Are Port Adelaide any good? It seems to have been the eternal question under Ken Hinkley. The other one is, can the man actually coach?
After winning three finals in Hinkley’s first two years (2013-14) the Power haven’t won one since, and in fact have only made the finals once. Instead, they have hacked around the edges of the final eight, finishing ninth, tenth, seventh and tenth in the last four years.
Even in the two seasons they made the finals, they finished fifth and seventh on the ladder.
What have Port actually done under Hinkley, and where are they going?
Port Adelaide Best 22
B: D.Houston T.Clurey R.Burton
HB: T.Jonas D.Howard D.Byrne-Jones
C: J.Westhoff O.Wines H.Hartlett
HF: T.Boak P.Ryder S.Motlop
F: S.Gray C.Dixon J.Watts
Foll: S.Lycett S.Powell-Pepper R.Gray
Int: B.Ebert R.Bonner T.Rockliff T.Marshall
Em: M.Broadbent K.Amon S.Mayes
Port have lost Chad Wingard and Jared Polec from their 2018 team, players that finished fifth and sixth in the best and fairest last year respectively, both providing a lot of drive and run that will be missed. The two of them were the main inside 50 deliverers at Port last year.
If Hamish Hartlett can have a full season after managing only five games last season, his class could help offset the losses of Wingard and Polec, but he’s already had knee issues this pre-season.
Does Robbie Gray spend even more time in the midfield, building on last year when he was sent in there more often than in 2017? He’s on the wrong side of 30 now, but still a gun of the highest order, able to dance and weave out of any situation.
The Power can rightfully demand more out of Steven Motlop too, given he underwhelmed in his first season there. In 2016 at Geelong he averaged just shy of 20 touches a game and kicked 38 goals. Only 11 goals last year was by far his worst return since his second season at the Cats, when he only played four games.
Another player that has class is Jack Watts, someone who has seemed to spend his entire career at the crossroads. He wasn’t awful in his first year at Port, but he never is. He delivers the ball so well, but needs to find more of it. In over half his games last season he took four marks or less, which should be impossible for a lead-up marking half-forward in the modern game.
Jack Watts of Port Adelaide (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
Ollie Wines and Sam Powell-Pepper are the inside workhorses that aren’t the most reliable disposers. Their job is to get the ball out to the silkier runners. The former seems to offer about what he did in his first and second years, without having made huge progression. The latter may well do the same, but is more explosive in what he does.
Tom Rockliff is a natural ball-winner, the third big name from other clubs that landed at Port for 2018, and like Motlop and Watts he disappointed in his first year at Alberton. He never looked fully fit last season, but is claiming to be much further advanced this time around.
Travis Boak and Brad Ebert are the stalwarts, both extremely professional, with 478 games between them. Boak has spent the majority of the last two years as a half-forward, while Ebert has apparently been training there over summer and could be in for a role change. You know you’re going to get consistency from both, but not necessarily game-changing quality.
Sam Gray is another hybrid that is probably more suited to the midfield but is used forward instead. These are all just good ordinary players, or perhaps a step above that, but lack a dynamism to cover what Wingard could do.
Port certainly have plenty of ruck and key forward options this year with the addition of West Coast premiership player Scott Lycett, coming off his best season. He played some good footy last year in tandem with Nic Naitanui and then Nathan Vardy, and at 26 is ready to thrive leading the ruck.
Paddy Ryder has more versatility and mobility than Lycett when it comes to playing other positions, so even though ruck is his best personal spot the team should be using him as back-up, which should also help preserve a body that isn’t the most durable.
It wouldn’t surprise to see him in defence, particularly if the promising Todd Marshall continues to improve and command regular games up forward.
Charlie Dixon will have a delayed start to the season, but should be stationed as a permanent full-forward without the need to ruck as he did at various stages last year. The new 6-6-6 rules are designed to help power forwards like him.
Justin Westhoff was a deserved best and fairest last year, playing key forward, relieving ruck, wingman and pushing behind the ball at the end of quarters or if his defence was under siege. There’s a fair case to say he’s the best utility in the game.
Down back, Tom Clurey and Dougal Howard are in the key posts, neither likely to be troubling the All Australian selectors at any stage of their career. Tom Jonas has made the AA squad of 40 the last two years playing taller than his height, intercepting well and playing a rebounding role too. He’s quietly become one of the best backmen in the game – much is expected of him, and much is delivered.
Ryan Burton will be a new addition to the backline after coming across from Hawthorn as part of the Wingard trade, expected to provide run and rebound alongside the likes of the Dan Houston, Darcy Byrne-Jones and Riley Bonner.
All four are in the 21-23 age bracket, so can grow and improve alongside each other as they gain more experience, but at that age there will still be a shakiness about them.
One of Port’s biggest problems is they don’t have much in the way of exposed depth. They have 20 players with ten AFL matches or less to their name – that’s 43per cent of their list. Plus guys like Howard, Houston, Powell-Pepper and Bonner that have less than 40.
The older veterans like Westhoff, Boak, Ryder, Gray, Ebert, Hartlett and Matthew Broadbent aren’t going to get any better.
Ken Hinkley, Senior Coach of the Power Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
There is a lot of flakiness in the Power list, whether that is through injury or up-and-down performance. This was reflected in their 2018, when they went from a record of 11-4 after Round 16 to 12-10 at the end of the home-and-away rounds.
Port have been a middle-of-the-road side for their entire time under Ken Hinkley, capable of flashes of brilliance that seduce us, but rarely with any substance to back it up. With Adelaide and Essendon sure to improve from beneath them in 2019, and setbacks to important players over pre-season, a drop is well and truly on the cards.
Prediction: 13th
Preview series
13. Port Adelaide
14. Western Bulldogs
15. St Kilda
16. Fremantle
17. Carlton
18. Gold Coast
Pelican
Roar Rookie
Sounds good to me Booney
anon
Roar Pro
True. His team hasn't fallen into the abyss like Rossy's
Booney
Roar Rookie
Westhoff will be higher up the ground, perhaps on the wing, Marshall and Ryder will play closer to goal and Dixon will be the lead up across the top of the arc when back. Ebert will offer ground level pressure with Farrell, Butters and perhaps Johnson ( who I don't have in my side but one who Hinkley loves at ground level ).
powa
Guest
would you say ports Talent is poorly spread?
Pelican
Roar Rookie
Yeah I've probably gone to attacking. I hadn't thought of that but I really like Marshall. Maybe the rucks will need to change off the bench instead of the forward line. I don't know I was just having a crack. This is why I don't do fantasy football.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
I dont think you can have Marshall, Ryder, Westhoff and Dixon all playing forward at the same time, too slow, where’s the defensive pressure coming from?
Tom
Guest
Hardwick turned up to finals and got thumped in Elimination Finals in a row from 13-15. Those even included losing to Carlton who actually finished the season in 9th. Then in 2016 they bottomed out dropping to 13th. Everyone was calling for Hardwick's head at the start of 2017.
maxy
Roar Rookie
sometimes we need and out from defence having westoff and ryder/lycett either side of ground to kick to could be handy,have concerns about boak and powell pepper in starting 22 drew, butters duursma should play games this year ,like what lienert did late last year only hope patmore garner atley etc can show something, I predict we will finish between 8 -13 think our long term future is looking brighter than our short term future
AD
Guest
While I don't disagree with much of what you've said, the fact is that they've had a lot of upside to probably the last 5 pre-seasons. There has always been a player or players coming in that was going to be the missing piece that would propel them up the ladder. Perhaps the addition of new assistant coaches will make more of a difference than the addition of new players has in previous years. It's interesting that Port fared so well under Hinkley in his first 2 years then basically dropped off a cliff. That coincided with the loss of Alan Richardson to St Kilda at the end of 2013 and, probably more significantly, the loss of Phil Walsh to the Crows at the end of 2014. With those guys gone Port's performances fell away, which makes you question how much of those 2013/2014 performances were to do with Hinkley and how much was to do with the assistants around him. If Schofield makes the difference this year, the questions might still be asked about Hinkley - if his assistant is the one making the impact on the team's performance, why not just promote the assistant to the senior job? If Hinkley serves out his full contract to the end of 2021, that will be 9 years in the role. There aren't a lot of coaches that stay in the job for that long without a flag, and even fewer that do so whilst maintaining a happy supporter base.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Hinkley is nothing like Lyon. Geez you say the dumbest things. It's as if you don't follow footy.
Uosdwis R. Dewoh
Roar Rookie
You could easily think that if Fremantle had not choked in the 2014 SF, Hinkley would not be coaching Port today.
Pelican
Roar Rookie
FB- DBJ; Clurry; Houston; HB- Burton; Jonas; Hartlett; C- Rozee; Wines; Motlop HF- Westhoff; Ryder; Boak FF- S. Gray; Dixon; Marshall Ruck- Rockliff; Lycett; R. Gray Int- SPP; Ebert; Howard; Mayes Emg- Bonner; Farrell; Dursma; Butters Nice job Cam. Fair appraisal of where we are at. I don’t think 13th but I go for them. I think 5th because not much went right last year and this year it will. I’m sure of it. I like the new additions both draft and trade wise. I am totally pumped about having Schofeild as mids coach. Also really looking forward to seeing Marshall, Farrell and Bonner after what they have done so far. I love the back line they are very settled for a young group. Bring it on I can’t wait for it to start.
Grant
Roar Rookie
WCE expectations no greater or worse than most clubs, certainly no more than Ports expectations. Hardwick had been making finals true, but there were plenty baying for his head. All Im saying is it can turn quickly and I believe Hinkley can coach otherwise they'd have not made the prelim in 14 if that wasn't the case. However I am not saying Hinkley isn't under the pump, he is, if they get away to a bad start - their 1st 10 games, the hardest according to Champion data - it will get ugly quickly. But Im very glass half full ATM. Given a reasonable run with injuries I think they have the talent and the coaching staff to go deep. They essentially get Hartlett n Broadbent back as new players, Burton, Lycett and Mayes add real class and depth, I think (hope) Rockcliff, Motlop n Watts will be better this year. Marshall after a bad personal year and with development in Howard, Bonner, Byrne-Jones will be better. Also don't underestimate how Boak will go without the Captaincy - no-one better prepared than he and I reckon he'll free up and play footy more like he was 5 years ago. Only time will tell.
Brendon the 1st
Roar Rookie
Totally agree re: Ryder, people underestimate his value to the team in the past 2 years, when he went down Port were finished
Booney
Roar Rookie
Sam Gray, along with Watts, won't be in Port's best 22. Rozee looks to have better skills, Farrell better pressure, Butters more mongrel.
David Lloyd
Guest
Byrne-Jones Clurey Jonas Burton Howard Hartlett Motlop SPP Westhoff Rozee Dixon Ebert R.Gray Marshall Ryder R: Lycett Wines Rockliff Int : (from) Houston, Farrell, Boak, Butters, Bonner, Duursma I think you've under rated Dougal Howard, he very much has the potential to be in AA discussions. You've not done your homework on Rozee or Butters who have both very much impressed in their first season and could well play round 1 and Farrell who looked right up to the level in the few games he played last year and Ebert has trained forward all summer, he's probably in a tussle with Boak, Farrell and Rozee for 2 spots in the front half. In the SANFL the likes of Watts, Broadbent, Leinert, Houston*, Bonner* Amon, S.Gray, Mayes and Trengove have all got AFL experience. *If they don't make my bench. All goes well, Port are again around the 10-14 win mark. Defensively sound, midfield mid-range, forwards need better supply from the mids.
anon
Roar Pro
Hinkley looks and sounds the part of the gruff, no nonsense coach much like Lyon. But like Lyon he's actually not that good at his job. One cliche after another in press conferences, tactically ordinary. Much like a one hit wonder living off the royalties from a song 30 years ago, Hinkley's still living off that 2014 preliminary final.
anon
Roar Pro
Hardwick has missed finals once since 2013. West Coast fans were calling for Simpson's head, but they have such high expectations. Collingwood did well on the back of a very easy draw last year. I'd put it that Buckley has serially underperformed for years with a very talented midfield. When you start saying just give him some more time he might snag a premiership like Hardwick, where do you draw the line? You reach a point where no coach is accountable and no-one can be sacked.
Grant
Roar Rookie
Great summation Cameron, though I think you've over rated the contributions of Polec and Wingard, (yes i know where they finished in the BnF) _ Wingard has been a whinging destabilising individual for a couple of years now, that hasn't maintained his early years form and I think his move to Hawks will be good for him and Port. Polec was a good player, with the defensive skills of a butterfly, not worth $750k pa for 5yrs, good luck to him and North. Coaching is an interesting art form and things can change quickly -1 yr ago the Eagles faithful were losing faith in Simpson, 2 yrs ago Buckley was a dud, 3 yrs ago Hardwick was a dud, 12 yrs ago Clarkson was a dud! Hinkley can coach - the sum of the panel though is the key. Additions of Schofield, Montgomery and even Brogan will make a big difference. I think they went far too defensive last few years, injury and personnel caused limitations, as at all clubs but Ryders problems impacted more than ppl give credence for especially late in the year, when if you watched him live he was like a 3 legged donkey at times and unable to jump. I look forward to this year, Im a died in the wool Port supporter and member and clearly get optimistic at this time. But the noise coming from Alberton about speed of ball movement, the introduction of some of the kids, the addition of Lycett (a bigger impact will be hard to see in any other club than his on Ports this year, barring injury) has got me up n about. I predict they'll be bottom 4 of the 8. Hopefully pushing top 4.
Cameron Rose
Expert
Will take more notice of Howard on your advice Brendon. I like the idea of a sole captain too, making the hard call, and I'm with you in that Jonas would be the one. Port never quite seem to be the sum of their parts, which to me says it is about the coaching. We have seen that assistant coaching changes can be decisive, so perhaps that will be the case here.