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Port and North are diamonds in a rough AFL season

Roar Guru
18th September, 2014
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Roar Guru
18th September, 2014
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Boring football, high ticket prices, TV friendly timeslots and the Essendon saga have given even the most ardent AFL fan reasons to abandon their support.

For this reason, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan should send a few cartons to the Port Adelaide and North Melbourne football clubs as reward for their efforts this season.

In an era of cynicism, these two clubs have managed to produce a feel-good story that encapsulates what is good about our game.

More AFL Finals:
» Expert tips and predictions
» PREVIEW: Sydney Swans vs North Melbourne Kangaroos
» PREVIEW: Hawthorn Hawks vs Port Adelaide Power

The two clubs have charted similar paths since their last appearances in a preliminary final – ironically against each other- in 2007.

Both are working-class clubs, both have had periods of stagnation and both have faced extinction only to rise above it with the help of media personalities as presidents.

North Melbourne in 2008 was faced with a choice; stay within the confines of Arden Street or move to the glitz and glamour of the Gold Coast as part of the AFL’s expansion into the northern states.

At the time relocation was an attractive proposition as it would bring money and draft picks to a club struggling to accumulate both. It was emotional decision that was ultimately resolved with North Melbourne electing to stay in Melbourne under a new board lead by media personality James Brayshaw.

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Since this decision, the derelict Arden Street has had a revamp to become a modern AFL training facility and the club has reinvested in its footy department.

The club now has 40,000 members and reasonable corporate support that includes a deal with Hobart City Council to play matches in the Tasmanian capital.

Meanwhile, on-field, the club’s playing and coaching staff has been rebooted, seeing them reached a prelim after some painful rebuilding.

Across the border in Adelaide, only two years ago Port Adelaide was a club struggling to tread water.

Saddled with a burgeoning debt and a lack of football resources, they were playing matches to regular sub 20,000 crowds at the concrete jungle tarpaulin wasteland that was Football Park.

A humiliating loss to Greater Western Sydney in Round 19 of 2012 was both rock bottom and a line in the sand moment for the Power.

The board rolled over, the coach was sacked and a new order was introduced.

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David Koch of Sunrise fame came in to professionalise the management, while Ken Hinkley became the first man since Fos Williams in 1950 to be appointed Port Adelaide coach without any connection to the club.

From the depths of despair, Port now plays to regular crowds of over 40,000 at the new-look Adelaide Oval, with an impressive business plan and match day experience to boot.

This list of achievements is impressive considering the timeframe, but it’s what they’ve done on-field that makes these stories all the more impressive.

In an era of congestion footy and defensive mindsets, the up-tempo styles of Port and the Kangaroos are a pleasure to watch.

At North they’ve blended the experience of Drew Petrie, Brent Harvey and Nick Dal Santo with the youthful exuberance of Jack Ziebell, Kane Turner and Ben Cunnington.

They’ve also unlocked a talent in Levi Greenwood, who after being made to fight hard for a position in Brad Scott’s ideal 22, repaid the faith with an impressive 2014 season.

They play attacking footy that brings crowds in while their leaky defence has been rejuvenated with Scott Thompson unlucky to miss out on an All-Australian jumper this season

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As for Port Adelaide, just saying the names of some of their players is enough to excite, featuring what is fast becoming the most desired list in the competition.

Jay Schultz has become a must-have forward while Justin Westhoff continues to show his value by scoring the clutch goal before slotting into defence to bolster the backline as easily as Bruce Wayne becomes Batman.

With a combination of vision, confidence and tough love, Hinkley has moulded a disjointed club into a machine. From the first bounce to the final siren they are a relentless unit who run, chase and tackle with a ferocity that struggles to be topped by any other side.

Port Adelaide play the type of game that fans pay good money to watch.

The odds are stacked against the Power and Kangaroos this weekend, as they play the two best sides in the competition. But don’t be surprised if both get up, they’ve been battling the odds for years.

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