Review R21: Port v Hawthorn Review

[Robbie4PM]

I am extremely proud of Sammy Gray and Ah Chee. Both players who really haven't been given enough of a shot at AFL over the past few years and they really showed tonight they are more than capable. Both brilliant hand ballers and I am looking forward to watching them play the next 2 weeks. I am sure I'll be recruiting some more on the Ah Chee bandwagon after the past 2 weeks. Choo Choo

I am sometimes critical of Pittards defensive work and disposal. Brilliant tonight, that is the Jasper we need.

Chad, best small forward in the game by an absolute country mile, another brilliant game from him. Robbie and Chad are really the only consistent performers for the year and they played great games again.

Boaky for me is lacking confidence I think but hopefully he can get back to his 2014 form next year. He must be reading too many of my posts. A confident boak does not miss that shot in the last quarter and the other opportunity where he passed, he would've nailed it also. I am highly critical of him but I know how good he can be and how important he is to the team, so that's why I am.

Ryder a brilliant game, throws up the debate on how we structure up next year and why Lobbe wasn't dropped 3 months ago.

I am so happy for the players out there today, unfortunately we aren't playing for much and if these droppings and personnel changes had happened earlier in the year, maybe we would've had something to play for. Hopefully the same mistakes aren't made next year. You don't give an out of form player 4 months in the AFL before you drop them.

 

[StuMan]

Best win if the year by far.
Fantastic game by Sammy.

 

[ploppy]

we look so much better with Ryder in the ruck. we become a clearance machine

 

[Smithy7]

PORT ADELAIDE 16.12 (108)
def
HAWTHORN 13.8 (86)

BEST

Port Adelaide: R Gray, Boak, S Gray, Wingard, Ah Chee, Hombsch, Ebert, Hartlett.

Hawthorn: Smith, Burgoyne, Gibson, Lewis, Gunston

GOALS

Port Adelaide: Wingard 4, Monfries Schulz 3, Neade 2, S Gray Hartlett Ah Chee White 1

Hawthorn: Gunston 3, Roughead Suckling Rioli 2, Lewis Burgoyne Shiels Puopolo 1

 

[*PAF]

... Sam Gray has turned into a bit of an accumulator against all the odds,
...

Dunno about against the odds.
When it wasn't working out he was being played as a small forward.
Certainly has shown what he has to offer as a midfielder.

 

[John the Butcher]

"They're excited about two shades of gray down at port Adelaide, they're getting all hot and sweaty"
~Eddie McGuire

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

A WIN FOR THE AGES.

All played well. I was really worried a 10 goal spanking after Jacko dropped out a couple of days ago.

 

[ploppy]

sammy gray has really suprised me..didnt think he would eeven make it but he is A grade afl quality now.

 

[Contested Marx]

Great win.

 

[Dave Omsby]

Bitter sweet but a great show ,
Beautiful to watch . Sammy Gray I'm sorry I doubted you .
AhChee brilliant , not dominant but still brilliant .
Ryder wow great game in the ruck and around the ground was fantastic , Boak , Gray , Ebert , Monfries , White , Hombsch ,Pittard , Impey , White , Hartlett , Krakoer , , , Jonas , Butcher and probably a few others were all seriously good .
Hope it burns watching the finals boys

 

[Ford Fairlane]

**** me Sam Gray could hold out for a better deal now!

 

[Ant Bear]

Magnificent. Our outlook changed after the Bulldogs, and we became hunters again, and in the last fortnight have looked every bit one of the top 6 teams in the comp.

The defence was tight and solid; none of Pittard, O'Shea or Jonas made glaring blunders that gave away goals, and Pittard, Krakouer and Broadbent gave penetrating rebound. We were without Trengove and Carlile: normally we expect that to be fatal.

Robbie, Boak and The Hobbit were fantastic and were well serviced by Ryder, and we gave the Hawks a bath out of centre clearances. Multiple goals from multiple forwards - Wingard 4, Monfries and Schulz 3 each and Neade 2 - had us resembling last years' outfit again.

WE kept at it all night and repelled several Hawthorn comebacks. Close to our best performance for the year. And if the Crows happen to get ambushed by Brisbane, and Geelong by St Kilda, and GWS, North and Collingwood all lose to their higher ranked opponents then we are not without a sneaky chance of qualifying

 

[Malibu#27]

The silver lining to this season is increasing our depth with some recent form from AhChee and Sam Gray. In Grays case that's a month which is going beyond 'fluke' territory and AhChees backed up again.
It means we have some capacity to trade some of our previous second stringers to address needs and even without that we have Wines, Polec, Trengove, and Carlisle that didn't play.
We also should go into next year with a lighter draw.

 

[Honeyboy Wilson]

Hartlett really needs more credit on these boards. He's not where he should be yet, cos we all know his talent. But he's been absolutely great for the second half of this season and we should be thankful he is in our team.

 

[*PAF]

Pottard was very good tonight.

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

That was a seasoned type game from Ah Chee although he probably learn't that old team rule "Don't listen to Gus" the hard way.

 

[Azul]

Ah Chee did pretty well but boy, almost cost you the game with that handball!

Good luck in '16.

 

[Sewer de Lance]

PORT ADELAIDE 16.12 (108)
def
HAWTHORN 13.8 (86)

BEST

Port Adelaide: R Gray, Boak, S Gray, Wingard, Ah Chee, Hombsch, Ebert, Hartlett.

Hawthorn: Smith, Burgoyne, Gibson, Lewis, Gunston

GOALS

Port Adelaide: Wingard 4, Monfries Schulz 3, Neade 2, S Gray Hartlett Ah Chee White 1

Hawthorn: Gunston 3, Roughead Suckling Rioli 2, Lewis Burgoyne Shiels Puopolo 1

Ryder not in the best players???

 

[Power Raid]

lets finish the year on a high..........tonight was a good start

 

[Simon_Nesbit]

Well done port. VERY glad we won't see you in finals, think you have our measure.

Love the way Hinkley coaches, aggressive formations and set plays designed to manipulate space, exposing opposition who sag into zone positioning, and exploiting pace through adventurous transitions and anticipatory positioning.

Thought this game was going to be a challenge, Ryder was immense - one of the best ruck games I've seen, set the standard and gave your onballers first use all night.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Ah Chee another 25 disposals, 6 tackles and a goal and he's almost being overlooked. As good a game as last week and against the toughest of opposition.

 

[Portmanteau]

Interesting night. Almost got killed by an absolute muppet driving home to watch the game in the worst display of driving ever seen, and then we run the reigning premiers of the park. <3 Chad, suck it Lou Codge.

 

[Doctor Feel]

THE NUMBER OCCURED AND WE DIDN'T LOSE. CURSE LIFTED!

 

[Oliver King]

Ryder was great.

 

[mic59]

F*** me, what a game! Wish I had done what some had done and put money on it, someone on BF said they put on $150 at 9.00. Just shows what we can do when we hit targets, don't fumble and most importantly, provide targets. Anyone who got tthe ball otherwise had someone running free ahead of them or if they needed an out from a pack they had someone at the back. There were still some howlers like when Ah Chee handballed to Monfries when he had taken a mark 20 out on a small angle, when Krakouer handballed to Hombsch with 3 players around him when Pittard was free and when a loose ball was missed at the end of the third quarter for Rioli to pass to Puopolo. All those cost a goal and we were only 1 point up at 3/4 time but after 2 points Mitchell was brought on and Boak immediately found him and he handballed to R.Gray who passed to Schulz in space for a 3rd goal to him.

Ryder was magnificent all day with 40 hitouts and 5 marks, both Grays had 34 possessions each, Pittard was a superstar in the backline and provided the run needed with 27 disposals and 10 marks and Chad Wingard shut the door on the Rioli argument with 20 disposals and 4 goals. And putting himself, at least temporarily, 2nd on the goalkicking table. And now that Sam Gray is being used in the position he was playing SANFL, he has shown why Ken persevered with him.
Don't think I could really pick out any passengers. Hartlett had a ton of the ball and pressured immensely, Ah Chee was strong in the air and had 25 disposals, 6 marks and 1 goal(should have been 2), Monfries got us going with 2 in the first quarter and ended with 3, Schulz had few possessions and was not at his marking best but got 3 goals, Neade was nearly invisible in the first half but got 2 goals and 14 disposals with some nice moves. Boak as always was steady and slowly had more affect on the game, ending with 30 disposals.

The best thing was that although we beat them in inside 50s and clearances we didn't smash them in those categories with 6 more centre clearances but 3 less stoppage clearances and only 1 more inside 50.

NOTE : R4 - no R.Gray or O.Wines.
R20 - no O.Wines, no A.Carlile, no J.Trengove, no J.Polec.