Player Watch Pick #18 (2016) - Sam Powell-Pepper

[RossFC]

 

[TeeKray]

Interesting little anecdote re he and Boak messaging about playing together next year. Possibly gives an insight into Travis wanting to play on (whether the club lets him or not is another matter).

 

[Chrizzt]

Where do we fit in Pickett?

Almost certainly not happening this year

 

[Ford Fairlane]

 

[Adz2332]

Love him, love his journey, and I love his attitude but I'm not sure what his role is anymore.

Imo we have missed his fanatic pressure and general physicality in the forward line that we havent been able to replicate.

 

[RossFC]

Bloody hell I miss this man, seeing him run over people is worth the price of admission.

 

[dirty2]

Hopefully comes back bigger and stronger next season. Is an important cog.

 

[RangaInTeal]

Where do we fit in Pickett?

Ideally:
Rioli, Georgiadies, Pickett
SPP, Esava, T.Marshall
Burgoyne, JHF, Rozee
Jones, Aliir, NWM
Bergman, BZT, Farrell
Sweet, Wines, Butters
Drew, L.Evans, Mead, DBJ
Boak
Sinn, Lukocious, Lord, Richards, Soldo, Visintini, Finlayson, Lorenz, Jackson

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

We bloody missed you big time on Thursday night Sam.

Your toughness in the forward line and in the middle like you provided in 2020 QF against Geelong, was sadly missed.

Geelong were arguably a better side back in 2020 than on Thursday night, as in 2020 they were 2 years away from a flag, made the 2020 GF, and had 17 of their premiership side playing in the 2020 QF, as well as Gary Ablett Jr, and only had 14 of that 2022 premiership side playing Thursday night.

In the 2020 QF, Sam started in the middle and won 5 contested possessions, all clearances early in the first quarter and didn't let Geelong get easy ball, especially ground ball at the stoppages, and it was a grinding first quarter where we only kicked 2.1 vs their 1.4.

In my review of the game at the time, and when I gave my votes, I said that first quarter Sam lead and set the tone for the rest of the team. He didn't do much after quarter time, but what he did in the first quarter meant his team wasn't on the back foot at the start of the game and Geelong couldn't get away and build confidence and momentum away from home.

In the coaches vote, Sam got 5 votes from one coach and 0 from the other one.

It wasn't hard to work out Hinkley gave him 5, because he knew Sam made sure our flakey flankers didn't get a chance to piss their pants, which would have meant Geelong got easy footy, just like they did on Thursday night.

Thursday night was the opposite. Geelong from the start had us on the run. And our hardest player after Sam, JHF, spend the first 7 minutes of the game on the bench, for some midfielder BS rotation policy principle.

Ken Hinkley and his dopey coaches haven't learnt a bloody thing. Memories like a sieve.

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

SPP's stoppage work inside 50 is very underrated.

 

[Janey]

I don't think Jase was too happy about starting on the bench either. I watched him standing at the boundary trying desperately to signal to a player to come off so he could get on the ground.

 

[#Port Patriot#]

I don't think Jase was too happy about starting on the bench either. I watched him standing at the boundary trying desperately to signal to a player to come off so he could get on the ground.

They should just give Hornet the keys to do what he feels best, as in, if he needs a rest deep forward from the mid, then do it instead of going off and waiting. So they really need to sort that mid/fwd rotation roles out with Rozee, Butters and Hornet. Those boys do need rest but shouldn't really be on the bench for 5 or even 10 minutes of quarters. Rest forward and remove a forward, e.g. Evans, narkle, McEntee.. who ever is there.

 

[JakeNeadeFan]

Make JHF captain-coach and SPP vice captain and senior assistant.

 

[Harlott]

SPP is great in contest work but let’s not kid ourselves. I preface this with ‘under Hinkley’ he has a lot of brain fart moments.

 

[Rash]

Do we know if SPP is available for round 1? will he get a full pre-season?

 

[RossFC]

Do we know if SPP is available for round 1? will he get a full pre-season?

10 months post-ACL would be the intra-club match so hopefully he'll play the pre-season games.

 

[Long live PAFC]

Has been a real loss this year. Shows how critical that toughness and intensity is for our forward half game.

 

[Incarnate]

So Daniher, Cameron, McKay, Curnow and Hogan are all guns. JUH, Darcy and Georgiades are heading that way. Naughton close to.

Neale, Hipwood, MacDonald, Morris, Lewis, Riccardi, all serviceable second or third talls.
Finlayson, Marshall, Lukosius, Lord - all stack up well/are better than these other talls.

So outside the Dogs and Blues - few teams have 2-3 gun tall forwards. Maybe the Suns, Crows and Freo in the future.

What has really set us back (yes yes it’s Hinkley and game plan) is a lack of small and half forwards.

Evans, McEntee, Narkle - just not up to scratch. DBJ and SPP are fine but not of the quality of Papley, Daniels, Jones, Ah Chee, Cameron, Miers, Dempsey, Watson, etc etc etc.

Richard’s will help but only marginally. The draftees we have seem ok but still awhile off if they make it. There only seems to be one or two good smalls in the early part of the draft - not sure we will be in the space to get them.

So can we repurpose someone? Sinn, Jones, Bergmann, Evans, Burgoyne - all have the attributes but only have just been settled in the backline and look beat down back. Mead is too slow. Lorenz?

Really it seems like it has to be Rozee. So if we can build some midfield depth to allow him to go forward more that may help. Otherwise Sinn might be the other.

Sammy’s a hecken gun mate. God hope he comes back 100% and the staff eases him responsibly back into it. He makes every defensive player step shorter and keep their head on a swivel. Works the whole field and can finish with class but has also became quite the opportunist. It’s a travesty he went down this year both personally and for Port, said it at the time, can’t win a premiership without Pep’s.

 

[Chrizzt]

Sammy’s a hecken gun mate. God hope he comes back 100% and the staff eases him responsibly back into it. He makes every defensive player step shorter and keep their head on a swivel. Works the whole field and can finish with class but has also became quite the opportunist. It’s a travesty he went down this year both personally and for Port, said it at the time, can’t win a premiership without Pep’s.

SPP is a great player, but not really a gun forward. In the year before he got injured he had the third worst shot at goal accuracy in the comp (Finlayson and Rozee also in the top 5 because f'ing lol). Did still kick 30 goals last year which is a decent return to be fair.

But we are absolutely crying out for a natural crumbing forward who can kick goals from groundball gets.

 

[JHF1870]

SPP is a great player, but not really a gun forward. In the year before he got injured he had the third worst shot at goal accuracy in the comp (Finlayson and Rozee also in the top 5 because f'ing lol). Did still kick 30 goals last year which is a decent return to be fair.

But we are absolutely crying out for a natural crumbing forward who can kick goals from groundball gets.

SPP needs to be at contests especially forward 50.

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

SPP needs to be at contests especially forward 50.

His stoppage work inside 50 is very underrated.

 

[Doctor Feel]

He'll want for touch, but he probably won't be short of fitness.

 

[shewho]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder- yes we needed him. He is an above average forward, an average mid.

But we need more than SPP and Lukosius to get a forward line of the quality of Brisbanes.

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

Can we make one of SSP's goals for 2025 in regrowing his hair? The hair adds 15-20 percent more swagger and skill. Get those hair follicles up and about.

 

[Ford Fairlane]