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For Port Adelaide, the 2014 off-season was never going to be about the draft – if they had their way. Ultimately after weeks of hard ball they were able to fashion the move for Patrick Ryder that would dictate the club’s offseason and lay their hands down at the draft.
For Port Adelaide this was the classic case of moving all in on a potential blue chip piece.
The resurrection of Port Adelaide has been widely reported over the past three seasons. Those in the know said that change started first off-field before moving on-field.
The club is now a model for leadership, even if the management of the club operations still has to be considered questionable as they are not able to turn a profit.
Perhaps that inability to turn a profit does weigh into what Port Adelaide’s bold off-season moves have been.
Clearly this is starting to look like a premiership or bust for the club as a whole. Right now they continue to ride a wave of momentum, but perhaps this is more momentum than sustained success like a Hawthorn or Geelong.
For as good as Ken Hinkley has been as a coach, doubts will remain if he is going to be a long-term one club coach. His passionate style and approach having a habit of wearing thin over seasons.
As good as the leadership of the administrative team has been off-field will other ventures turn those keen eyes elsewhere. It is starting to look like this is a club that is all in for 2014.
With a first pick at 56 in the draft, it is hard to get a strong read on what Port Adelaide was hoping to achieve with its four live picks.
They ended up taking a key defender, two forwards and a ruckman. All long term projects given the usual time it takes for late key position players to develop.
Theoretically, Logan Austin could end up with the biggest part to play this season given that Port Adelaide are still short on defensive depth.
However Austin truly is a project player given he only recently took up a defensive role.
Billy Frampton – who was one of the last picks in the draft – had elite numbers at underage level and could be a good long-term prospect, while Jesse Palmer is a proven goal kicker who is missing the accurate set shot to be a legitimate third tall weapon.
It was like Port Adelaide were admitting through the draft that they have their team and their premiership squad assembled already. The draft was simply about shooting for high risk, high upside plays. Perhaps more important for Port Adelaide will be the rookie draft, where they may add some mature-age players to build depth.
Port Adelaide told the football world where they were in the trade period. They are all in for 2015. Eyes have to turn to the rookie draft where Port Adelaide could be one of the more intriguing clubs given the wealth of possible South Australian talent that could help add depth and get them through the season.
They were reasonably lucky outside of illness mid-season to have a full team for most the year. Ask a team like Fremantle and they will tell you that all it takes is one or two injuries and a campaign can disappear in the blink of an eye.
Do Port Adelaide have all it takes to make a Power surge in 2015?
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