Struggling Magpies v "We exist to win Premierships" (Port 86 - 50 St. Kilda)

The Magpies lost painfully against WWT, and there was a debate on BigFooty about Port's struggles in SANFL. Would have Port disrespected the Magpies with this year's strategy? Have we fired Chad because winning is no longer a priority in the Seconds? This post is my attempt to address such questions.

---
This weekend, Power has beaten St. Kilda, showing signs of improved transition moving forward; but our kicking accuracy has let us down, both passing and to goal. Still, our defense was too strong for the Saints. The final score was:

Port 12.14:86

St.K. 7.8:50

The game was covered previously, even before the game had happened. It was a typical 2018 Port Fußball victory! That is why I thought this time would be a good opportunity to talk on the Magpies.

The Magpies are struggling a lot in 2018, after being Minor Premiers and having reached the Grand Final in 2017. There are people arguing (and complaining) that this is because Port would have changed its approach from "We exist to win Premierships" to "We exist for practicing purposes."

Now, that is a serious accusation! Unfortunately, I am far away, so my perspective is not the best to judge on this. Still, perhaps my limited perspective can help enlighten the issue a bit.

The idea that we would be transforming the Magpies into a Port's version of the Lil'Crows bothers me. It bothers me for two reasons: (a) it would be a stupid idea; and (b) it doesn't seem to be what is actually going on. 

I can't prove my point now. We would need to see what we will do next year. However, based on what we have been doing this year, those seem to be one-year measures due necessity; nothing more. There were some circumstances that forced us to sacrifice the Magpies' season — but only this season!

There are so many aspects involved in this matter that it makes hard for me to believe the decision was so clear cut as some make it seems to be [even I made it, in the previous paragraph]: (1) first of all, we lost the EF against the Eagles and decided to make some relevant changes in the way we play for this season; (2) second, considering both our AFL and SANFL lists, there are almost 20 new players this year at Alberton; and, (3) third, we lost the SANFL Grand Final.

People might be right, and the decision to hire a new coach for the Magpies was strategically motivated. However, one must acknowledge that, with so many changes, the team would struggle regardless. We could indeed have tried to win for winning's sake, with the same coach, but the odds would be stacked against us. So, the decision would have been between two different ways of losing.

The greater probability was that the Magpies' season was doomed anyway. Hence, we decided to prioritize our AFL season, emphasizing the changes on the Power game plan. The Magpies would need to apply them as well.

Now, it is still a fact that the Power has been struggling to incorporate the modifications in our game plan. We are still playing for the win [and we got 11/15 so far], but we are also using the games to test both our players and our game plan. The Magpies are simply doing the same.

However, it is harder for them to win because they are a very different team than past year, they are less experienced, we have had more injuries, and the SANFL competition is different than the AFL [and other minor issues as scheduling]. That's why the outcome this season has been different for the Magpies and for the Power.

Next season, I believe that the changes won't be as significant as they were this season. Players will know both each other and the AFL game plan; and once they become used to plan, there will be no more reason to use actual league games as practice matches. This will allow us to free the Magpies for adopting its own game plan; more suitable to its competition.

Would this contradict the point on why we hired a new coach for the Magpies; i.e, that we didn't want to try winning for the sake of winning? Maybe not. After all, 2017 seems to have been considered a failure both for the Power and the Magpies. When we started delisting the players who choked against Sturt, perhaps we thought the lack of continuity was enough reason to release Chad from his coaching duties.

Still, we brought a SANFL coach in; renewed Summerton's contract; and included Barry, McKenzie, Thomas, and Trengove to our depth. Those seem to be signs that we sought reinforcing the Magpies. Why would we do this, if not to make the Magpies competitive?

We want them to win; but the Power comes first. The Magpies will get its turn. SANFL better to be ready. Port will be back soon, and stronger.

CARN THE PORT!!