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

“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…

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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 season for the Magpies was the changes in our SANFL-only list. We have lost everybody or almost everybody. Moreover, we have struggled to fulfill those spots. There were still people coming in after the start of the season. Besides, due to injuries, suspensions, personal issues, etc., our main squad is currently thin. Also, the schedule forces us to sit out one emergency (this round, there were two) every week. Finally, we have some important players struggling to find their best football.

Since the Power is priority, we are using our scarce resources for the sake of our AFL season; as we should. The Magpies must do its best with the left-overs. So far, the results have not been as good as we wanted, but there is enough of the season left to turn things out for the better.

The same could be said about the Power – Port Adelaide Football Club is ONE CLUB, after all. Regarding our AFL side, expectations were high at the beginning of the season; and deservedly so. However, after seven rounds, both results and game form have been as underwhelming as the Magpies’.

For many reasons, we are not playing as we expected. If I got this right, our strategy couldn’t be simpler. [2] The problem is that we have not been able to successfully apply it. I may be mistaken, but I believe our gameplan is based on the belief that “if the opposition can’t play, we cannot lose.” It should work like this:

a) Forcing contests - we want players concentrated around the ball. Not only due our own defensive pressure, but the opposition’s as well. Why? Because this leaves plenty of empty spaces around the field.

Winning the clearance, then we must move quickly away from the pack, and kick the ball forward to the open man in the corridor. That is why we brought in Rockliff (getting the ball), Motlop (moving quickly away), and Watts (kicking the ball to the open man). If they get that ball, then we must pressure them until there is a stoppage, a throw-in, or a turnover — so we may have the ball back.

Now, we may not be able to get their defense off-guard. When this happen, and they don’t press us, our plan switches to

b) possession football - we want to move the ball around, uncontestedly, until our opponents make a mistake or attempt to press us; then, we target the open man in the corridor.

Thus, in both cases, we don’t let the opposition use the ball and we find the open man in the corridor. That’s our gameplan — all of it.

Of course, such a strategy needs to be adapted for personel, opposition, ground, and weather; but essentially it is always the same. It also does not change whether we are in offense or defence, because offense and defence become indistinguishable from one another — defending with the ball and attacking without it, or vice-versa.

One might wonder why this plan is not working.[3] That I cannot say, but it is precisely the riddle of the Sphinx: “Decipher me, or I’ll devour you, Ken Hinkley.”

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Notes:
[1] At least, that's my impression, but my vision may be blurred by my own personal bias.

[2] Do not get me wrong, ‘simple’ does not mean ‘easy.’ Our gameplan is actually difficult to execute.

[3] Neither for the Power or the Magpies.