K.O. (Port 64 - 115 Collingwood)


"It ain't over until it is over," they say. Well, sometimes, it is over before it is over. If the four losses in the previous five games weren't evidence enough, the embarrassing defeat against Collingwood closed the case. No finals! Our 2018 has been a failure. Period.
---
"Defense wins championships," Port rightly believes; and our club worked hard to become, if not the best, one of the strongest defenses of the league. However, there is a "tiny" detail that might have be forgotten along the way — the whole saying is not limited to Defense. It actually goes like this: "Offense wins games; Defense wins championships."

Without offense, a team can't win games; and without winning games, it becomes impossible to win championships! After losing 5 of our last 6 games, with our offense being absent in 4 of those, this has become rather clear. There is no imposing defense able enough to carry a Bottom-6 offense.

These last games have simply made us regress rapidly to our mean, after a 7-1 run in the previous 8 games. We are now where we belong. We have become a mediocre hard-working toothless side. Nothing less; nothing more. And mediocre teams are supposed to be in the 9th/10th place on an 18-team ladder.

Worse, the capitulation in Q4 against Collingwood felt like players sending us all the message that we cannot be more than what we already are. Since we weren't supposed to simply be a "mediocre hard-working toothless side," something went really wrong this season.

For some reason, our offense never clicked. For some reason, our midfield never became the clearance/tackling/possession machine it was meant to be. I am not sure whether Hinkley is the problem. I am not sure of anything, but that something is wrong, and we need to acknowledge it and fix it.

I imagine that the necessary changes would be painful to make. Good people must go, because we are asking them to do things for which they are unsuitable. Who? I don't know. All that I know is that we have become something we don't want to be.

Against Collingwood, we have thrown the towel. We have no answers to our issues. And we are not willing to bet on "non-answers" to see whether maybe we are wrong about them — Billy Frampton, please, step forward.

There can be honour in defeat. Port Adelaide can be mediocre and have losing seasons, for sure. But Port cannot be: unaware and clueless on why it is a mediocre loser; satisfied and comfortable with it; nor afraid to cut deep into self to change it.

Currently, though, we are NOT Port Adelaide; and that is the worst thing that can possibly happen to us. Missing finals after being 11-4 is ridiculous. The 2018 knockout is as painful as self-inflicted. Koch, Thomas: it is time to act. As I have said last week, Thomas' words couldn't be truer: "the 'status quo' is not acceptable."


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks: a response to James Rosewarne

Image
This is a reply to an article from Footyology on Ken Hinkley. It's an attempt to show that demanding Port to change its head coach cannot be neither "obscene" nor "ludicrous," as the author argues, considering his own take on the subject. Hinkley has got the club up to where he could have brought us. There's enough evidence to show that he cannot takes us further, but through some series of fortunate events. We should be thankful for his work in Alberton, but it's passed the time to move on. --- Introduction  “ Any calls for [ Hinkley’s ] head are obscene and ludicrous ,” wrote James Rosewarne, in an article published on July 12th at Footyology . He believes that such calls are the consequence of a “ ‘what have you done for me lately’ climate” in “an industry obsessed with coaching turmoil and intrigue .” After all, he says, “ Hinkley has repeatedly proven his worth at Alberton .”     I am a Port supporter who believes that a change at the club’s head-
Read more

The Riddle of the Sphinkley (Port 60 - 102 West Coast)

Image
“Decipher me, or I’ll devour you” —It’s derby week, and nobody knows what to expect from Port Adelaide. At least, I am not alone… --- So, the Magpies has lost two in a row, and the Power has split its two-game road trip. The results seem to be all disappointedly connected. This blog is an attempt to understand from a far things that people nearby seem unable to grasp. Still, maybe my struggles can help others to see better what is going on. Then, they could come here and explain it to me… On the Magpies, after the two weekend losses, there are people – once again – complaining about the club’s approach towards the SANFL competition. People tend to exaggerate on defeat. Winning both AFL and SANFL are goals, but there is an evident order of priority. If I understood the club right (always tricky!), there seems to be an understanding at the club that a competitive Magpies help developing and improving our depth as a whole.[1] One aspect that has made things harder this seaso
Read more

The AFLW and Port: name, colours, and team song

Image
Earlier this week I have awaken inspired. I couldn't resist making a sketch of a song's lyrics for our future AFLW team. Now, English is not my first language, and I have no musical talent. Hence, I have no idea whether my effort is good, bad, or somewhere in between. I would like your help to improve it. That's why I'm also telling what I had in mind while writing it. Context matters! Disclaimer: My posts are mostly half-joke, half-serious anyway. So, please, take this one accordingly. --- The Inspiration Port Adelaide's Identity: Gospel, Name, Colours The Port Adelaide Football Club has a clear identity. This identity is anchored in our constitutional documents – which, by the way, have nothing to do with the actual club constitution. To avoid confusion, let's call those documents as " The Port's Gospel ". So, as I understand it, The Port's Gospel has 4 parts, each comprised by one distinct document: (a) " The Creed " [&quo
Read more