Opinion The Evolution of Your Best 23 for 2025

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RossFC

RossFC

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May 23, 2012
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Alberton Oval
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Other Teams
Liverpool
Will edit when list changes are made

Port Adelaide POWER - Round 1 vs ?
F: Ratugolea - Georgiades - Rioli
HF: Byrne-Jones - Finlayson - Powell-Pepper
C: J.Burgoyne - Wines - Boak
HB: L.Evans - Aliir - Farrell
B: Bergman - Zerk-Thatcher - Jones
R: Sweet - Horne-Francis - Butters
INT: Rozee (C) - Drew - Burton - Narkle
EMERG: Sinn (SUB) - Lorenz - Visentini - Jackson

Port Adelaide MAGPIES - Round 1 vs ?
F: Lord - Scully - F.Evans
HF: Charleson - Walsh - Anastasopoulos
C: Lorenz - Moore (C) - Jackson
HB: Sinn - Moss - McCallum
B: K.Marshall - Clurey - D.Williams
R: Visentini - Mead - McEntee
INT: T.Marshall - McKenzie - Dixon - Soldo
EMERG: Short - Szust
OTHER: Chamberlain - Weidemann - H.Williams - O'Reilly - Turner - Calvett - Carter - Launer - Pascoe - H.Ferrari - Roberts - Cheesman - O'Brien - Baldwin - Aldridge - Stevens - Brazel - Byrne - W.Ferrari - Cockatoo-Collins - Cooper - Gilchrist

Unavailable:
AFL:
Houston (Suspended, 1 week)
SANFL: NONE
 

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Ratugolea's 8 games as a key forward. Doesn't have the burst of speed to get separation, doesn't know how to use his body to win a marking contest, doesn't have good hands, and if he does mark it is a terrible kick for goal.

We got sucked in because his move surprised Carlton, and then he played in the anomaly game against Sydney which locked him in for the rest of the season despite doing absolutely nothing.

We really should have just played Lord. Key forward is our biggest concern moving forward, with Dixon hopefully retiring and Marshall with huge concussion related question marks, I think we need to go pretty hard at Lukosius or anyone else available.


1726840890303.png
 
El_Scorcho said:
Ratugolea's 8 games as a key forward. Doesn't have the burst of speed to get separation, doesn't know how to use his body to win a marking contest, doesn't have good hands, and if he does mark it is a terrible kick for goal.

We got sucked in because his move surprised Carlton, and then he played in the anomaly game against Sydney which locked him in for the rest of the season despite doing absolutely nothing.

We really should have just played Lord. Key forward is our biggest concern moving forward, with Dixon hopefully retiring and Marshall with huge concussion related question marks, I think we need to go pretty hard at Lukosius or anyone else available.


View attachment 2116457
Click to expand...

I disagree on the burst speed. He doesn't suit our forward line the way we play. It's quite possible he doesn't suit any forward line tbh, but, I think he does have the speed to play in an open forward line. Probably still wouldn't work though.

It's hard to see what to do with him next year.
 
Macca19 said:
I disagree on the burst speed. He doesn't suit our forward line the way we play. It's quite possible he doesn't suit any forward line tbh, but, I think he does have the speed to play in an open forward line. Probably still wouldn't work though.

It's hard to see what to do with him next year.
Click to expand...

I think he's quite athletic, I actually don't think he was awful in the backline at all. He's no star but he was fine.

Maybe it's not burst of speed, maybe it's just forward craft, but there's just no seperation even when he's trying to lead.

I think we all got a little seduced by the improvement to the forward and backline the week we switched Esava forward when it was probably 6 elite quarters of midfield play that were the real difference in the 2nd half against Carlton and against Sydney.

I 100% would have moved Esava back halfway through the 2nd quarter last night. Our backline needed the help and our forward line needed to kick to someone who can mark.
 
I'd probably go something like this:

F: SPP, Lord, Rioli
HF: DBJ, Georgiades, Rozee
C: Sinn, Wines, J Burgoyne
HB: Jones, Aliir, Farrell
B: L Evans, BZT, Bergman

R: Sweet, Butters, JHF
I: Finlayson, Drew, Mead, Lorenz
SUB: Anastas

EMG: Rat, Soldo, Burton
 
TOP 5 GOOD PORT ADELAIDE POWER STORIES 2024

MITCH GEORGIADES

Early last year Mitch was dropped based on form and didn't look to have the footballing IQ and decision making to play up the ground in any capacity. He went back to the SANFL and then compounded his poor year by injuring his ACL.

Coming back this year from injury, Mitch played well enough but in the middle of the year was promoted to playing the first banana in the forward line and began to dominate averaging around 3 goals a game and was one of the major reasons for our late run of wins.

His improvement was more based on smart leading, forward craft and excellent hands than Mark of the Year bravado. With this, Mitch's kicking boot found a welcome return and he once again became a good set shot for goal. The turnaround has been remarkable from out of the side to the sharpest of spearheads.

There will some pressure for Mitch to perform for 2025 but hopefully the forward line is his to dominate for years to come.

JORDON SWEET

Jordon Sweet, along with Ivan Soldo were traded in the off season to bolster a pedestrian to poor ruck crew. While Soldo got first crack at ruck and played well, he succumbed to injury and a bit of a form slump during the year and the patient Sweet came into the team.

A Port lad who had spent years behind the Bulldogs AA ruckman, Tim English, he slowly worked his way into good form, connecting with the young midfield but also providing a bit of unsociability that we've missed in the centre square.

Towards the end of the year, Sweet had unequivocally become the number one ruck and I appreciate that he had to earn his spot and I thought played well in finals too.

It would be nice for him to do a bit more around the ground but I am looking forward to Sweet starting in the ruck for 2025.

LOGAN EVANS

"Plucked" from the smoke and mirrors change rooms of Alberton in the mid-season draft, Logan Evans debuted soon after and with much trepidation from the fan base given our selections of MSD's picks of the past.

Hinkley was impressed with his hard work ethic and overall footballing talent and in the biggest surprise of the Port Adelaide season, he dropped seamlessly into the backline and looked like a 100 game veteran doing everything well albeit with spaghetti arms.

Supposedly learning from fellow versatile back, Miles Bergman, the young backline looks bright with Lachie Jones and Josh Sinn also starting to show improvements.

With a good preseason under the belt, the only way is up for Logan.

JASE BURGOYNE

This year the laconic Jase Burgoyne was moved to the wing and played well during the year and improved his form overall. Clocking up big numbers with ground covered, Jase began to impact multiple contests and with the natural Burgoyne footballing ability, impressed towards the end of the year.

In the finals, he looked great in the backline and had a BOG performance in our win against the Hawks. With a bit more muscle and another preseason under his belt, Jase is set to have a great 2025 and who knows where he plays.

MILES BERGMAN
Starting the year on the wing like Jase, Bergman played well enough but it was his shift back to third tall that allowed Miles to once again showcase his dominant aerial skills, fast pace, athleticism and defensive nous.

In this span, it could be argued that Miles became our 5th best player and is versatile enough to be put on any forward.

Although he has found his position down back, such was the quality of his year, that the coaching staff should be eyeing off Bergman for some midfield minutes in 2025.
 
Macca19 said:
I'd probably go something like this:

F: SPP, Lord, Rioli
HF: DBJ, Georgiades, Rozee
C: Sinn, Wines, J Burgoyne
HB: Jones, Aliir, Farrell
B: L Evans, BZT, Bergman

R: Sweet, Butters, JHF
I: Finlayson, Drew, Mead, Lorenz
SUB: Anastas

EMG: Rat, Soldo, Burton
Click to expand...

Yep, play Rozee to his strengths, would be a very tough match up in an open forward line.
 
El_Scorcho said:
Ratugolea's 8 games as a key forward. Doesn't have the burst of speed to get separation, doesn't know how to use his body to win a marking contest, doesn't have good hands, and if he does mark it is a terrible kick for goal.

We got sucked in because his move surprised Carlton, and then he played in the anomaly game against Sydney which locked him in for the rest of the season despite doing absolutely nothing.

We really should have just played Lord. Key forward is our biggest concern moving forward, with Dixon hopefully retiring and Marshall with huge concussion related question marks, I think we need to go pretty hard at Lukosius or anyone else available.


View attachment 2116457
Click to expand...

At least if we invested in lord we would have some kind of result. We would know we can go into 2025 with him marked down as a first 22 player, or we could go into it knowing we can’t.

The absolute worst case scenario was going into 2025 not knowing where he’s at, esava proving he’s not a genuine kf option for anything other than dire emergencies , Dixon fully cooked , and Todd probably done.

We’re in the worst possible timeline and several of the problems were avoidable.
 

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TOP 5 DISAPPOINTING PORT ADELAIDE POWER STORIES 2024

CONNOR ROZEE

Everything was right in the world for Connor Rozee. He was coming into 2024 as one of the elite midfielder of the competition with two AA seasons in the previous years. He had just inked a huge and long contract with the club, became the captain of the Power and his partner gave birth to a baby girl.

But I think it is safe to say that Rozee has had an underwhelming year by his standards. The stats are pretty much there but he's had a bit of a dip in form and also had to play on an injured ankle at the behest of his coach over the medical staff. Since then his form hasn't been as strong and Rozee has played on injuries before and lost form in the process. Recently in finals I feel he has picked up form.

With the captaincy problem of Jonas in the back mirror, the Port fans were keen for a changing of the guard with the young bucks taking leadership roles. Rozee, along with vice-captain, Butters with Powell-Pepper, Drew and Houston formed the new young, core of leadership to move the Power forward.

Once again, it is safe to say that the leadership of Rozee has been underwhelming. He is young in the role and sometimes these things take time.

I want to say that Rozee has been good this year but just not at that elite level we are use to. I think Rozee will come back with a vengeance in 2025 and get back to close to AA form and grow as a leader.

JEREMY FINLAYSON

With the ongoing sage of his partner's health problems, we all feel for Finny. To start the year, Jeremy kicked some goals albeit usually back of the pack stuff and played second ruck in a perfunctory manner. His early season form was OK but you were looking around for something else.

Then the "bundle of sticks" thing happened and it pretty much derailed the rest of his year. He came back after suspension and his form was down but eventually Finlayson injured his spleen and was out for the season.

I wish Jeremy and his partner much health. Hopefully he turn around his form in 2025.

CHARLIE DIXON

Banged up throughout the 2023 campaign, Dixon fumbled throughout the preseason and struggled mightily throughout 2024 with his physical body and football form.

Losing his one wood in contested marking, his direct opponent running off him at will and Charlie struggling to impact contests and recover, it was obvious that Dixon's body was cooked like a Sunday roast. To his credit, he worked through it and did his best but by the end of the year, it was hard watching him play.

Related to this is the injury and poor form of his supposed successor, Ollie Lord. If the young lad took his chance and kicked some goals and second rucked well enough, we might not be having this conversation.

A tough watch from a maligned player who gave his all or 2 cents depending on how you see it but probably should've hung up the boots and put them on the front mirror of his Monaro a while back.

TODD MARSHALL

Marshall started the year as the second banana in the forward line and with an ageing star in Dixon, everyone was hoping that Todd would start a process of becoming our number one forward with his creativity, foot skills and good mark on the lead.

With Todd's form down on previous years, the sceptre of injury related to brain injury began to rear its ugly head and towards the end of the year even innocuous contests gave Marshall real problems and put him immediately into concussion protocols.

With health being more important than football, the footballing future of Todd Marshall remains uncertain.

JED MCENTEE

I'm not going to spend a lot of time here because we all know it.

McEntee came into 2024 as the whipping boy of the Port Adelaide Football Club and with good reason because his form had been average at best.

Apart from a spirited showing against Tom Mitchell, McEntee's form continued to descend to the point of becoming a real problem for the team.

In his 14 games this year, Jed averaged just over 7 possessions, half a goal and a player rating of 3.78.

I hope he turns it around in 2025.
 
The listed sides for 2025 are genuinely 8th - 16th type side , and it would take an amazing injury run and amazing form from a handful of our key players (Mitch Rioli sweet rozee butters jhf Alir Bergman) to get near that top end range. Wrong injuries to the wrong players and we’re bottom 4. In all likelihood we’re a side that misses finals but not shit enough to get a really good draft pick.
 
Macca19 said:
I disagree on the burst speed. He doesn't suit our forward line the way we play. It's quite possible he doesn't suit any forward line tbh, but, I think he does have the speed to play in an open forward line. Probably still wouldn't work though.

It's hard to see what to do with him next year.
Click to expand...

He should be a warm body at sanfl level for break glass emergencies, pity we paid good money and a long contract for him. So dumb.

And now our spines in serious trouble he could play a lot of games next year. Our forward line looks in all kind of trouble
 
I may as well crap one out.
I'm going on the players in the squad right now.

3RD TALL, Georgiades, Rioli
MF, CHF, Powell-Pepper
Burgoyne, Rozee, Lorenz
L. Evans, Aliir, Farrell
Bergman, Zerk-Thatcher, Houston
Sweet, Horne-Francis, Butters

Drew, Jones, Sinn, Wines

No McEntee, Boak, Dixon, Francis Evans, Burton, Narkle

MF - Anastasopoulos, Byrne-Jones
3RD TALL - Finlayson, maybe Scully
CHF - Lord, Ratugolea

Our forward line needs a bit of retooling or as they like to say, a few missing pieces need to be found.
 
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