Coach Justin Longmuir

[Wigarus]

the disappointment comes from having the most talented list we've ever had (across the board, not just in a handful of players) and we lost like a bunch of crabs who had no idea what they were doing to last year's wooden spooners who are also kids, at home. It's like a greek tragedy, except at least you can also have a lot of fun in the Greek isles (I know I did. The tragedy was in the hangovers).

Whenever I think of a talented list, I think of midfielders that rack up big numbers and regularly kick goals, say 3 goals in 4 games or so. I don't see that anywhere on our current list. I think of big key forwards that can take pack marks and kick a couple goals a game and occasionally kick a bag. I don't see that on our current list. I see small forwards that are dangerous at ground level and kick a couple goals a game - we maybe have that on our list but between Walters, Switkowski and Schultz they are all lacking something that makes them legitimate A graders.

Prime Hayden Ballantyne would walk into our forward line and is easily better than either shultz or Switkowski, Walters is nowhere near his 2013 self, Pavlich would walk into the forward line or midfield. Chris Mayne while nowhere near an A grader would still be an improvement on Treacy / Amiss. Not only did he kick goals but he added some real forward pressure.

I honestly don't understand how anyone could look at our current list and think it's the most talented we've ever had. Our current midfield is as middle of the road as it gets, we don't have good wingers, and we don't have tall mids capable of taking a contested mark. We don't have contested beasts you can rely on to extract the ball and push it forward at the end of a quarter. Sandi, Barlow, Fyfe, Neale, Hill, Crowley, and DPearce is way more talented than the midfield we currently have, not to mention that by 2013 they were all battle-hardened with finals experience

I mean sure JLos a dud, but even Ross would struggle with the list we've got.

 

[sumavich]

Walters is an A grader, has been for some time actually.
Our list is good, our coaches aren't getting the best out of it.
Look at St Kilda ffs

 

[Dockeroo]

Wouldn't handball be better than kicks in the wet?

Definitely not in my view. Wet weather footy is about moving the ball forward for territory at all costs.

Our intricate handball chains out of the clearances at high speed will look great on a dry day, why average pressure being applied by the opposition. But it falls apart very quickly as we have seen if something is off at all.

I’d love to see a stat for scores against after turnovers from a Fremantle handball. I would safely wager without question we are well clear at number 1 in the afl for this unfortunate stat.

 

[Purple Jesus]

Definitely not in my view. Wet weather footy is about moving the ball forward for territory at all costs.

Our intricate handball chains out of the clearances at high speed will look great on a dry day, why average pressure being applied by the opposition. But it falls apart very quickly as we have seen if something is off at all.

I’d love to see a stat for scores against after turnovers from a Fremantle handball. I would safely wager without question we are well clear at number 1 in the afl for this unfortunate stat.

Tap it forward, handball forward, grubber kicks along the ground. All counts in wet weather imo. You'd think they'd be more controlled than kicks in some scenarios. Quick clearances etc for eg. But we're overusing it, that's for sure. Especially when we have kicks like Youngs on the squad.

 

[theGav56]

If Clarkson can still coach after the allegations against him …

And Lyon can still coach after the budding boobs remark …

And Brad Scott can coach another team based out of Marvel after his long feud with that stadium’s roof …

Then Pyke deserves another chance.

Harsh reality is a lot of successful coaches are flawed people just like most of humanity. Longmuir definitely sits to the nicer side of coaching characters.

 

[theGav56]

Yeah and I mean, I see basically absolutely no chance JL is sacked this year. Would require bottom 4 and a s**t start to next year

Especially coming of a decent showing last year. I just hope someone is in his ear giving some decent mentoring. He is coaching like he is a rookie despite now having a couple of seasons under the belt.

 

[Dockeroo]

I certainly don’t buy the idea that JL is unsackable this season. Lose the next 3 for example and the pressure will be IMMENSE. We got rid of Harvey after making finals the year before didnt we?

 

[theGav56]

Pike would be my pick and by a decent margin, then Yze, then Graham. But I don't know nearly enough to have an informed opinion. I just hope that Bell isn't part of the next process but I think that's unlikely and we'll therefore end up with his other targeted hire, Graham.

Genuine question: why Graham?

Yes he did well with the WC forwards, but they were a pretty well structured, experienced and talented group.

Have you seen anything in his time with us to suggest he has what it takes?

It looks a bit like the weakest part of our structure has gone backwards, and that the off season forward strategy has some questionable aspects to it. Fyfe forward? Little development of Treacy. No apparent desire to play a medium forward. The use of Jackson not even looking like a work in progress. The vaunted next step of enhancing midfield/forward connection all but absent.

I look at our existing potential forward line and I expect more than is currently being produced.

 

[theGav56]

I certainly don’t buy the idea that JL is unsackable this season. Lose the next 3 for example and the pressure will be IMMENSE. We got rid of Harvey after making finals the year before didnt we?

Midseason is a different thing, but yes he is sackable in the right circumstances.

 

[vidwhal]

Yep.

But with that you now also have to tie in list management, again ,(sigh) to it as major consequence of actions taken last October.

At least we had our first top 10 pick for quite some time to look fwd to at the end of 16.

We’ve gifted melbourne a top 5-7 pick in what’s universally regarded as not just a strong draft but one where most of the top prospects are fwds including a couple from WA .

In a full list rebuild you just don’t get enough chances to botch more than 1 draft , especially if your freo (as we don’t get any f/s gifts and academy selections are pointless now)

And we already blew ours
with the hogan debacle costing us a gun kpf

Now history’s repeating itself and we ll miss out at ANOTHER chance of getting one again this year , meaning our continued entire club history of shitfulness when it comes to fwds and kpf in particular (outside of one of course) Carry’s on

Why won’t this f***ing club ever learn?

Yeah, I'd definitely prefer to be worrying about a thin backline and have a stacked fwd line than the current sitch, hey.
The current trends would suggest a better fwd half is more important to wins than the backline is.
I think playing aggressive attacking footy keeps the team pressure up and results in team defence, reducing the pressure on needing a gun defence.

Man, I wish we we're more gung ho about drafting key/mid fwds.

 

[Freomaniac]

Midseason is a different thing, but yes he is sackable in the right circumstances.

For some strange reason, I won't be shocked if Freo sacks Longmuir for an experienced coach that has coached another AFL club....

But that could be anyone from Ken Hinkley, Don Pyke or even a Brett Ratten.

To Brendan Bolton, David Teague or David Noble.

Hinkley or Pyke or even Brett Ratten could get the best out of this limited squad and make finals too.

 

[Freomaniac]

If you can get Ken Hinkley it would be ideal, he's a fantastic coach and bloke. Go hard for him I'd say

I would seriously consider it

 

[G Mus]

Did last year not happen?

I don’t think we were actually good last year, the pies final game was a true indication imo

 

[theGav56]

For some strange reason, I won't be shocked if Freo sacks Longmuir for an experienced coach that has coached another AFL club....

But that could be anyone from Ken Hinkley, Don Pyke or even a Brett Ratten.

To Brendan Bolton, David Teague or David Noble.

Hinkley or Pyke or even Brett Ratten could get the best out of this limited squad and make finals too.

I think you are letting your inner maniac dominate a little here.

 

[royale with cheese]

I don’t think we were actually good last year, the pies final game was a true indication imo

We beat the eventual premiers at Kardinia and broke the reigning premier's unbeaten streak at the MCG. Something was going right last year, we didn't just get lucky wins against dud teams.

 

[Snuffaluphagus]

I don’t think we were actually good last year, the pies final game was a true indication imo

I’m sorry, that’s just rubbish, we lost like 7 games for the whole year including that final and knocked off a few very good teams away. We were a good team last year by almost any metric

 

[G Mus]

We beat the eventual premiers at Kardinia and broke the reigning premier's unbeaten streak at the MCG. Something was going right last year, we didn't just get lucky wins against dud teams.

Boilovers always happen, we had that fraud feeling all back end of the season, Melbourne destroyed us later on in the season when they didn’t lose May at the beginning of the game

 

[Outshined]

Ken Hinkley wastes years with a quality Port outfit, not even making a grand final.

Freomaniac:

 

[royale with cheese]

Boilovers always happen, we had that fraud feeling all back end of the season, Melbourne destroyed us later on in the season when they didn’t lose May at the beginning of the game

You don't get two boilovers in a season against two very good teams on their home deck. We were scintillating at times last year. The third quarter against the Cats in particular was dominant.

 

[G Mus]

You don't get two boilovers in a season against two very good teams on their home deck. We were scintillating at times last year. The third quarter against the Cats in particular was dominant.

From memory we lost on xScore and held on at the death by the skin of our teeth

 

[Docker82]

Ken Hinkley wastes years with a quality Port outfit, not even making a grand final.

Freomaniac:

Serious question - have Port ever been in the top two best teams on paper in the competition? My honest opinion is no.

Don’t really rate Hinkley tbh but I think the above is a little harsh.

Most coaches couldn’t stay at a club so long making up the numbers in finals then nosedive like last year and survive though.

 

[royale with cheese]

Just checked the Geelong game again, we kept them to 1 goal for two quarters in a game they had both Cameron and Hawkins playing. Can't tell me that was luck - Cameron didn't score!

 

[royale with cheese]

From memory we lost on xScore and held on at the death by the skin of our teeth

Damn, lost on xScore. Have there been any xScore premiers?

 

[Outshined]

Yeah the football on display against Melbourne, Brisbane, Port and Geelong in particular was seriously good.

Unfortunately we subsequently got figured out and haven't really been able to get back to that level for more than a quarter or two at a time.

 

[Outshined]

Serious question - have Port ever been in the top two best teams on paper in the competition? My honest opinion is no.

Don’t really rate Hinkley tbh but I think the above is a little harsh.

Most coaches couldn’t stay at a club so long making up the numbers in finals then nosedive like last year and survive though.

Maybe slightly harsh. I actually feel for Ken, he cops a hiding but he's clearly a decent coach. In saying that, the inability to convert several home prelim/qualifying finals into a legitimate shot at a flag has been a huge red mark against his credentials.

In the hypothetical, Longmuir sacked after a disaster season scenario, I'd prefer Pyke if I'm honest.