2007 - Preseason Preview - 5th of 16 - Port Power

[pahoffm]

Port Adelaide
When I think of Port Adelaide, it strikes me that they spent 10 years building up to a premiership, won one, then collapsed within a couple of years. Will it take another decade for them to be competitive again?
Mark Williams is there again. He is assisted again by Dean Bailey, defence coach; Phil Walsh, midfield coach; Matt Primus, in a dual ruck coach & marketing role; and Mark's brother Stephen continues as development coach through the Port Adelaide Magpies.
For the last two years, Port's major problem has been an aging midfield and a lack of pace & power on the ball. It will be interesting to see how their football department has worked to overcome these problems.

Fig.1 - The List
Fabian Deluca	203	100	20
Hugh Minson	202	88	19
Brendon Lade	199	102	30
Dean Brogan	199	97	28
Adam Cockshell	199	100	20	new
Justin Westhoff	199	83	20	new
Jonathon Giles	199	85	19
Ryan Willits	197	100	20
Troy Chaplin	196	96	21
Toby Thurstans	195	92	26
Warren Tredrea	194	100	28
Michael Pettigrew	193	86	22
Gavin Grose	193	85	18	new	rookie
Alex Lee	193	87	18	new	rookie
Darryl Wakelin	192	95	32
Damon White	192	94	23
Chad Cornes	191	95	27
Alipate Carlile	191	93	19
Paul Stewart	190	82	19	new
Nathan Lonie	189	84	24
Ryan Williams	188	89	18	new
Greg Bentley	187	83	19
Nick Lower	187	86	19
Brad Symes	186	81	22
Peter Hardy	186	77	18	new	rookie
Shaun Burgoyne	185	89	24
Daniel Motlop	184	87	25
Domenic Cassisi	184	84	24
Matt Thomas	184	81	20
Tom Logan	183	73	21
Steven Salopek	183	84	21
Adam Thomson	183	84	20
Travis Boak	183	76	18	new
Peter Burgoyne	182	81	29
Kane Cornes	182	84	24
Robert Gray	182	82	18	new
Nathan Krakouer	182	61	18	new
Michael Wilson	181	89	30
Josh Mahoney	180	80	29
Jacob Surjan	180	80	21
Nathan Batsanis	180	78	18	new	rookie
Brett Ebert	178	87	23
Danyle Pearce	177	74	20
David Rodan	171	83	23	new

The List, fig.1, immediately looks like one that is being rebuilt for the future. It has the possible maximum of 44 players, of which 12 are new players, and four of these are rookies.
Of the list, 25 of the 44, 57% are 21yo or younger, with 14 of these, 32% of the list, being either 18 or 19yo. Also interesting to note that the oldest player recruited is 23yo, ie David Rodan from Richmond.
It is clear that Port are determined to take the long term rebuild route that most clubs are choosing now.

Fig.2 - The Spread
	<175	175-179	180-184	185-189	190-194	195-199	200+
28+			Wilson 181 30 D		Wakelin 192 32 D	Lade 199 30 R
			P.Burgoyne 182 29 F		Tredrea 194 28 F	Brogan 199 28 R
			Mahoney 180 29 F
25-27			Motlop 184 25 F	N.Lonie 189 24 D	C.Cornes 191 27 D	Thurstans 195 26 F
22-24	Rodan 171 23 F	Ebert 178 23 F	Cassisi 184 24 F	S.Burgoyne 185 24 M	White 192 23 F
			K.Cornes 182 24 M	Symes 186 22 D	Pettigrew 193 22 F
18-21		Pearce 177 20 M	Logan 183 21 M	Bentley 187 19 F	Carlile 191 19 D	Chaplin 196 21 D	Deluca 203 20 R
			Salopek 183 21 M	Lower 187 19 D	Stewart 190 19 D	Cockshell 199 20 R	Minson 202 19 R
			Surjan 180 21 M	Williams 188 18 D	Grose 193 18 D	Westhoff 199 20 R
			Thomas 184 20 D	Hardy 186 18 D	Lee 193 18 F	Willits 197 20 F
			Thomson 183 20 M			Giles 199 19 R
			Boak 183 18 M
			Gray 182 18 F
			Krakouer 182 18 M
			Batsanis 180 18 M

The Spread, fig.2, indicates the split in the Port Adelaide list. The top part clearly belongs to a bigone era.
There, then appears to be a large area in the 22-27yo section that is thin of players. This is where Port sacrificed their future to bank on that 2004 premiership with experienced players.
In the last 2-3 years, Port has gone all out to recruit as many juniors as it can.
I ponder how many of the those twilight players, 28 years plus, are really needed on the list. Also, that Port has recruited too many junior ruckman and medium outside flankers, at the cost of recruiting good young smaller inside midfield types.

Fig.3 - Positional Depth
B:	Wilson 181 30 D	Wakelin 192 32 D	N.Lonie 189 24 D
		Grose 193 18 D	Carlile 191 19 D
			Stewart 190 19 D
HB:	Symes 186 22 D	C.Cornes 191 27 D	Salopek 183 21 M
	Lower 187 19 D	Chaplin 196 21 D	Thomas 184 20 D
	Williams 188 18 D
	Hardy 186 18 D
C:	Logan 183 21 M	K.Cornes 182 24 M	Pearce 177 20 M
	Surjan 180 21 M	Thomson 183 20 M	Krakouer 182 18 M
	Boak 183 18 M
HF:	Mahoney 180 29 F	Tredrea 194 28 F	P.Burgoyne 182 29 F
	Cassisi 184 24 F	White 192 23 F	Motlop 184 25 F
	Bentley 187 19 F		Gray 182 18 F
F:	Thurstans 195 26 F	Pettigrew 193 22 F	Ebert 178 23 F
	Willits 197 20 F	Lee 193 18 F	Rodan 171 23 F
R:	Lade 199 30 R	S.Burgoyne 185 24 M	Batsanis 180 18 M
	Brogan 199 28 R
	Cockshell 199 20 R
	Deluca 203 20 R
	Westhoff 199 20 R
	Minson 202 19 R
	Giles 199 19 R

Positional Depth, fig.3, clearly shows the surplus of ruckmen & flankers at Port Adelaide, and what this has cost the club in genuine inside midfielders.
Their onball stocks look very thin, and this is where I see most of their opposition clubs gaining advantage over them in season 2007.
This is the area that they will have to develop over the coming years.

Conclusion:
Port Adelaide are rebuilding for the future, and as they are part way through this process there are a few gaps in their list.
Hopefully, for their supporters' sake, some of these younger outside types can transform themselves into inside, onball types. If not, Port will be hurt badly many times throughout this season.

 

[CyberKev]

With Port, as with most sides, much will depend on how they manage injuries at the club.

To this end, Port are probably more susceptible in this regard, if they take hits to a couple of key players.

They wouldn't want to be without Tredrea (can't believe he's only 28) for many games, and both Lade & Wakelin remain important.

Key defence also looks a big problem in the making for Port, with Wakelin likely to retire at season's end, and limited quality options coming through.

Gut feeling says that they'll get a reasonable run and make the eight, but a couple of hits to the wrong people and it could be a big blow-out.

Very interesting side to watch in 2007 and the only guarantee with them is that they'll roll Hawthorn comfortably, as they always do, regardless of venue and conditions, bugger it! :'(

 

[realist]

with some young runners, potent forward structure when Tredrea is playing, good rucks and home ground advantage at AAMI they are a good chance for the eight if their best players stay on the park.

Agree CK, they have punished us. When we beat them in 2001 to make the preliminary it must have hurt deep because they have had no mercy every single time they've played us since then.

 

[mb64]

May level off a bit but they have a good young list.Will finish 6-9