What has caused Port Adelaide to go from top eight contender to a disappointment?
The common answers are; “there is no intensity, effort or physicality.”
I believe accusing an AFL team of simply not putting in effort can be farcical, if there appears to be no effort then it must be about mentality more so than effort itself. I do not entertain the idea that 22 individuals may take the field and think to themselves, “I’m not going to try today.”
I do understand the concerns about intensity and physicality. However, these themes have become consistent enough in Port Adelaide’s games this season that the lack of intensity and physicality must run deeper than the players choosing not to be physical.
Port Adelaide does have the talent to be in the top eight. A midfield featuring Ollie Wines, Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, and a forward line featuring Chad Wingard, Charlie Dixon and Justin Westhoff can easily be intimidating when they are on song.
Their backline is a weakness, they may have young talent like Jack Hombsch and the thrilling Jasper Pittard but they have no marauding All Australian defenders like Daniel Talia or Alex Rance.
Should Port Adelaide look at snatching one of the Essendon defenders like Cale Hooker or Michael Hurley?
Although Paddy Ryder, Angus Monfries, Jay Schulz, Nathan Krakouer and Alipate Carlile would have likely made a difference against GWS, it is still no reason for how extremely poor the performance was.
Aaron Young has not just filled Monfries’ role but is giving more to the side, kicking nine goals in three games.
In 2014 Port Adelaide operated with two key forwards, Schulz and Westhoff, so why can’t they right now? The only noteworthy missing player is Paddy Ryder, Lobbe’s performances have clearly been below par and inconsistent. Ryder was clearly the number one ruckman at the end of 2015 and Lobbe is struggling to fill his banned teammate’s boots.
Many Port Adelaide fans have quickly jumped to the conclusion that the midfield tactics introduced from Michael Voss are a major factor to the Power’s recent demise.
I do not buy into this pointing-finger business. Once Ken Hinkley’s team were mathematically kicked out of finals contention in 2015, they played as if there was a weight off their shoulders with free flowing football, notably defeating Hawthorn in Round 21.
No one gave Michael Voss credit after that win.
Geelong is the next test for the Port Adelaide Football Club, how will they compete against Joel Selwood, Patrick Dangerfield and Tom Hawkins if Dylan Shiel, Callan Ward and Rory Lobb shutdown the Power so easily on Sunday? The heat will be on at Adelaide Oval and the pitchforks will be outside Alberton if Ken Hinkley’s team delivers another pathetic performance.
It will be a long week at Alberton. As David Koch said there will be questions asked, the best question is though, how will the answers and soul-finding change what the nation sees on field?
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