL and yet still produces a career best year. If not for missing 6 games through injury and suspension, he would've had a 50+ goal season. Reminds me a lot of those Mihocek & Fritsch type players who can play a the number 1 forward without being super tall. Hopefully a full preseason can take him into Coleman medal calculations in 2025.
21. Allir Allir - PASS
Played his role, but I thought he improved more as the regular season went on. I think when we played 3 tall defenders at the start of the year we tried to get him to peel off his man too much so he could intercept. After Esava moved forward I think Allir played much better as the number 1 tall and is continuing to improve his 1v1 battles. Still not quite at the heights of his AA season though.
22. Charlie Dixon - FAIL
I'll be fair and say that Marshall & Finlayson both had disappointing seasons too so Charlie isn't completely alone, but my god his entire presence really breaks down our forward entries and his positioning is just awful. While he managed to have a couple of serviceable games throughout the year, he ultimately only kicked 1 extra goal in 5 extra games compared to 2023, and despite losing weight and resting for enough games to avoid injury, he still navigates the ground poorly and can't shake off his opponent. It's not a physicality issue, Charlie is just a dumb footballer. Should be well and truly finished by now.
23. Dylan Williams - FAIL
What TF happened? He was one of our most calm and composed defenders last year, and for whatever reason (I presume injury) he moved around this year with what felt like cement legs and couldn't replicate even a fraction of his success this year. Yet another out of form player that if fully fit could've really helped with our finals campaign.
24. Jordan Sweet - SUCCESS
When I first saw this guy I thought that he was just a more match fit version of Sam Hayes and wouldn't be featuring in our best teams, but after Soldo's injury and a couple of rough games early in the year, he really started to shine and has become a really great pickup for us. I'd like to see him do more marking across the ground, but a full season next year should see him recognized as a top 5 ruckmen in the competition. An improvement over Lycett in every way.
25. Brandon Zerk-Thatcher - SUCCESS
I know his prelim was sub-par, but considering the fact that McKenzie and Clurey are both spent, it's nice to have another key defender with good pace and intensity. Yet another former bomber who's now played in a winning final without them. My biggest critique of BZT though is his decision making. He can still be really hasty and panic at the worst moments with his ball use in a way that can be costly, but you can't deny that his 1v1 ability and intensity if definitely there for a strong key defender. Him and Sweet were both successful pickups in my opinion.
27. Esava Ratugolea - FAIL
Oh boy, I just knew that Geelong were trolling us by demanding a high price for him, and they knew about his faults and we were unfortunately dumb enough to fall into their trap. I will say this. He held Larkey goalless earlier in the year and I thought that he looked ok as a defender when you exclude his stupid goal line shenanigans and costly lateral kicks, but once Tyson Goldsack realized that a 2 tall defensive system was better anyway, he was moved forward purely to cover injuries to Marshall and Finlayson. He had ONE good game against Carlton as a forward and that was it. In fairness his positioning was better than Dixons and he wouldn't often concede intercept marks to his direct opponent, but that was also largely because he couldn't lead into his own space and 6 goalless weeks in a row just isn't good enough. Maybe if we dedicate a full preseason into his forward craft he might turn out ok for us, but his first year with Port has without a doubt been a massive flop.
28. Willem Drew - PASS
Was solid again this year and wasn't afraid to play a bit more on the outside to let Wines get more minutes in the center, but overall I can't really say he took any major steps forward towards having a breakout year, and while some of his tagging jobs were notable I feel like overall he struggled to negate his opponents as vividly as last year. Need him to go to the next level next year so our midfield mix doesn't stagnate.
30. Ollie Lord - FAIL
Had a significant leg injury on the eve of the season which obviously set him back a fair bit, but if you can't put your hand up to replace the walking corpse of Charlie Dixon then you're not having a good season. 6 goals from 6 games but most of them from frees and little contested marking or backup ruck ability. Couldn't find form in the SANFL either.
31. Francis Evans - FAIL
As plain and vanilla as they come, which isn't always a bad thing if you can be consistent with it, but really shouldn't be getting games for a side that wants to win a flag. He's ok at everything but isn't above average at anything. Superior only to one other player on our list...
33. Darcy Byrne-Jones - PASS
Stood up at times this year to get some good run in goals including a match winner, and had an even bigger responsibility with SPP out of the side, but I still feel as though his ground pressure will always be superior to his arial game, hence why he should never play in the defensive half ever again.
34. Lachie Jones - PASS
Started the year with a case of butter fingers and panic, but his defensive closing speed and pressure kept him in the team over players like Williams and it eventually paid off. If he can get his injury setbacks right in the off season he could become a top 5 player for us, but needs to find some skills to match his defensive ability, can still go missing in games where the defense is stretched thin, but had enough good performances this year to warrant a pass.
36. Will Lorenz - N/A
Barely played 40 minutes worth of AFL time this year and started as sub twice. Nothing much to go off of.
38. Dante Visentini - SUCCESS
Success for a player who only had 3 games for the whole year seems like a stretch, but in my opinion Dante is shaping up as a really good backup ruck option and it's hard to believe he almost ended Rhys Stanleys whole career earlier in the season. He's still too raw to take the full mantle but has demonstrated some really good run down pressure and chemistry with the other mids. I've got full faith in the path he is on.
41. Jed McEntee - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The worst player on our list right now and slowly creeping into the conversation with Nathan Lonie and Simon Phillips as one of the worst ever AFL listed Port players. Only 2 good things he did for the club this entire year was tag Tom Stewart for half a game and then also tackle Karl Amon to spill the ball out for a DBJ match winner. And while you could argue that Narkle and Evans aren't that much better, at least those players knew how to prove some sort of form in a struggling SANFL team. McEntee literally gets rewarded games for training sessions and nothing else. No speed, no skill, and the myth about his pressure is something you can get with almost any other player on the list. And the worst part is he's still on a contract and could even have a 50+ game career.
42. Quinton Narkle - FAIL
The thing is I actually liked the look of Narkle a lot from last year. In 2023 he kicked at least 1 goal in every game he played for us and while his SANFL form was never much to write about I thought his skills were clean enough to warrant games. Did ok as a sub in a couple of games this year, but his skills started to stagnate and get worse. And during the finals he started to get more game time up the ground and I think that exposed his loopy kicking style and poor navigation a little bit. I don't think he gets many if any games next year.
43. Logan Evans - SUCCESS
Just awesome to see how quickly he could slot right in to AFL level football and continue to play well during our streak of momentum towards the end of the year. He still has plenty of ways to go with sustaining pressure at the elite level but still looks insanely promising for someone who was completely missed in the draft. Let's hope that unlike Williams he builds upon this year and can become a 200+ game player.
44. Jackson Mead - PASS
Improved off of last year by spending more time in the midfield where he looked a natural at times, but certainly struggled under additional pressure and is ultimately still a bottom 5 player in the main lineup. I'd like to see him add some kilos too, but it's really just a matter of whether or not his disposal can hold up in games against the top sides, as a few games this year showed that it's still a weakness for him.
