... Aaaaaand we are back! (Port 87 - 61 Melbourne)
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Port was under pressure after the ridiculous capitulation in the final part of last season. We were beginning our 2019 campaign at the MCG, against a team people expect to go again deep into finals. We didn’t have Wines, Hartlett, and Dixon. Things didn’t look good, and got worse as soon as the game started. Still, our team was able to shake everything off and grab the win.
Truth be
told, I have heard
noisier MORGUES than the MCG last weekend. The Demons home-field advantage is
not that great; which has made our task a bit easier. Moreover, our fitness was way superior to theirs. Melbourne's players are far from
being physically ready. The game was close until they had legs. After that, it
was all Port. Their last goal was in the 8th minute of Q3. After that, we
outscored them 5.7:37 to 0.2:2. We still kicked to many behinds for my liking,
but, at this time of the season, I am not bothered by it - I will only if it
becomes a trend.
Ken stated that this was “his best win ever” at Port. Many people were appalled he said that, but he clarified his opinion. He has some great wins with us, fewer than everyone (including Hinkley) would have liked, but this one has happened exactly like it was planned — even having 6 newcomers, with 4 of them playing their first AFL game, away, at the MCG, against a flag contender, and on the first game after a late-season shamefully historical debacle.
Hinkley may be a very emotional person, but, in his interviews, I always have the impression that he ends up toning down the relevance of the subject at hand — even when he uses hyperbole. For instance, although he said that it was his best win ever, he also said that we shouldn't get carried away. After all, it was only one game. It was the best win ever, alright; but it is far from enough. Most of all, it was our last win. In the end, Hinkley was simply paraphrasing Madonna: "the best sex I ever had was yesterday's." Let’s have another “best win ever” for Hoff in Round 2.
Ken stated that this was “his best win ever” at Port. Many people were appalled he said that, but he clarified his opinion. He has some great wins with us, fewer than everyone (including Hinkley) would have liked, but this one has happened exactly like it was planned — even having 6 newcomers, with 4 of them playing their first AFL game, away, at the MCG, against a flag contender, and on the first game after a late-season shamefully historical debacle.
Hinkley may be a very emotional person, but, in his interviews, I always have the impression that he ends up toning down the relevance of the subject at hand — even when he uses hyperbole. For instance, although he said that it was his best win ever, he also said that we shouldn't get carried away. After all, it was only one game. It was the best win ever, alright; but it is far from enough. Most of all, it was our last win. In the end, Hinkley was simply paraphrasing Madonna: "the best sex I ever had was yesterday's." Let’s have another “best win ever” for Hoff in Round 2.
Talking about our next game, if we start it well, I think Carlton has no chance of looking remotely competitive. My main concern is players having the yips at the beginning of the game, just as they did against Melbourne. I fear the atmosphere at the Oval can turn against the team. We have brought Schofield, Montgomery, and Lycett in; but I still mistrust our leadership skills. It can become a shitshow, if we lose the crowd, and Carlton gains confidence. Prove me wrong, Port! Please…
CARN THE POWER!
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This week, I have the pleasure to chat with BigFooty’s Janus. Janus is a huge Port barracker and a lover of tactics. I asked him some questions about Jack Watts and our game against Carlton.
[GremioPower] Janus, Watts was among the BOG in the weekend. After a bad start, Port was able to correct the mistakes and take the control of the game. The approach to the game was completely different than what we saw last year. It looked like a breath of fresh air. I don't think we will roll over this year. In my blog, I have written this about our past season in general and on Watts, specifically:
"... one can't be daring in list management and cautious on the field. The moneyball mentality must permeate the club as a whole... The season has come and gone, but we were never able to use properly the tools we had got...
... The team was leaking, we were aware of the issues, but we had no clue on how to fix them with the tools at our disposal. In the end, sincerely, we looked like a bunch of lost cowards. We accepted defeat."
"… Watts was the perfect man to become the link whenever we got stuck up the field, distributing the ball, so we could move fast forward - using Polec, RGray, Wingard, and Motlop as counter-attacking weapons."
We finally saw him doing
that on Saturday! Having said that, could Watts have been misused last year? In other words, have we failed
to take advantage of his qualities? Or would Saturday's game be too early too
call, considering what have happened in last year's JLT Showdown and R1 v.
Freo?
[Janus] I firmly believe Lade had absolutely no idea how to use Watts. In fact, I'm quite certain Lade has no idea about football whatsoever. That, coupled with our slow as treacle movement out of defence meant that we never saw Jack get a decent run at what he was recruited for, which is to be the connection between the mids and the forwards.
If you notice this year, all our players are actively looking for him coming out of defence and letting him set up the play. Eventually, when Howard gets up to speed and takes over the role in defence, Watts will move into the midfield and be the conduit that moves up and down the ground, delivering the ball to the midfield from defence and then delivering the ball to the forward line from midfield.
He's improved his thirst for the contest - it might sound funny, but keeping some testosterone due to not womanising as much would have an impact on that.
[Janus] I firmly believe Lade had absolutely no idea how to use Watts. In fact, I'm quite certain Lade has no idea about football whatsoever. That, coupled with our slow as treacle movement out of defence meant that we never saw Jack get a decent run at what he was recruited for, which is to be the connection between the mids and the forwards.
If you notice this year, all our players are actively looking for him coming out of defence and letting him set up the play. Eventually, when Howard gets up to speed and takes over the role in defence, Watts will move into the midfield and be the conduit that moves up and down the ground, delivering the ball to the midfield from defence and then delivering the ball to the forward line from midfield.
He's improved his thirst for the contest - it might sound funny, but keeping some testosterone due to not womanising as much would have an impact on that.
[GremioPower] Regardless of the quality, what are the differences in style between Melbourne and Carlton? How relevant are they for consideration by our coaches?
[Janus] Opposite styles. The difference is in their personnel - while Melbourne has a whole bunch of contested ball winners who thrive in close and try to win the ball with the outnumber and then spread to the outside, Carlton really only has Cripps as their bull and inside outside types like Walsh and Dow.
They are more a run and spread team that likes to possess the ball with chip kicks down the line and then cut across to the spare on the opposite wing. It's early, but I'm looking at them like Port Adelaide 2013 - lots of quick, agile players that will be let down by their skill level at this stage of their career.
On the MCG they are a different team because they have the space to
execute and possibly mess up kicks and get away with it, but on the smaller
Adelaide Oval they will always struggle because AO is more suited to stoppages,
contested and territory football.
Because they've got fast players you have to be
worried about their ability to close down space on the run - they aren't smart
enough yet to guard against a change of lanes, so the best bet is to run in waves
and provide more than one option to overwhelm them...which is different from
the more focused running on the outside that we saw against Melbourne. If they
know where the ball is going, they will be able to defend it, but if there are
multiple options that is when we can exploit their lack of experience in
funnelling attacks where they are strongest. [GremioPower] Would there be changes, both in strategy and personnel, that any of you would do for next weekend? For instance, would you give Ryder a bye? Would you rest Marshall and/or Duursma due their game injuries? Would you bring Wines back? Would you do something else?
[Janus] Carlton struggle against talls, so Ryder plays. Marshall is fast and tall, so he plays. Duursma is fast, so he plays. I'd bring Wines in because when you're playing against a run and spread team you want to suck them into the contest and deny their strength - if Wines, Powell-Pepper and Drew are working over Cripps, it means they won't get first use at stoppages and have to push more players into the contest. You weren't here when Sydney would smash us every single time we played them in Adelaide Oval, but this is what they would do to us.
I'd be dropping Byrne-Jones because not only did he have a poor game, but because I believe Hartlett will be taking his place regardless, and I want to give Drew more games to reward his effort. It's not like Carlton has this fantastic forward line that needs a lock down small defender like Byrne-Jones anyway - most of their goals are scrappy ones. I'd be telling Darcy to go back into the SANFL and work on his positioning in the system.
This isn't the sort of game you concern yourself with what the opposition are doing. That doesn't mean you don't respect your opponent, it just means that they are at a different stage of development and if you are truly worried about their players than we aren't a team that should be playing finals.
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