Roast We are bottom!

[Changaneen]

Not convinced we will finish the season 17th. Have a gut feel we will finish stronger than we have started and win a few towards the end.

Cant see the Gold Coast winning many more. Just gut feel.

 

[Honeyboy Wilson]

Out of form
Logan - 81

One poor game and he's out of form? He'd be in our top 5 players for the year thus far. Don't know if that says something about him stepping up or the team just being that poor.

 

[kaysee]

It is disappointing to be currently last... but this is how I see it:

1) It isn't the 1st time... we bottomed out and spent the 1st half of the year there in 2000 (and we had some damn fine players in that team). We had a mix of new coach and rather young players who were learning to gel... not dissimilar to 2011.

2) The start of this season was always going to be tough (actually it is a tough draw)... Collingwood and Geelong away during the first 3 weeks (and now in hindsight West Coast are the seasons improvers... they just smashed the Bulldogs by 120 points).

3) Yes the GCS and NM games were really disappointing, but since then we've looked OK to good for 2/3 quarters during games against Hawthorn, Sydney and Fremantle. All finalists from last year... 7th, 5th and 6th respectively... and that isn't too bad for such a young team learning to play together. Consistancy will come.

I think we will win another few games to drag ourselves off the bottom, but again it will be tough given our draw.

Let's be realistic... what sort of season did you expect us to have? If you want to blood the youngsters you have to expect/accept inconsistency (either between games or even quarters).

To get back into contention IMO we need to do a few things:
- continue playing the youngsters.
- continue testing all players in various positions.
- continue playing players we can potentially trade.
- be active during trade week. ***

This last one is very important part of our improvement from last in 2000 to Premier in 2004 was some very good trades. The non Nick Stevens trade sent the message to other clubs and we benefited. However, other clubs seen that after the 2004 success and became more reluctant to trade with us... so we've paid the price since.

Hopefully, now enough time has gone by, with new clubs around, new coachs/admin in place at other clubs... the other clubs will be more willing to trade fairly with us (especially GCS and GWS). If we could pick up 1 or 2 experienced "leader" types (Hardwick, Monty) to help our young team that would be great.

 

[Forzaport]

This last one is very important part of our improvement from last in 2000 to Premier in 2004 was some very good trades. The non Nick Stevens trade sent the message to other clubs and we benefited. However, other clubs seen that after the 2004 success and became more reluctant to trade with us... so we've paid the price since.

Our recent trade record does paint a picture of where we are at. We did not trade in a single player at the end of 2006, 2007 or 2008. Instead, during that time, we traded out Symes and Thomilf for picks. An appropriate move for a club rebuilding. We messed up the end of 07 draft by picking cousin of and brother of players. We still managed to pick up a lot of good players, but good players need to be given opportunity to develop and the gold pass system stunted that development.

The end of the 2009 season was the cluster****. We lost Burgoyne and traded in Schulz and Nash. We then went on to draft Harding and Cloke and we promoted Thompson to the senior list. The signs pointed to a head coach not confident in the young players and desperate to get results. 2010 was a complete waste and we are now paying the price for it.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

You can't roast us for being bottom when the nature of the AFL with its draft and salary cap is cycle teams through the lows to get back up to the highs.

In 2004 Port and Brisbane were the grand finalists and the two form teams over several years. Down the bottom then were Richmond (4-18), Hawthorn (4-18), Bulldogs (5-17) and Collingwood (8-14). Richmond's draft choices stuffed them up for a few more years.

Port and Brisbane have both tried topping up to dodge the cycle and only made things worse for themselves. Only Brown holds Brisbane together in any way these days.

Every year there is going to be a whipping post. Last year it was West Coast (4-18) and general mirth at their football skills. In 2009 (and the first part of 2010) Richmond were woeful and Melbourne were bottom for the second year in a row. Fremantle won 6 games (for the second consecutive year) and everyone was writing them off. West Coast won 4 games in 2008. Every year someone is trying to relocate North Melbourne.

There are times where you are just going to have to wear it and stick by the club while it rebuilds. On top of the AFL cycle we have our own peculiar issues with the SANFL, the Footy Park issue, fairweather fans in a small supporter base, debt and finances.

 

[Schulzenfest]

One poor game and he's out of form? He'd be in our top 5 players for the year thus far. Don't know if that says something about him stepping up or the team just being that poor.

I wouldn't even say it was a poor game. He kept Mundy to 25 touches, which is under Mundy's season average.

 

[silverfingers]

Much as it hurts, we actually need to finish bottom. And badly.
It's the only way significant change will take place.
ie - a steamrollar through every aspect and division of the club from CEO down. Get rid of the dead wood.

 

[couchy555]

Ugh, dont wanna be the first Adelaide team to finish last.

 

[Spadge]

You can't roast us for being bottom when the nature of the AFL with its draft and salary cap is cycle teams through the lows to get back up to the highs.

In 2004 Port and Brisbane were the grand finalists and the two form teams over several years. Down the bottom then were Richmond (4-18), Hawthorn (4-18), Bulldogs (5-17) and Collingwood (8-14). Richmond's draft choices stuffed them up for a few more years.

Port and Brisbane have both tried topping up to dodge the cycle and only made things worse for themselves. Only Brown holds Brisbane together in any way these days.

Every year there is going to be a whipping post. Last year it was West Coast (4-18) and general mirth at their football skills. In 2009 (and the first part of 2010) Richmond were woeful and Melbourne were bottom for the second year in a row. Fremantle won 6 games (for the second consecutive year) and everyone was writing them off. West Coast won 4 games in 2008. Every year someone is trying to relocate North Melbourne.

There are times where you are just going to have to wear it and stick by the club while it rebuilds. On top of the AFL cycle we have our own peculiar issues with the SANFL, the Footy Park issue, fairweather fans in a small supporter base, debt and finances.

Agree with all this, although another frustrating thing is that when Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn etc were at the bottom they landed some really good draft picks and priority picks
When we bottom out we'll get whatever dross GWS dont grab first, and a priority pick somewhere in the mid to high 20s
Awesome

 

[Forzaport]

You can't roast us for being bottom when the nature of the AFL with its draft and salary cap is cycle teams through the lows to get back up to the highs.

...

Port and Brisbane have both tried topping up to dodge the cycle and only made things worse for themselves. Only Brown holds Brisbane together in any way these days.

This is my issue with us being bottom. Trying to short-circuit the AFL cycle by topping up at the end of 2009 was an epic failure and is justification for a good roasting.

 

[Peck]

We won't finish bottom. There are still a lot of winnable games to come.

 

[Frank Spencer Clone]

This is not only poor taste it shows a total lack of intelligent humour. If you disagree with someone try to add to your argument instead of just sounding nasty.

That comment was neither poor taste nor a lack of intelligent humour. And I have expounded my argument on this subject myriad times on this board.
What it is, is indisputable fact - and sooner or later, the majority that haven't seen the bleeding obvious already will wake up and smell the coffee.
This hole we are in is pure and simple, the legacy of 12 years of abysmal list management and player development. Nothing else.
Hanging on to , and continuing to try and structure a side around, ' old champions ' ' club stalwarts ' and ' legends ' when they are obviously well past their best - by three or four years in some cases ( Tredrea, P Burgoyne, Paxman, Bishop, etc etc to name a few ) and nothing but a liability, at the expense of developing young players to succeed the champions, is absolute stupidity, and we've got holes on every line as a result, with another one to come when Brogan finally hangs up the boots. Who do we have as leaders in the backline since Wakelin & Wilson retured? Two talls who lack confidence and decision making ability, with a third ( Pettigrew ) who lacks even more confidence than the others. These guys have been on the list for years and have jack all AFL experience. Then look at the forward line. One dimensional for 10+ years, now there's nothing at all down there because nothing's been groomed.
When Paxman went down with the knee in 2001 that should have been it. Gone. He was 32. Perfect opportunity to blood and develop a successor under the mentorship of Wakelin and Wilson. Why bring a 33 year old hack back, what purpose does that serve?
Therein, in that isolated example - one of many such cases - , lies the reason why this great proud club is in the depths of the shit pit.
Thank God Primus is determined to break that culture and develop the list, and weed out the garbage. And the sooner he weeds out the last remaining holders of the previous administration's Golden Tickets, the sooner the results will change and the culture of the playing group will change.

And this is NOT having a sling off at those players, who were champions of this club. It was sad to see Tredrea go out the way he did, if his latter career had been handled differently, he could have gone out in a way that befitted the man rather than with a battered and broken down body.

I admire Primus' guts in taking this path. Already this season he's turned up some great kids who can play and marked the cards of several passengers.
Rather this than the continual embarrassment of losing ' unloseable ' home finals to travelling teams by persisting with an ultra defensive game plan and playing injured and lazy players, or watching a living , breathing episode of Dad's Army in black white and teal fatigues.
Look for the positives in what's happening and look at the bigger picture. It's not as bleak as people seem to think.

 

[BOND 007]

abc radio were discussing West Coast rise from bottom and why?

Experienced players are performing and injurY free this year ... Cox, Lynch, Embley, Kerr ... and not just performing but in their top 5 almost every week. Plus they are 30 and look like continuing.

Add in Glass as a key defender and Kennedy as key forward with LeCras as crumber plus some good kids, inc Schuey and Darling.

CompAre this to us? We have no forwrds or defenders of similar ilk, we have some good kids in midfield but our experienced guys who can help the kids are either shite or on their last legs or on the outer. I fear we are going to be down a long time.

Seen Port a few times this year and as a non Port supporter I think you are spot on in your assessment of where you are at. Cox is 29, Glass 30, Kerr 28 and Lynch 28 so barring injury one would think they have 2 years left each, however the older players at port are either disinterested or not worthy of a place in a team that is crying out for leaders. You desperately need Surjan, Boak, Salopek etc to stand up and be counted as you cannot expect the Hartlett's, Pittard's, etc to do that job.

Its a bad time to bottom out, and unfortunately I see a welter of pain in the next 4-5 years for Port.


--

 

[PortBrillance]

We won't finish bottom. There are still a lot of winnable games to come.

lol are you serious? I can't see any winnable games with the way we are playing.

If we were playing Brisbane at home then I would say that game, but we are playing at the GABBA ffs, no chance.

Don't forget we have played 9 games in comparison to Brisbane's 8 and GC's 7.

If Brisbane or GC win at least 2 more games from now till the end of the season, we will get the spoon

 

[Moore26]

I think we can beat melbourne, st kilda maybe.

 

[squinto]

Pick 4 yay!

Trade it ASAP we'll only stuff it up with selecting a hlaf back flanker/project player/injury prone player.... Lets trade it with a host of other players for a ready made midfielder.

 

[squinto]

abc radio were discussing West Coast rise from bottom and why?

Experienced players are performing and injurY free this year ... Cox, Lynch, Embley, Kerr ... and not just performing but in their top 5 almost every week. Plus they are 30 and look like continuing.

Add in Glass as a key defender and Kennedy as key forward with LeCras as crumber plus some good kids, inc Schuey and Darling.

CompAre this to us? We have no forwrds or defenders of similar ilk, we have some good kids in midfield but our experienced guys who can help the kids are either shite or on their last legs or on the outer. I fear we are going to be down a long time.

I'm still trying to understand how we've fallen so far behind since that glorious day in September 2007 when we beat West Coast Needles by 3 points in the Qualifying Final.

How would the players they've recruited since then compare to us?
Darling, Gaff (2010), Sheppard, Strik, Hams (2009), Naitanui, Shuey, Swift, Smith (2008), Masten, Ebert, Selwood, McGinnity (2007).

Or is it all because of the money they have in the footy department e.g new coaches? Game plan change, confidence???

 

[Northalives]

We won't finish bottom. There are still a lot of winnable games to come.

Finishing bottom would be the greatest disaster to have ever befallen our club - worse than any grand final humiliation, worse than anything that has ever happened at our club.
It must not happen, regardless of any "rebuilding" or education/re-education of our playing squad.
Any **** er that says or thinks that it doesn't matter finishing bottom should just **** off and never show their face at Alberton again.

 

[bomberclifford]

Finishing bottom would be the greatest disaster to have ever befallen our club - worse than any grand final humiliation, worse than anything that has ever happened at our club.
It must not happen, regardless of any "rebuilding" or education/re-education of our playing squad.
Any **** er that says or thinks that it doesn't matter finishing bottom should just **** off and never show their face at Alberton again.

Quoted for emphasis.

 

[brogan2motlop]

Finishing bottom would be the greatest disaster to have ever befallen our club - worse than any grand final humiliation, worse than anything that has ever happened at our club.
It must not happen, regardless of any "rebuilding" or education/re-education of our playing squad.
Any **** er that says or thinks that it doesn't matter finishing bottom should just **** off and never show their face at Alberton again.

I agree with this whole heartedly...

This club should never finish bottom it's just...ugh

 

[Schulzenfest]

I don't care if we finish second bottom 5 years in a row if that's what it takes to rebuild. But I do care if we finish bottom, even once. Just avoid that and show some signs of building for the future and I'll be happy.

 

[S.Patrol.G]

I don't care if we finish second bottom 5 years in a row if that's what it takes to rebuild. But I do care if we finish bottom, even once. Just avoid that and show some signs of building for the future and I'll be happy.

Yep, with you on that. Finishing last -ever- is unacceptable.

 

[PortBrillance]

Finishing bottom might actually force the club into trading/delisting/sacking players, heads will roll if our club finishes bottom. I'm not saying I want to, but if it means that the people at the club actually ****ing do something, then great

 

[PAFC04]

Finishing bottom would be the greatest disaster to have ever befallen our club - worse than any grand final humiliation, worse than anything that has ever happened at our club.
It must not happen, regardless of any "rebuilding" or education/re-education of our playing squad.
Any **** er that says or thinks that it doesn't matter finishing bottom should just **** off and never show their face at Alberton again.

I feel the emotion through that post and I find it so true in every comment, and I love it. However.....this aint the SANFL when clubs feared playing us where it would be unthinkable then.

As Ford has pointed out and also noticed myself since Port entered is that every side has been at the bottom or thereabouts.

Just be glad that we arent getting relegated as they do in England, because at the end of the day.......thats why it doesn't matter.

Getting relagated would be the end of our club as we know it....

Having Said that......(light Bulb)...........What if we did have a relegation system as they do in England, would it be good to give the licenses to the clubs that are promoted? I dont want that...however it does make it for a good system...i think.....

 

[El_Scorcho]

The spoon would be worse than 119.

I have no issues with us finishing 16th, but 17th would be a nightmare.