Port Adelaide 2024 - Are they being underestimated?

[afl2004]

Could easily finish top 4 and will definitely play finals but will not make a grand final even if the oppo 8 best players die the night before the game

 

[longdonkey]

Could easily finish top 4 and will definitely play finals but will not make a grand final even if the oppo 8 best players die the night before the game

Finals are never a sure thing in an off contact year. History says we are more likely to miss out. Surely we couldn't miss the finals and Hinkers would keep his job with this list.

 

[PenrithGWS]

Should be very good this year.

It's going to be a very competitive season.

Lots of teams in it up to their eyeballs.

 

[LoBu]

Ports soft first 5 games set Power up for a crash and burn and pitchforks later on the year. Wines and Boaks the likely scapegoats, with Hinkley staying until the bitter end, performing and late season revival and standard early September exit.

 

[Red Bull]

 

[g_TRAIN]

The midfield is stacked with talent.

Hard to see them not being good again

 

[Young Gun #6]

Soldo and Ratagolea both looked great last night.

Wines with a full preseason looked solid too.

Mead looked unbelievable and has been great all preseason.

Bergman, BZT, Marshall, Evans a bit disappointing.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Port are going to waste their chance with the talent they have. They definitely have some top tier players, but their management is abysmal. They'd be a real premiership with an actual premiership coach on board, who could bring the right culture and people on board. Heck, even Mark Williams coming back to coach them would have put them into a real position to get another premiership over Hinkley who is a failure. He's had the most ample opportunity out of any coach without a grand final appearance as coach.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

Thats the most entertaining part of the thread actually.
And it's Kenny AND Kochie are Port Power. They're an inseperable combo.

On topic: I find it very hard to see Port missing the 8. Can't see any implosion happening there. Can't see them winning the flag either though. Which brings us back to Ken and Koch.

Could be a 2018 situation for them where they bring in experienced players, look like they're going to make the top 4 with 1 month to go and then fall a part at the end of the season to miss the 8. They do the same thing expect the same results.

 

[Fluro Boots]

They’ve just been a side you can’t trust for so long. Maybe it all comes together this year, maybe it doesn’t. I’d expect them to play finals but wouldn’t have much faith beyond that.

 

[GoldbergsGold]

They’ve just been a side you can’t trust for so long. Maybe it all comes together this year, maybe it doesn’t. I’d expect them to play finals but wouldn’t have much faith beyond that.

They've had really good individual players, but as a collective they fold at the worst of times. That's obviously due to their culture, leadership and management, ie Hinkley and Koch. They're not really in the "premiership business" they're happy playing AFL as Grant Thomas would put it.

 

[JimmyBC]

They've had really good individual players, but as a collective they fold at the worst of times. That's obviously due to their culture, leadership and management, ie Hinkley and Koch. They're not really in the "premiership business" they're happy playing AFL as Grant Thomas would put it.

This is true.

Every year we get the club endorsed media parrots telling us how hard premierships are to win before the season starts, it's not an ultimate winning culture & never will be.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

2-0 can't complain with that.

 

[Freomaniac]

This is true.

Every year we get the club endorsed media parrots telling us how hard premierships are to win before the season starts, it's not an ultimate winning culture & never will be.

and you think the coach is the only reason why Port is being held back?

 

[EskimoPAFC]

Non-contract year = Underperformance, no intensity, from mid-season we start hearing "oh they just don't have the list"

Wait for next year, contract year, reckon we might even go as far as to lose another home prelim in 2025.

 

[Del165198]

and you think the coach is the only reason why Port is being held back?

Yeah

 

[FreoGirl]

Gather Round was a huge advantage

 

[GC2015]

They’ve just been a side you can’t trust for so long. Maybe it all comes together this year, maybe it doesn’t. I’d expect them to play finals but wouldn’t have much faith beyond that.

Can you trust them now?

 

[Schulzenfest]

Can you trust them now?

Have they won a knockout final yet?

The answer is 'not since 2014', if you're wondering.