Has the 2007 losing Port Power Grand Final team being too harshly judged ?

[iameviljez]

Noone was beating collingwood in 2010. Some of the best footy ive ever seen.

The strange thing is that, on one hand, I totally agree with your sentiment - but on the other hand, StKilda went within a tiny, tiny fraction of doing exactly that.

Says a lot about footy.

 

[Bungeye]

Absolutely true - but conversely, I'd rather take Scarlett and Harley over Fletcher and Solomon.

What we had, IMO, was star power on pretty much every line except at full-forward - as well as the player that I think is the greatest that I have ever seen play.

Essendon didn't have any glaring weaknesses, but perhaps had a bit less absolute top-end quality in terms of their smaller players.

Wellman/Hardwick > Harley

 

[lordo2000]

What, you disagree?

Aside from games won/lost - which doesn't really enter a 'who was more talented' discussion anyway - what evidence would you back that view up with?

Essendon had 8 All Australians with 19 jerseys in total. Geelong had 16 - and that doesn't include that year's AA CHB Matthew Egan because he got injured before the grand final and never played again, or a future All Australian CHF in Hawkins who wasn't good enough at that age to crack the side. They earned a total of 43 AA nods during their careers. Three brownlow medals to Essendon's 1. Champions on every line of the field.

If you can find some contrary arguments to prove why Essendon were more talented, I'd be very interested to read it.

Both good teams I just think the 2000 side was the best I've seen. Geelong in 2008 probably second. Essendon lost their only game by pretty much under a goal (Smith kicked a goal after siren) while you guys lost by 86 to collingwood, then couldn't get it done in the granny.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Wellman/Hardwick > Harley

Harley was a great leader but not a star player. Egan was better. AA center half back at 23, injured late in 07 and never played again. Would be like Harris Andrews going down now never to play again.

 

[Bungeye]

Harley was a great leader but not a star player. Egan was better. AA center half back at 23, injured late in 07 and never played again. Would be like Harris Andrews going down now never to play again.

Yes, was a big fan of Egan! Harley had a couple of good years late in hes career.

 

[Gethelred]

No it isn’t. Again, call us the power, power or port, we are not “port power“

Tell me what side you support again?

 

[Footy Smarts]

Nobody ever remembers that the Grand Final was arguably not Port's worst performance against Geelong that year. They met in round 9 at footy park. Going into the game Port were 2nd on the ladder (6-2) and Geelong 3rd (5-3). The half time score that day:

Port Adelaide - 2.4.16
Geelong - 13.9.87

71 points down at half time on their home deck! They made it more respectable in the second half to lose by 56 points.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Collingwood weren't a particularly good side that year but they did know how to keep it close. They lost 10 games for the year (including the prelim) and 8 of the losses were less than 4 goals and one loss by 33 points. There was one outlier where they got thumped by a very ordinary Brisbane side at the MCG by 93 points. They were almost outscored by Jared Brennan that night!

 

[Damon_3388]

The Pies in 2011 were one of the best teams I've seen, but not sure "ran out of steam" is the right word for their GF loss. They lost three games all year, all three to the Cats. I feel it's more they had a block when it came to getting past Geelong for some reason. I should say round 24 pretty much didn't count, but I was at the game and you guys looked lazy from the outset.

Yeah I can see that. I really felt at the time though that the Prelim was a real end point. The players and coach looked completely spent by the end of that game. I went through GF week and into the game not expecting to win, or (as strange as it sounds) caring that much whether we did win (possibly because 2010 was such a drought-breaker and emotional release in itself, which satiated a lot of hunger).

 

[Augmented Boat]

Yes Geelong were just that good. Port were clearly the second best team that year by ladder position, points and also percentage

 

[PhatBoy]

Both good teams I just think the 2000 side was the best I've seen. Geelong in 2008 probably second. Essendon lost their only game by pretty much under a goal (Smith kicked a goal after siren) while you guys lost by 86 to collingwood, then couldn't get it done in the granny.

Make no mistake Essendon were awesome and as a unit they just functioned perfectly but it’s the whole achievement vs quality argument that I started a thread on a while ago.
To me the best sustained form I have seen from a footy team is the cats from round 6 to the grand final in 2007.

now we’d lost 3 games already and port stole one off us late in 07 so we are no chance of having the record that Essendon had in 2000. But if the teams were to line up in a match against one another, Gary Ablett’s kick doesn’t know that Essendon only lost once in 2000. I think - and yes clearly I’m obviously biased - that if those two teams met 10 times, the cats would win more than they’d lose

 

[kranky al]

The strange thing is that, on one hand, I totally agree with your sentiment - but on the other hand, StKilda went within a tiny, tiny fraction of doing exactly that.

Says a lot about footy.

Coulda shoulda woulda - 2nd gf notsomuch....

 

[H E Pennypacker]

I still remember the Melbourne game in 2011 vividly. Was a great day out at the footy. Then the lights went out and the pitch was basically black for the last 5 mins.

Wasn't that before the lights were even installed? It was just a later than normal game and it got exceptionally dark?

 

[JohnZ]

Wasn't that before the lights were even installed? It was just a later than normal game and it got exceptionally dark?

It got dark in the last Q so they put the training lights on and they went out.

 

[iameviljez]

Wellman/Hardwick > Harley

Wellman I'd certainly entertain the argument. Hardwick was a good player but not a CHB - a better comparison might be Milburn or Enright IMO.

But Scarlett is another kettle of fish. Fletcher is an Essendon great, no dispute, but Scarlett is legitimately in the conversation along with Silvagni for the greatest FB of the modern era.

 

[Sportsmad93]

I mean for one thing, they came across the most dominant single season Premiership Team of this century (Geelong) for one thing, and secondly the ordinary performance of grand finalists that have been flogged on the big day, like Melbourne in 1988 and 2000 and The Giants last year, seems to have been swept under the carpet, but Port and their admittedly indefensible 119 losing point margin is still being scorned all these years later.

I would submit to the jury that any team that played Geelong that day, in that form, would have lost by 10 goals plus.

In most instances, a solemn and dignified show of respect is given to the losing Grand Final team, but I truly think Port 07 team has been far too harshly judged and should be given a lot more respect for their achievements that season..

The players and Choco Williams do not deserve to have that stigma and constant reminding of that loss, reckon it's time we cut them some slack as I said, I truly believe there is not team in the AFL that would have come close to Geelong in the Grand Final that day, and we are giving that Cats flag team a disservice by paying more attention to Port's poor form, rather than how Geelong were on the day (i picked up a copy of that GF on DVD for 2 dollarydoos at Cash Converters), they were one helluva team.

I think that they deserve all of the criticism they get and they were lucky to even be there. Still though, losing by 119 points in a Grand Final is pathetic no matter which way you look at it. Other clubs don't get a pass, so why should Port? The Crows get constantly reminded about 2017, just saying, so I'm not cutting Mark Williams or the players any kind of slack.

Port were not really a clear cut 2nd that year. Scraped over the line against West Coast and beat a pathetic Kangaroos outfit. You could argue that Collingwood were better that year despite losing to Port earlier in the season. West Coast were also better than Port that year imo. Port were lucky to even get there and not many neutral supporters gave them a chance of beating Geelong. I still think that West Coast or Collingwood would of lost to Geelong by less than Port did.

 

[Sportsmad93]

People gotta remember that Port was trailing by 128 points before Geelong took the foot off, imagine if Geelong keep going until the end, it'll been 150+

It isn't harshly judged.

I watched the last quarter and Geelong were basically just stuffing around during the last 10 minutes and took the foot off the pedal going through the celebrations. Paul Chapman kicked an out on the full that he'd probably kick, but Geelong were basically toying with Port and were playing too unselfish and too fancy, but of course it didn't matter in the end. The game was over at half-time.

 

[steelebottom22]

Yes our logo from 1997 when we were referred to as that, they then updated it to just say power, which I’m sure your aware of when you googled the logo

Again I can’t see how people can claim they know anything about football and then still refer to us as port power. Either you trolling or just don’t know much

Mate what's the big deal why you getting so upset about it ffs life is short