Roast Club Propaganda & Media Censoring

[PatientMental]

I’m not going to defend the Hawthorn loss. That was utter trash. A completely insipid defensive effort.

But the Adelaide loss was a product of the exploitation of not having an experienced player to lead the forward line + not having a recognised interceptor that would force Adelaide into a more indirect style of play. You often tell me that our system is bomb it long to Dixon and he either marks the ball or brings it to ground for our smalls. Yet against Adelaide, Marshall kicked 5 goals, Mayes kicked 2.3, Georgiades kicked 2.1 and Motlop, Lycett, Drew and Frederick kicked a goal a piece. We completely dominated the number of scoring shots against them. It was only in the last quarter that Nicks directly exploited the lack of both experience and contested marking ability in the forward line by ramping up the pressure around the ball carrier and forcing our players to kick long. Marshall and Georgiades needed to understand what was happening and play in front of their man. In previous years when Dixon was missing, we had experienced players like Westhoff who knew what was required to make it work.

A premiership team has multiple avenues to goal. Losing Dixon removes one of those avenues and puts pressure on the others to produce while at the same time moving the opposition defenders into completely different positions to counter it more effectively thanks to Charlie not being there. The equivalent of a two goal swing - but probably worth 3-4 goals. If you’re objective you’ll accept this.

Let’s put it this way. Do you believe that if Tredrea and Chad Cornes had been out for the season instead of Primus and Francou, we win the flag? Cause I don’t.

We haven't won a game.

A game

One.

We're a month in.

We are the furthest away from a flag than we ever have been

 

[Schulzenfest]

Let’s put it this way. Do you believe that if Tredrea and Chad Cornes had been out for the season instead of Primus and Francou, we win the flag? Cause I don’t.

Do you believe that Dixon and Aliir are remotely comparable to peak Tredrea and peak Chad Cornes? Because I don't.

 

[TeeKray]

We wouldn't have won the flag if Tredrea and Cornes were out for the season but we sure as shit wouldn't have finished last. Wake up man.

 

[manureid]

Damn you Aliir and Dixon. If you had not been injured the last 10 years Hinkley would have those 3 flags or more. They should be made to apologise to him.

 

[PatientMental]

We've had almost all of the preseason to prepare for no dixon.

And we didn't.

There's literally no excuse for them just sticking to the old game plan

 

[Janus]

We wouldn't have won the flag if Tredrea and Cornes were out for the season but we sure as shit wouldn't have finished last. Wake up man.

In 2000, we were in last place in R12, with 6 points. The following players played in the loss against the Kangaroos:

Scott Bassett
Matthew Bishop
Shane Bond
Peter Burgoyne
Josh Carr
Chad Cornes
Fabian Francis
Josh Francou
Brett Guerra
Roger James
Adam Kingsley
Bowen Lockwood
Brayden Lyle
Darren Mead
Brett Montgomery
Stephen Paxman
Jared Poulton
Matthew Primus
Jarrad Schofield
Nick Stevens
Warren Tredrea
Michael Wilson

That's 10 of our premiership 22 + Primus and Francou that was in last place halfway through the season. Shit happens.

 

[Duck Farmer]

Shit happens ...

... to be the coach of the PAFC.

 

[bomberclifford]

"Yea but when those players were younger and not as good we were last"

**** me.

 

[Harlott]

We exist. Shit happens.

 

[tribey]

In 2000, we were in last place in R12, with 6 points. The following players played in the loss against the Kangaroos:

Scott Bassett
Matthew Bishop
Shane Bond
Peter Burgoyne
Josh Carr
Chad Cornes
Fabian Francis
Josh Francou
Brett Guerra
Roger James
Adam Kingsley
Bowen Lockwood
Brayden Lyle
Darren Mead
Brett Montgomery
Stephen Paxman
Jared Poulton
Matthew Primus
Jarrad Schofield
Nick Stevens
Warren Tredrea
Michael Wilson

That's 10 of our premiership 22 + Primus and Francou that was in last place halfway through the season. Shit happens.

I can’t imagine why.

 

[malcheski]

In 2000, we were in last place in R12, with 6 points. The following players played in the loss against the Kangaroos:

Scott Bassett
Matthew Bishop
Shane Bond
Peter Burgoyne
Josh Carr
Chad Cornes
Fabian Francis
Josh Francou
Brett Guerra
Roger James
Adam Kingsley
Bowen Lockwood
Brayden Lyle
Darren Mead
Brett Montgomery
Stephen Paxman
Jared Poulton
Matthew Primus
Jarrad Schofield
Nick Stevens
Warren Tredrea
Michael Wilson

That's 10 of our premiership 22 + Primus and Francou that was in last place halfway through the season. Shit happens.

View attachment 1372328

I can’t imagine why.

Yeh but shit happens mate

 

[Mutha F]

It's pretty sad when you realise we are now the soft club in Adelaide

When the cows shit the bed, it takes ricciuto about 2 seconds to come out and go whack. Sure a few SJWs from the Melbourne media give him a hard time about it.

But us. Oh our supporters are so mean. Why don't they love Ken, he has been so winningest. Even our players are sooking at us

How the **** did it come to this

 

[Janus]

So age/experience is an excuse, but injuries aren't?

Got it

 

[Tibbs]

So age/experience is an excuse, but injuries aren't?

Got it

Injuries can impact, but puting Mayes in as full-forward effectively loses us the Melbourne game before it even started!

Mind-bogglingly stupid!

 

[GremioPower]

Let's analyse Rucci's latest propaganda piece ...

Port Adelaide is 0-4. Add two opening losses in the SANFL and it is far from the start imagined internally or externally during the summer that was tracking well ...until late January when key forward Charlie Dixon tore ligaments in his left ankle after landing awkwardly on a team-mate at training.

Thinly veiled excuse #1 - Charlie Dixon is out injured, everything would've been going great if that didn't happen.

Talkback radio after Port Adelaide losses is loaded with very edgy calls from genuine fans ... and a few unvetted opportunists. Those who are the real deal in teal are gripped by frustration. Their want to vent with reasoned views (rather than uncontrolled rage) on a public forum - which now extends to social media, blog sites and forums - is actually an encouraging sign: It shows they care.

Cheap shot at fans #1 - the use of the term "real deal in teal" in a clear attempt to antagonise the traditional part of the supporter base, who also happen to be those with high expectations.

Cheap shot at fans #2 - anyone who criticises the club on social media, blog sites or forums is implied to be not a real fan.

The day the switchboards go silent for post-game talkback is the day to be genuinely concerned ... as the Port Adelaide Football Club was in that so-called "dark chapter" era of 2010-2012 when the team's on-field woes was overshadowed by off-field crises around debt, the future of the club's AFL licence and the battle to get away from Football Park to "return home" to a remodelled Adelaide Oval. It is a different Port Adelaide Football Club today.

Disingenuous parallel to a tiny 2 year period in the club's 152 year history - implication is that because the club isn't literally dying we should be happy no matter what is being served up on the field.

"We know they are a really strong footy club," said Melbourne premiership coach Simon Goodwin on Thursday night at Adelaide Oval. The former Adelaide captain finished his playing career in 2010 when starkly contrasting views were building on the Port Adelaide Football Club.

Use of a disingenuous comment from an opposition coach to support his absurd argument that a club that sits 18th on the ladder is strong - what the hell else is an opposition coach going to say?

In contrast to 2010-2012, there is a fully funded football program at Alberton, albeit working to the challenges and cutbacks imposed across the league by the COVID pandemic.

Flat out lie - how can our football department be considered 'fully funded' when multiple key members of the football department departed at the end of last season and were replaced by nobody?

Emotional scars from the home preliminary final loss to the Western Bulldogs last year? There might be something in that - and not just for Port Adelaide. The Western Bulldogs are 1-3, have the goalkicking yips (with a 40.53 count to match Port Adelaide's 34.49) ... and might have scars from being overwhelmed by Melbourne in last year's AFL grand final in Perth.

Bizarre attempt to equate the mental scarring from our preliminary final loss to the Bulldogs' grand final loss in the context of both teams starting the season poorly - despite spending the entire article to this point telling us we're jumping at shadows and everything is going great.

Injuries. "They do have some key personnel out at the moment," noted Goodwin on Thursday night when Port Adelaide was without Dixon, experienced midfielder-forward Robbie Gray, Essendon recruit Orazio Fantasia and All-Australian defender Aliir Aliir. There is that fine line between "reasons" and "excuses" when a team points to its injury list. Some players are tougher to replace than others, regardless of the progress of a "squad mentality" for depth on a locked player list controlled by a salary cap.

Thinly veiled excuse #2 - but wait, it's not just Dixon injured, it's others too!

The list. Port Adelaide's strategy to develop the league best under-24 squad presents great opportunity to Xavier Duursma, Connor Rozee, Zak Butters, Lachie Jones, Jackson Mead, Willem Drew, Miles Bergman, Jed McEntee, Georgiades ... Fast-tracking their development and their ability to live up to expectation is the challenge for the football program. And unlike the 2010-2012 chapter, there is a greater prospect of success.

Diversion attempt - talk about the kids ... so despite this team having made back to back preliminary finals, it's not about now, it's about the future (how convenient).

Totally unfounded comment at the end - there is no evidence to suggest that the young players now have a greater prospect of success than the young players back then (who by the way, got within 3 points of dynasty Hawthorn in a preliminary final).

Hinkley arrived at Alberton - while many others refused to look up the suburb on their electronic street directories - vowing (before he even knew the qualities of his players) that Port Adelaide would "never, ever give up!"

Hodor Hinkley reference - nobody wanted to coach Port, Ken came and saved the day, you'll be back there in no time if you sack him!

At 0-4 the external script is "Port Adelaide is done". North Melbourne made a 0-4 start in 1975 and won the VFL premiership - the club's first - after finishing the home-and-away series at 14-8 in an era of just five finalists. Sydney rebounded from 0-6 in 2017 to finish the top-eight qualifiers at 14-8 and played two finals, losing to Geelong in the AFL semi-finals.

Straw clutch - one team, one, nearly half a century ago, won a premiership from 0-4 so we're every chance still ... oh and when we get to 0-6 in two weeks time, I'll still be running the Sydney Swans 2017 line on you.

You have given me an idea. Brb!

 

[rocket18]

Apparently in BigFooty fantasy land, injuries to 2020 All Australian selected key forward and three time leading goal kicker for the club, and a 2021 All Australian selected key defender are listed as 'excuses', not reasons.

I remember years ago when it was "Just wait till we get Ryder back next year" then it was "our players need to stop deliberately hand balling to the feet of their team mates".

And didn't you blame the crowd at Adelaide Oval for poor on field performances?

C'mon man he's had 10 years, even I'm getting annoyed with him!

 

[GremioPower]

Apparently in BigFooty fantasy land, injuries to 2020 All Australian selected key forward and three time leading goal kicker for the club, and a 2021 All Australian selected key defender are listed as 'excuses', not reasons.

Janus, mate, I really like you. I enjoy your posts. I’ve learned, and still do, a lot from you. Now, I would like to stress that many people here are NOT ignoring the injuries we have. The point is precisely how we are dealing with them.

If we were 0-4, but showing signs that the team has any idea of what they are doing on the field, we would still be upset. However, we wouldn’t be up on arms.

One example: can you tell me why, of all people, we picked SAM MAYES to replace Charlie Dixon against Melbourne?

 

[Spadge]

One example: can you tell me why, of all people, we picked SAM MAYES to replace Charlie Dixon against Melbourne?

Maybe he thought he picked SAM HAYES and got the wrong Sam by mistake?

 

[Janus]

Janus, mate, I really like you. I enjoy your posts. I’ve learned, and still do, a lot from you. Now, I would like to stress that many people here are NOT ignoring the injuries we have. The point is precisely how we are dealing with them.

If we were 0-4, but showing signs that the team has any idea of what they are doing on the field, we would still be upset. However, we wouldn’t be up on arms.

One example: can you tell me why, of all people, we picked SAM MAYES to replace Charlie Dixon against Melbourne?

Mayes isn't replacing Dixon. He's replacing Gray as the deep forward. Against Adelaide he kicked 2.3 and should have had 3.2 or better.

You can't replace Dixon and what he brings to the team with any of the players on our list. It's like telling Richmond to replace Dustin Martin - no matter what you do, his absence is going to change the style of play and more importantly the options the team has. We tried grooming Dougal Howard for that replacement role once we figured out he couldn't really cut it as a key defender but he decided he wanted to slack off so we traded him.

The tall options we have to 'replace' Dixon are as follows:

• Sam Hayes - never played a game at AFL level. Could possibly clunk marks and kick goals, but there are question marks about his fitness and opposition players will probably run off him. Would give Lycett a chop out, but is probably going to be a defensive liability
• Dante Visentini - aggressive and likes to throw his weight around, but is only a first year player. Hasn't proven he has the fitness to keep presenting and contesting again and again
• Ollie Lord - showing some promising signs. Is that enough to warrant actually playing him over players who can provide the defensive pressure that we were sorely missing against Hawthorn? I wouldn't think so
• Jeremy Finlayson - not really like for like, but at least he has experience in an AFL forward line. However, when we played him at the start of the year, he was pretty hopeless in his defensive actions and locking the ball inside 50

It's exactly the same argument I've had with countless people on why we would pick guys like Sam Gray and Jake Neade - it was never that those players were good, but rather, you knew that their selection wasn't going to **** up our defensive structure. Case in point - last year we 6th for goals scored (11.8 per game) and 2nd for least opponent goals scored (9.3 per game). This year we are 18th for goals scored (8.5 per game) and 16th for least opponent goals scored (13.8 per game). That's a swing of 3.3 goals in attack and 4.5 goals in defence...coming from a reduction in marks inside 50 for us (11.6 per game in 2021 compared to 7 per game in 2022) and an increase in marks inside 50 for our opponents (9.3 per game in 2021 compared to 11 per game in 2022).

3.3 to 4.5 - which problem would you solve first? Naturally, you'd solve the goal conceded first because 4.5 is higher than 3.3, especially if you believe that your attack is generated from your defence.

The forward line is rubbish. No one denies that. But our defensive structures have also been rubbish, and that is something we've prided ourselves on for awhile. We need to get our defence in order first, and then we can start addressing the forward structure.

 

[El_Scorcho]

Let’s put it this way. Do you believe that if Tredrea and Chad Cornes had been out for the season instead of Primus and Francou, we win the flag? Cause I don’t.

Come on man, we're dead last at 0-4 after having lost to a couple of very bad rebuilding sides. Without Tredrea and Cornes in 2004, we'd still have ruthlessly mauled bottom 4 sides and I don't think we'd have gone 0-4 if we'd played the next 4 best sides in the league in those games.

Dixon and Aliir are great, but they aren't the difference between first and last. Hell, Aliir wasn't even on our list in 2020 when we finished top.

 

[El_Scorcho]

Mayes isn't replacing Dixon. He's replacing Gray as the deep forward. Against Adelaide he kicked 2.3 and should have had 3.2 or better.

You can't replace Dixon and what he brings to the team with any of the players on our list. It's like telling Richmond to replace Dustin Martin - no matter what you do, his absence is going to change the style of play and more importantly the options the team has. We tried grooming Dougal Howard for that replacement role once we figured out he couldn't really cut it as a key defender but he decided he wanted to slack off so we traded him.

The tall options we have to 'replace' Dixon are as follows:

• Sam Hayes - never played a game at AFL level. Could possibly clunk marks and kick goals, but there are question marks about his fitness and opposition players will probably run off him. Would give Lycett a chop out, but is probably going to be a defensive liability
• Dante Visentini - aggressive and likes to throw his weight around, but is only a first year player. Hasn't proven he has the fitness to keep presenting and contesting again and again
• Ollie Lord - showing some promising signs. Is that enough to warrant actually playing him over players who can provide the defensive pressure that we were sorely missing against Hawthorn? I wouldn't think so
• Jeremy Finlayson - not really like for like, but at least he has experience in an AFL forward line. However, when we played him at the start of the year, he was pretty hopeless in his defensive actions and locking the ball inside 50

It's exactly the same argument I've had with countless people on why we would pick guys like Sam Gray and Jake Neade - it was never that those players were good, but rather, you knew that their selection wasn't going to fu** up our defensive structure. Case in point - last year we 6th for goals scored (11.8 per game) and 2nd for least opponent goals scored (9.3 per game). This year we are 18th for goals scored (8.5 per game) and 16th for least opponent goals scored (13.8 per game). That's a swing of 3.3 goals in attack and 4.5 goals in defence...coming from a reduction in marks inside 50 for us (11.6 per game in 2021 compared to 7 per game in 2022) and an increase in marks inside 50 for our opponents (9.3 per game in 2021 compared to 11 per game in 2022).

3.3 to 4.5 - which problem would you solve first? Naturally, you'd solve the goal conceded first because 4.5 is higher than 3.3, especially if you believe that your attack is generated from your defence.

The forward line is rubbish. No one denies that. But our defensive structures have also been rubbish, and that is something we've prided ourselves on for awhile. We need to get our defence in order first, and then we can start addressing the forward structure.

History has shown that you were wrong about our short forward lines. When we started committing to picking taller forward lines in 2020, we got better at attacking and defending.

Even despite our moronic bomb it to Charlie strategy, teams weren't able to simply intercept mark their way to victory against us as they'd done for half a decade.

If your coach has a strategy that relies so heavily on the fitness of an injury prone 31yo that losing him for a few weeks causes the entire gameplan to implode, what you have there is a bad coach.

 

[Saltiga]

I’m not going to defend the Hawthorn loss. That was utter trash. A completely insipid defensive effort.

But the Adelaide loss was a product of the exploitation of not having an experienced player to lead the forward line + not having a recognised interceptor that would force Adelaide into a more indirect style of play. You often tell me that our system is bomb it long to Dixon and he either marks the ball or brings it to ground for our smalls. Yet against Adelaide, Marshall kicked 5 goals, Mayes kicked 2.3, Georgiades kicked 2.1 and Motlop, Lycett, Drew and Frederick kicked a goal a piece. We completely dominated the number of scoring shots against them. It was only in the last quarter that Nicks directly exploited the lack of both experience and contested marking ability in the forward line by ramping up the pressure around the ball carrier and forcing our players to kick long. Marshall and Georgiades needed to understand what was happening and play in front of their man. In previous years when Dixon was missing, we had experienced players like Westhoff who knew what was required to make it work.

A premiership team has multiple avenues to goal. Losing Dixon removes one of those avenues and puts pressure on the others to produce while at the same time moving the opposition defenders into completely different positions to counter it more effectively thanks to Charlie not being there. The equivalent of a two goal swing - but probably worth 3-4 goals. If you’re objective you’ll accept this.

Let’s put it this way. Do you believe that if Tredrea and Chad Cornes had been out for the season instead of Primus and Francou, we win the flag? Cause I don’t.

Regardless, Ken has to go.

 

[Enviable Tradition]

Mayes isn't replacing Dixon. He's replacing Gray as the deep forward. Against Adelaide he kicked 2.3 and should have had 3.2 or better.

You can't replace Dixon and what he brings to the team with any of the players on our list. It's like telling Richmond to replace Dustin Martin - no matter what you do, his absence is going to change the style of play and more importantly the options the team has. We tried grooming Dougal Howard for that replacement role once we figured out he couldn't really cut it as a key defender but he decided he wanted to slack off so we traded him.

The tall options we have to 'replace' Dixon are as follows:

• Sam Hayes - never played a game at AFL level. Could possibly clunk marks and kick goals, but there are question marks about his fitness and opposition players will probably run off him. Would give Lycett a chop out, but is probably going to be a defensive liability
• Dante Visentini - aggressive and likes to throw his weight around, but is only a first year player. Hasn't proven he has the fitness to keep presenting and contesting again and again
• Ollie Lord - showing some promising signs. Is that enough to warrant actually playing him over players who can provide the defensive pressure that we were sorely missing against Hawthorn? I wouldn't think so
• Jeremy Finlayson - not really like for like, but at least he has experience in an AFL forward line. However, when we played him at the start of the year, he was pretty hopeless in his defensive actions and locking the ball inside 50

It's exactly the same argument I've had with countless people on why we would pick guys like Sam Gray and Jake Neade - it was never that those players were good, but rather, you knew that their selection wasn't going to fu** up our defensive structure. Case in point - last year we 6th for goals scored (11.8 per game) and 2nd for least opponent goals scored (9.3 per game). This year we are 18th for goals scored (8.5 per game) and 16th for least opponent goals scored (13.8 per game). That's a swing of 3.3 goals in attack and 4.5 goals in defence...coming from a reduction in marks inside 50 for us (11.6 per game in 2021 compared to 7 per game in 2022) and an increase in marks inside 50 for our opponents (9.3 per game in 2021 compared to 11 per game in 2022).

3.3 to 4.5 - which problem would you solve first? Naturally, you'd solve the goal conceded first because 4.5 is higher than 3.3, especially if you believe that your attack is generated from your defence.

The forward line is rubbish. No one denies that. But our defensive structures have also been rubbish, and that is something we've prided ourselves on for awhile. We need to get our defence in order first, and then we can start addressing the forward structure.

What about our attacking structure?

You know, the ones where we try and kick goals and win games?

 

[Shaucob_Burjan]

It's actually amazing that there are people including those at the club that think retirement age Dixon and Gray returning to fix our forward line so it's okay is a good thing.

 

[MrPlow]

Apparently in BigFooty fantasy land, injuries to 2020 All Australian selected key forward and three time leading goal kicker for the club, and a 2021 All Australian selected key defender are listed as 'excuses', not reasons.

I’m curious, in your view - what what was the reason for the 2021 prelim loss? What was the reason for the 2020 prelim loss?

And once you’ve answered that, what was the reason why, even during 2020 and 2021 with full lists, we had a losing record against other top 4 sides?