Opinion 2024 Player Reviews. Success, Pass or Fail?

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TOP 5 DISAPPOINTING PORT ADELAIDE POWER STORIES 2024

CONNOR ROZEE

Everything was right in the world for Connor Rozee. He was coming into 2024 as one of the elite midfielder of the competition with two AA seasons in the previous years. He had just inked a huge and long contract with the club, became the captain of the Power and his partner gave birth to a baby girl.

But I think it is safe to say that Rozee has had an underwhelming year by his standards. The stats are pretty much there but he's had a bit of a dip in form and also had to play on an injured ankle at the behest of his coach over the medical staff. Since then his form hasn't been as strong and Rozee has played on injuries before and lost form in the process. Recently in finals I feel he has picked up form.

With the captaincy problem of Jonas in the back mirror, the Port fans were keen for a changing of the guard with the young bucks taking leadership roles. Rozee, along with vice-captain, Butters with Powell-Pepper, Drew and Houston formed the new young, core of leadership to move the Power forward.

Once again, it is safe to say that the leadership of Rozee has been underwhelming. He is young in the role and sometimes these things take time.

I want to say that Rozee has been good this year but just not at that elite level we are use to. I think Rozee will come back with a vengeance in 2025 and get back to close to AA form and grow as a leader.

JEREMY FINLAYSON

With the ongoing sage of his partner's health problems, we all feel for Finny. To start the year, Jeremy kicked some goals albeit usually back of the pack stuff and played second ruck in a perfunctory manner. His early season form was OK but you were looking around for something else.

Then the "bundle of sticks" thing happened and it pretty much derailed the rest of his year. He came back after suspension and his form was down but eventually Finlayson injured his spleen and was out for the season.

I wish Jeremy and his partner much health. Hopefully he turn around his form in 2025.

CHARLIE DIXON

Banged up throughout the 2023 campaign, Dixon fumbled throughout the preseason and struggled mightily throughout 2024 with his physical body and football form.

Losing his one wood in contested marking, his direct opponent running off him at will and Charlie struggling to impact contests and recover, it was obvious that Dixon's body was cooked like a Sunday roast. To his credit, he worked through it and did his best but by the end of the year, it was hard watching him play.

Related to this is the injury and poor form of his supposed successor, Ollie Lord. If the young lad took his chance and kicked some goals and second rucked well enough, we might not be having this conversation.

A tough watch from a maligned player who gave his all or 2 cents depending on how you see it but probably should've hung up the boots and put them on the front mirror of his Monaro a while back.

TODD MARSHALL

Marshall started the year as the second banana in the forward line and with an ageing star in Dixon, everyone was hoping that Todd would start a process of becoming our number one forward with his creativity, foot skills and good mark on the lead.

With Todd's form down on previous years, the sceptre of injury related to brain injury began to rear its ugly head and towards the end of the year even innocuous contests gave Marshall real problems and put him immediately into concussion protocols.

With health being more important than football, the footballing future of Todd Marshall remains uncertain.

JED MCENTEE

I'm not going to spend a lot of time here because we all know it.

McEntee came into 2024 as the whipping boy of the Port Adelaide Football Club and with good reason because his form had been average at best.

Apart from a spirited showing against Tom Mitchell, McEntee's form continued to descend to the point of becoming a real problem for the team.

In his 14 games this year, Jed averaged just over 7 possessions, half a goal and a player rating of 3.78.

I hope he turns it around in 2025.
 

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HHHAMMERtime said:
Boak is purely living off the good will of our supporters these days. He hasn’t been up to it since he came second in the Brownlow and the season after was a MASSIVE drop off. Anyone who says he should still be here next year/ is a starting 22 player has rose coloured glasses on. I loved the guy for so long but he is so unbelievably bad now. Only gets touches because he’s been put on a wing where he gets touches. Regularly burns it and is just slow these days. Thanks for your service mate but time to respect yourself and retire and go play in Torquay like you always wanted post afl career.
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Boak finished second in the Brownlow in 2020.

That MASSIVE drop off, saw him finish 7th in the Brownlow in 2021. You know, the year when he was the clubs second highest vote getter behind the winner Ollie Wines.

I mean if that's your judgement of a massive drop off, maybe your attempt at judging his 2024 is just as badly off.
 
Rozee started the year brilliantly this year. Was in everything as a mid in our early games and kicked a lot of goals. Obviously the injury and trying to play through it de railed his season a bit. It was 6 weeks before he played again and another couple before he was properly effective. It’s flavour of the month to rag on him at the moment and people are picking apart everything from his tackling to comments in the media, but he was good for the majority when he played, and will only get better again as he learns how to handle being the youngest captain in the league.

Personally I would have given it another couple of years and had wines as captain but that decision has been made and I think he will grow into it.
 
Duckimus Prime said:
Boak finished second in the Brownlow in 2020.

That MASSIVE drop off, saw him finish 7th in the Brownlow in 2021. You know, the year when he was the clubs second highest vote getter behind the winner Ollie Wines.

I mean if that's your judgement of a massive drop off, maybe your attempt at judging his 2024 is just as badly off.
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I meant 2022 so my apologies. You can’t actually think he’s had a good year this year though? Surely?
 
HHHAMMERtime said:
I meant 2022 so my apologies. You can’t actually think he’s had a good year this year though? Surely?
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He definitely didn’t have a good year compared to the high standard that he set at his peak, but his performance would still have been above whatever combination of depth players we could have put out there to replace him. I think he goes around again, with the knowledge that he isn’t guaranteed best 22. Can still offer leadership in droves in terms of training and preparation standards and a would be a very good hard running sub option.
 
I disagree with a couple. DBJ definite success, 28 goals and leading the comp in score involvements/assists. Also McEntee who probably played to his max ability. Problem is he is just not that good, not his fault he is Ken's favourite.
 
Brian McGee said:
Rozee started the year brilliantly this year. Was in everything as a mid in our early games and kicked a lot of goals. Obviously the injury and trying to play through it de railed his season a bit. It was 6 weeks before he played again and another couple before he was properly effective. It’s flavour of the month to rag on him at the moment and people are picking apart everything from his tackling to comments in the media, but he was good for the majority when he played, and will only get better again as he learns how to handle being the youngest captain in the league.

Personally I would have given it another couple of years and had wines as captain but that decision has been made and I think he will grow into it.
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If he wasn't the captain I probably could've said his season was still a pass, but as a captain he needed to set a better defensive standard by sticking more tackles and although he certainly still had around 5-6 excellent performances , his collective inconsistency was plain to see and his forward firepower was also a bit lacking compared to previous years. JHF has now surpassed him as a scoring midfielder.

I back him to be the captain again next year (Which I know is a controversial opinion) but compared to something like Boak's first year as captain I can't really say that Rozee has set a high bar to build upon.
 
Progressive Aggresion said:
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.
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Farrell is a PASS, not a success.

Sinn is a FAIL not a pass, another year disturbed by injury, and only managed a few games.

Soldo is a FAIL, not a pass. He failed to get out there and in hindsight is probably not a trade we should've done.

Bergman is a PASS not Success. He failed on a wing, a large chunk of the year he was a non-factor on the verge of dropping. He was moved back where he always should have been and played well, but not enough to outdo everything that had happened in the other half of the year.

DBJ probably stiff not to be a SUCCESS, he's been quite effective. Certainly won't/shouldn't be playing back ever again.

Lorenz is a SUCCESS, not a pass. He came in as pick 57, our 3rd pick, and has proved the best of our draftees by a long way. Should be ready for AFL next year straight up.

Visentini is a PASS, not a success. His year started really poorly. He improved and started to show what we expected from his development, but in no way shape or form could his year be considered a clear success.

Narkle is a hard one to judge, he's a depth player and he worked his way into the team and held the spot. That alone is probably a PASS based on expectations. Doesn't mean he isn't someone we expect to upgrade at the first available moment.


Rest I agree with.
 
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Progressive Aggresion said:
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.
Click to expand...
Good summary. I'd probably upgrade Rozee to a pass but otherwise I think I'd rate about the same
 

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Progressive Aggresion said:
You mean to tell me our most effective kick and accurate ball user besides Houston is only a pass?
Click to expand...
100%. His year was ok. For it to be a success it needs to be really good or really improved, it wasn't, and when it mattered he was injured. His season is a pass, nothing more.
 
melanChronic said:
I think DBJ can be seen as a success. 28 goals shows he can definitely play the role.
Click to expand...

I agree and a forward line of Rioli, SPP and DBJ is tricky and dangerous IMO. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to develop young er players but it’s a good base range.

Mitch, Lord have to be the two talls

As for L Jones. He’s a pass, he’s making good progress, hands getting better, he will be a weapon.
 
Soldo a pass at best, Marshall an N/A with all his injury issues (not just concussion) this year.

The big one is Boak is definitely a FAIL. Look, as far as setting as an example of how to prepare your body, he's A+, but he's scarred from the 2007 GF IMO. He's afraid of finals success taking us to another one, even if it's sub-conscious. The 'unofficial 'still' Captain' paired with 'Finals are scary' as the coach is about as toxic an environment for finals success as you could get. I'd be happy for him to join the fitness staff and nominate 3 or 4 players to take across to the US each pre-season, but should have retired 2 or 3 years ago. If him (and/or god forbid Dixon) are still on the list next year, anyone still forking out money for memberships should just save time and pay a dominatrix to knee them in the groin.
 
When your scale rates Ivan Soldo as having had a better season than Zac Butters, it's probably not a very good scale.
 
Progressive Aggresion said:
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.
Click to expand...
NFI
 
FishingRick04 said:
I agree and a forward line of Rioli, SPP and DBJ is tricky and dangerous IMO. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to develop young er players but it’s a good base range.

Mitch, Lord have to be the two talls

As for L Jones. He’s a pass, he’s making good progress, hands getting better, he will be a weapon.
Click to expand...

At this stage Ollie Lord has a big question mark alongside his name . He simply does not impose himself on the game. A 197cm key forward he averages just 2.4 marks and 1.1 goals across 19 games. Ollie will be 23 at the start of 2025, he has two more years under contract and will need to lift enormously.

In the 2023 Qualifying Final Ollie booted 4.1 but in seven games since he has booted just 7 goals. We cannot blame it all on Hinkley's game plan as a players have to adapt. If Ollie can do it once under the dysfunctional Hinkley game plan why can't he do it more often? I will be the first to admit that the bomb it in high game plan does not help but Ollie goes missing as he doesn't even get under the bombs and make the contest.

The bottom line is Dixon is finished, Marshall has a huge question mark over his future, Ratagolea is at best a stop gap so we need another tall to pair with Georgiades is that player Ollie Lord? I hope so but I am not convinced. Signing a ready made tall forward over the trade period has to be a priority.
 
Schulzenfest said:
When your scale rates Ivan Soldo as having had a better season than Zac Butters, it's probably not a very good scale.
Click to expand...
Not sure what you're smoking. I gave both of them a pass. That doesn't mean Soldo's season was better at all so not sure what gave you that impression.
Soldo played well in the first 5 games he had without injury. He sucked as a forward in round 6 and was obviously carrying injury against TDK later in the year but his actual peak quality showed he COULD have been a success if not for injury. Disappointing he's already giving up on the club after 1 year.

Butters is clearly a better player in every way, but on the lofty expectations that he set last year I'd say he was ever so slightly off. If he didn't struggle with the tags he got throughout the year i would've called him a clear runaway success.
 

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Opinion 2024 Player Reviews. Success, Pass or Fail?

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