Players we want to see do well in 2012

[One PAFC]

Every single player that puts on a Port Adelaide jumper!

 

[reCOGnise]

Lets face it, if we dont see improvement from i would say everyone on our list both coaches and players are in some deep poo.

What i wouldn't give for Moore to become a player, has attributes and a footballers body, needs to stay on the park and as others have said, show us why he was taken in the first round.

Steven Salopek, much maligned on this board. Can he overcome his almost drift into obscurity of the start of last season to show us the talent we know he has?

Paul Stewart, showed us in 2010 what he was capable of, last year was a write-off, he needs to kick on as a key part of our defence (prefer if he didn't rotate in the midfield).

Ben Newton, very much as others have said, an unknown quantity. Big rapts on him since being drafted, it would be at least nice to see what we are working with in the pre season and hopefully a handfull of games for him in the big league.

 

[Portia]

I want at least one player on our list to become an A grader of the comp

Thats a good call. I'd like to go to the Drafts & Trading board and see a "20XX Draft Revisited" thread where a Port player is a) rated higher than we drafted them and b) in the first round.

 

[DonDraper]

As people have already said, everyone.

Step ups from Hamish, Boaky, Pearce would be great and help us to win and USE the ball a lot cleaner going forward. Players like Chappy and Paul Stewart I'd love to see really improve. It would help out our back line and give us a bit more mongrel if we can get these boys up and about. Andrew Moore tearing it up on a HFF would be a sight too. Have big wraps on the boy and hoping he can be a starting 18 player for us week in, week out.

Then there's Butch. Hoping he just keeps on going and becomes the player we all want him to be.

 

[Moore26]

Pittard, Moore, Young and Daniel Stewart

 

[longdonkey]

Hartlett so some of the heat can be taken off Boak.

But in the long run I'd like to see us have 22 that can keep Tom Logan out of the side because when we do we'll make the 8 again. Sorry Tom I love way you play but we'll be a better side when he can't get a game on merit.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Guys like Hartlett, Butcher and Trengove will be stars no matter what happens this year, and guys like Salopek, Chaplin, Surjan and Westhoff finally fulfilling their potential (or re-fulfilling in Surjan's case) and becoming consistently good will be great in the short term but won't have a huge impact in the long term. Rather than hoping for them, I'm hoping for guys who have the potential to be a big part of their future if they get it all together but who have been disappointing thus far.

Alipate Carlile: Self-explanatory, every side needs a quality full back. Alipate has the speed, mobility and strength to play the role, but didn't have the fitness or the mental application in 2011. He needs to get it back, because at his best he's a very good footballer.

Matthew Lobbe: Wasn't really disappointing in 2011 , but we need our future No. 1 ruck to start playing above his years like a real No. 1 ruck and not like a developing youngster thrown to the wolves sometime soon.

Daniel Stewart: A guy with his height, mobility and contesting marketing ability should be dominating week in and week out, but for whatever reason it just hasn't happened for him. Every side needs a Leigh Brown/Mitch Clark who can rotate through second ruck and the forward line, and if Stewart can fulfil his potential he's the best candidate on our list for that role.

Brad Ebert: Every time he shanks a kick I remind myself that guys like Jobe Watson and Matthew Boyd can't kick either. His junior career showed that he has the potential to be like one of those guys, and with his size and experience it's time he justified Port going after him by starting to approach their level in his senior career.

Ben Jacobs: At junior level he had excellent fitness, was a good accumulator and an excellent kick. We need all three of these attributes in our side, but at AFL level he's only shown glimpses of them and been thoroughly disappointing most of the time. Hopefully with a full pre-season comes the fitness, and with the fitness comes the accumulation and the return of the kicking ability he showed at junior level and in one game at AFL level.

Simon Phillips: Decent fitness, good goal-sense, speedy as hell, excellent at applying defensive pressure, and judging by his pre-season pics he now has the body to go with it. He'll be as good as any small forward in the AFL and fill that hole in our side (Banner has the necessary goal-sense, but we need someone quick who can defend as well as attack in our forward line too and Banner will never be that guy) if he can sort out his fumbling and disposal issues, but he'll go the way of Wade Thompson if he doesn't. It's now or never for Simon.

Thats a good call. I'd like to go to the Drafts & Trading board and see a "20XX Draft Revisited" thread where a Port player is a) rated higher than we drafted them and b) in the first round.

Robbie Gray.

 

[Portia]

There's not many non-Port fans that would put Gray in the top 16 of the 2006 draft. It was a good draft.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Not sure I agree with that. Excluding father sons who could never go in the first round anyway:

Better (at least according to public opinion)
Bryce Gibbs
Matthew Leuenberger
Travis Boak
Joel Selwood
Jack Riewoldt
Ben Reid
James Frawley
Todd Goldstein

Arguably better (according to public opinion)
Nathan Brown
Chris Dawes
Eric Mackenzie
Kurt Tippett (he's not, but people who haven't seen either play would be fooled by the media attention Tippett gets in comparison)
Colin Garland
David Mackay (maybe by SA posters, but Vic posters would probably have no idea who he is).

In this thread he gets plenty of mentions as a top 10, let alone first rounder: http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=866659

Anyway, why do we care what non-Port fans would say? Plenty of Victorians would probably put Brent Macaffer or Leroy Jetta ahead of Gray. Most of Bigfooty is so ignorant that there's no point even considering their opinions.

 

[Asgardian]

I want to see our midfielders and forwards to star, the more we keep it in those areas the better our team will perform.

Hartlett, Boak & Butcher to have AA seasons

 

[Portia]

Anyway, why do we care what non-Port fans would say? Plenty of Victorians would probably put Brent Macaffer or Leroy Jetta ahead of Gray. Most of Bigfooty is so ignorant that there's no point even considering their opinions.

I know but the point was that if we had a player become an undeniable A-grade player, thats one of the really obvious places it would evidenced. It is recognised by everyone, the player becomes the Port player the media knows, kids have someone well known to put on their jumper.

 

[PatientMental]

I know but the point was that if we had a player become an undeniable A-grade player, thats one of the really obvious places it would evidenced. It is recognised by everyone, the player becomes the Port player the media knows, kids have someone well known to put on their jumper.

John Butcher.

 

[King_Tredrea]

Make or break year for Robbie Gray. Boak has gone a long way towards realising his potential, confident Hartlett will get there as well (provided his body holds up) This needs to be Robbie's year.