Far-West Footy

We have been complaining, for the entire season, that Port never plays well for four consecutive quarters, but, guess what, we have just done that. Best game by Port this year, and the score shows it — best percentage of the season. Oh, Footscray... "Can we play you/ Can we play you/ Can we play you every week?/ Can we play you every week?" --- I couldn't watch the game live, but I was able to watch the entire game later on. Great weather for footy. Seriously! I love bad-weather footy. The only issue with the game in Ballarat was the main camera, which should be on the other side, at the hill, facing the covered stands. Otherwise, it was a great show. Only snow would make it better. I am obliged to say that I liked our first half. It had been a while since the last time I did – probably, it was against Richmond; eight weeks ago. Ebert surprised me positively, Watts' and Motlop's involvement were outstanding, and the entire midfield was playing as if they were a...

I am aware that there was footy this weekend, but I won’t talk about it. The last five weeks felt like reliving the first five rounds of the season: three consecutive wins, followed by two painful losses. If the pattern continues, we should beat Footscray next. Still, the last couple of games were inexcusable. Are we chokers? It is time for the leadership to step up. They are the only ones who can give an answer to that question. Meanwhile, I would like to tell you about the visitor I had thanks to Port! --- It was way past midnight, already Tuesday, when the bus that had left Corrientes city at 6pm finally arrived at Paso de Los Libres bus station. I had been waiting for it for more than an hour in the typical humid cold night of the Tri-Country area’s Winter. I was wearing my Port guernsey. If it weren’t for the Port Adelaide Football Club, I would be probably sleeping on my warm cosy bed, instead of enjoying the constant wet wind that kept blowing tirelessly over everyone ...

I wanted to skip this one, but I ended up waking up anyway, because my nose was so congested I couldn't breathe.  I looked at the clock, and the game was about to start. I should have taken my wife's advice and not watched the game. At halftime, I had lost one hour of my life I will never get back… --- In brief, the game was pathetic. It was a ridiculous performance from both teams; definitely, not a game to show to someone new to the sport. Thankfully, no one was watching with me. I gave up by halftime, but I still put the game on the radio. I ended up falling asleep midway Q3, when Port was still leading by 2. In the morning, the news that we had lost didn’t surprise me. It was, indeed, a “very bad horrible no good day.”[1] The loss was fitting. Something was off from the start, but our superiority in the middle kept Freo away — even with all our mistakes and turnovers. In Q2, we couldn't make anything right, but Freo kept kicking behind after behind.[2] A...

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...

Brazil and Uruguay just got out of the World Cup, and my soul is crushed. Thank Goodness for my family. It is easier to cope with losses with them. --- I have no idea where I  have put the manuscript of the review against Carlton. It was on how I watched the game at the farm, after enjoying the day with my mom, my kids, and my sister's family. I also  argued why Port is playing "Australian Fußball" emulating the efficiency of German soccer (this World Cup notwithstanding). We are not playing flashy footy, nor massacring weak opposition, but playing a blue-collar no-nonsense style that adjusts to every opponent. We  are getting better at that. We are still under the radar, although we are fighting for a Top-4/Top-2 spot. We have become a team that is really difficult to beat. We  have also become a team capable of explore different weaknesses. We are not playing for highlights, fantasy points, or individual achievements. We are playing Fußball. We are ...

Watts, Barry, Trengove, and Toumpas didn’t play because we feared they could be affected by our exorcism of the Demons. Our Holy Ground is a sanctuary, indeed. Despite their great efforts, the Demons couldn't maculate our home. --- So ugly a win, it was beautiful. In truth, I couldn't watch the only quarter we dominated. At Q3T, Brazil-Costa Rica started, and my focus shifted to the World Cup. I left my phone with the AFL app open, so I could check our comeback; but I have no idea what we did differently than the rest of the game. But, hey, it worked! It was an ugly win, but there are positives besides the score. We are exorcising demons that haunted us last year. Yes indeed, we lost the midfield. However, I had seen a game where Melbourne dominated the midfield, and they absolutely obliterated the Crows. Last year, by the way, they destroyed us mercilessly. So, they use midfield dominance to impose themselves, and we couldn't deal with opponents controlling ...

Half of the fun from being a Port's barracker comes from the Crows. That's why I love them. I haven't written anything for our friends from West Lakes so far, but this post amends that. This is for them. --- "#WeWantAnswersAFC" is trending on Twitter, while the entire Adelaide Crows is using the bye week for a kind of spiritual retreat away from everything — as if their last isolated camp had done them any good. Meanwhile our rival is in crisis, the #HasWinesSignedYet clock was reset to zero! Ollie is staying and ready to face the Demons on Friday, but that is a subject for another post. Today, I just want to relax and savour all this Schadenfreude brought by all the mismanagement happening at West Lakes. For that, I have found the perfect soundtrack, which I offer to all the Crows out there as a token of good-will. Enjoy the bye, folks! Let's put our "Collective Minds" to work and just imagine a better world: IMAGINE   Joh...