Where Port Adelaide has gone wrong.

[Jugganauts]

I think the problem starts of with trade week. I might be wrong about this but i dont think Port have been a real major "player" in the trade week for many years with most of the succesfull clubs refreshing there list trading 1 or 2 players every couple of the years. Again i might be wrong on this but i think the last person Port brought into the club was Jay Nash and Nash struggles to fit in their best 22. They really need to target a ready made player who has had 5-6 seasons in him at the top level. A gutsy midfielder who is not afraid to win the contested football would be a start and a running backman would be a huge help aswell. I think they should trade Justin Westhoff while he still has a little bit of currency left. What a team like Carlton, Bulldogs, Richmond or Kangaroos could do with Westhoff and at 24 with just under 100 games with him they could be in line for a early draft pick or either a player and a draft pick. Put him on the shelf and see what comes of it.

The next problem would be the coaching staff. Who ever the fitness coach is sack him and bring in another one watching most of their games last year and several of the players struggled to play out the full game. This is one of the reasons Port lost alot of games this year.

Next problem we will look at is the Markerting Deparment. How are the Port Adelaide players ment to get hyped up when barely anyone turns up to the game. Most of the time the crowd gets the team back into the game and it really started on a low from their first home game in round 2 when a little of 23 thousand people shown up in a building that can fit double that amount.

Next problem is Matthew Primus now i respected him as a player but as a coach he really needs to give these boys a tough lesson of what it takes to crawl up that ladder and get a game in the finals. Now they had 16 players play this year that was in their grand final team in 2007. Where are the leaders Dom Cassisi had to do it on their own. Salopek, Motlop and Chaplin these players need to step up next year and the young talent will follow.

The last problem is the recruiters now they have picked up some average players over the past 3 years infact lets make a list of the people who they have picked up since 2008
Pick 4 - Hamish Harlett
Pick 8 - John Butcher
Pick 9 - Andrew Moore
Pick 16 - Jasper Pittard
Pick 16 - Ben Jacobs
Pick 22 - Jackson Trengrove
Pick 35 - Ben Newton
Pick 36 - Aaron Young
Pick 38 - Matthew Brodbent
Pick 42- Mitch Banner
Pick 52 - Cam O'Shea
Pick 54 - Jarred Redden
Pick 66 - Glenn Dawson
Pick 78 - Jason Davenport

You have several blokes in that list that you can build a team around in Trengrove, Butcher and Harlett but one thing they have missed in drafting is a ruckman a contested winning midfielder and a small forward now look at the parts that have really troubled them this year. Having to force games into guys such as Matthew Lobbe this year but who else yes i know they recruited Redden a few years back but how many games has he played since then none.

I believe Port do have a bad list at the moment but all they need is to constantly play the young talent they have and the constiency will follow. Tough calls will be needed to be made on guys such as Motlop, Kane Cornes, Pettigrew and Westhoff they need to be given the message either play hard or get out. I would love to coach the this team as i believe many of their young players have a lot of talent in them and they will be challenge for the 8 in 2 years time

[Cicjose]

i think a forward line with Westhoff at CHF and Butcher at FF will help Westhoff with the work ethic required to succeed at AFL level and Butcher can kick goals so start with that

Lobbe and Redden need to play often and as much as they can together if possible

Jacobs and Trengove should be used off the half back line

they have to play the kids like Hartlett, Broadbent, Davenport, Pittard, Banner and O' Shea through the guts

[Jugganauts]

Personally i believe Jay Schulz is more suited to the CHF role then Westhoff  i believe if Schulz has a injury free year he is capable of kicking 50 plus goals a year. Westhoff should watch hours and hours of Pavlich or Goodes tapes because that is how he should play. Its not too late for him to reform himself as wingman/forward type player.

[nas]

Agree with Wethoff with all posts, but cast your mind back when Westhohh was NOT the focal point & Tredders was. Out of the spotlight & if Schulz does remain injury free well (IMO) moves out of the spotlight. Pinch hitting in ruck also did him no favours.

Recruiting well that's a sore point. We had the perfect bloke in Allan Stewart the ex Coach of centrals, who coached against the Magpies, & never won a Grand final against them. Left & said, if you can't beat them join then & was our recruiter for a while until some KNOB overruled his advice. That advice you ask well it was pick J Selwood, but this KNOB said he will hardly play any games & we ended up picking Boak. Now Boak is a good player, but in all honesty would you rather have Selwood or Boak? Anyway Stewie said what a waste of time I am doing here & went to the Crows.  The club overides most of the decisions put forward & Primus says he has the final say which believe me is NOT true. Just ask Leigh Matthews who had the job, & said you know MY decision is FINAL, but Board said no so Matthews went to Lions & 3 Cups later we finally one our First in 04. Choco backstabbed Cahill to get the job also with the Board behind him. Look at Hartlett a lad with every thing in front of him, but has soft tissue injury problems. look what went after him? Hurley, Yarran, Rich.

Yes there is a problem, & now we can't even attract assistant coaches.

[PowerBug]

I think we have the talent in the mids, and up front, but carlile and trengove need more experience. The rucks is the biggest problem, but can be easily fixed when jarrad redden plays. And getting people to the club is just too hard as no-one wants to come.

Port can't run out games because we don't have a fitness coach, we can't afford a full coaching board. Keeping primus wasn't a mistake, it was his first season and he didn't have much of a list. Should things not change next season in his approach, them we have a problem.

You can't be serious went you say westhoff out, he's one of our best players win plays as i 3rd tall behind butcher and schulz, and he's the reserve ruckman.

A couple of the young guys i like are phillips, o'shea, and banner, the rest are okay but the recruiters could've done better. Someone commented on selwood over boak, if selwood came to port and boak went to geelong do you know boak would be a two-time premiership player? You can't judge a player by the teams performance. Boak has no help, when he gets help, and doesn't perform, then come and tell me.

[Jugganauts]

Joel Selwood was regarding as a top 3 pick but many clus didn't want to pick him up due to medical reports saying he would retire in his mid 20s due to his leg problems.

Hamish Harlett is going to be a star averaging close to 20 touches a game in the 2nd half of the season, Even though Rich did win the rising star award, I think Harlett does look more promising and will have a slightly better future then Rich.

Lastly don't quote me on this but i thought the coach didn't have the last say when recruiting players. I think it was either Brad Scott or Damien Hardwick or it might even be Guy McKenna said something like this "You pick the best players at the time of the draft and i will work with them". After all recruiters spend the whole year watching these players play while the coach seems to only watch them in the NAB Draft Combine.

With the additions of both Brad Ebert and Jon Griffen hopefully they can make a impact on the team in the first round and go on from there. There backline is starting to look alright with Carlile, Trengrove and Jacobs. Maybe a 3rd tall back there couldn't hurt them. Richmond have a few of them maybe Luke McGuane or Kelivn Moore or pick up Chris Schmidt who was released by Adelaide he shown promise at AFL level.

[nas]

Joel Selwood was regarding as a top 3 pick but many clus didn't want to pick him up due to medical reports saying he would retire in his mid 20s due to his leg problems.

Hamish Harlett is going to be a star averaging close to 20 touches a game in the 2nd half of the season, Even though Rich did win the rising star award, I think Harlett does look more promising and will have a slightly better future then Rich.

Lastly don't quote me on this but i thought the coach didn't have the last say when recruiting players. I think it was either Brad Scott or Damien Hardwick or it might even be Guy McKenna said something like this "You pick the best players at the time of the draft and i will work with them". After all recruiters spend the whole year watching these players play while the coach seems to only watch them in the NAB Draft Combine.

With the additions of both Brad Ebert and Jon Griffen hopefully they can make a impact on the team in the first round and go on from there. There backline is starting to look alright with Carlile, Trengrove and Jacobs. Maybe a 3rd tall back there couldn't hurt them. Richmond have a few of them maybe Luke McGuane or Kelivn Moore or pick up Chris Schmidt who was released by Adelaide he shown promise at AFL level.

It still (IMO) goes back to HH's injuries, he needs to be managed better to get him on the park.
Recruiters correctly spend time assessing players, & advise them as Stewie did & even had the input in the beginning, only to be shot down in flames. Hence him leaving.
Luke McGuane will go to Lions, to be closer to his family.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/brisbane-lions-in-hunt-for-tiger-key-defender-luke-mcguane/story-fn69a32t-1226162024546

Griffen well hopefully we get him, depends how strong we are at the draft table. Brad or John either one we can get in the Pre Season draft for nothing if either one nominates as the GWS, the Suns, then it's us. So at least we maybe something goes our way!