How did Port recover so quickly?

[dragit]

How would anyone know what David Koch has added?

I'd say the main reason they are on top is their gun list put together well before he came along, with a really good coach who, not sure Koch had a hand in either?

Serious question: what's Koch done to propel the team from bottom to the top?

Koch may be great, but I'm not sure how we would know.

[The Redeemer]

Will have a look at the same time span.....

Say their 2007 is our 2010, four years later their 2011 is our 2014..... thus their 2014 top four is 2017..... not far away from where we are looking at being.
Interesting to look at their 2008 list compared to our 2011/12 list. Would be important to note that lyons drafting was terrible and the last three drafts have been compromised. But shows what good drafting and coaching can do.

It is a pretty easy and simple way to look at it all. It also illustrates the ebbs and flows of the drafting, recruiting and free agency process.

Port have seemingly come on like we did in 2004, probably a bit early.

Good on them though, the Supporters deserve it after some poor years.

[FQF]

Who would have thought watching Adelaide Oval on Saturday night look like an EPL style fortress, that only 2 years ago the club had to use enormous sheets of material to block section of the stadium at home games so it wouldn't look so empty.

Every club has dormant supporters, and success brings them out. We missed a GOLDEN opportunity to significantly grow a member base during the GF years.

[terry smith rules]

How would anyone know what David Koch has added?

I'd say the main reason they are on top is their gun list put together well before he came along, with a really good coach who, not sure Koch had a hand in either?

Serious question: what's Koch done to propel the team from bottom to the top?

Koch may be great, but I'm not sure how we would know.

Yes their "gun list" was really on fire back in 2011 and 2012.

Seriously have you thought this through.

A pretty much same list went from getting their coach sacked mid season to playing finals a year later and what is the difference - new coach and new president

[dragit]

How would anyone know what David Koch has added?

I'd say the main reason they are on top is their gun list put together well before he came along, with a really good coach who, not sure Koch had a hand in either?

Serious question: what's Koch done to propel the team from bottom to the top?

Koch may be great, but I'm not sure how we would know.

Yes their "gun list" was really on fire back in 2011 and 2012.

Seriously have you thought this through.

A pretty much same list went from getting their coach sacked mid season to playing finals a year later and what is the difference - new coach and new president

Yes I have thought it through…

Have a look at the 2 new teams, more talent in 2 sides than we've ever seen… still belted for 2 or 3 years.

You haven't told me all the things that Kochie has done to catapult them up the ladder? Did he recruit Wines & Wingard? That was a masterstroke… but probably more to do with Alan Richardson and Jason Cripps than Koch.

[Sainternist]

Port have gained my utmost respect in terms of how they have rebuilt. Should serve as an inspiration to clubs like us who are in a similar position to what they were in just two years ago.

I think it bodes well that our coach was there last year.

[Loyally Numbed]

Watching Port on TV against Hawthorn, Commentators started talking about Hinkley's coaching style, the concensus being trhat he promotes a great deal of freedom among his Players to play their own game.

This was supported by Ling, who said Hinkley did that at Geelong when he was there, telling Players not to be afraid of taking risks and to back themselves, etc.

As far as St. Kildas rebuild is concerned, is this a sign that there's a danger that too much structure, role playing, zones, etc, can kill naturally instinctive Players confidence?

Even though there was success, I certainly felt that when Lyon was coaching St Kilda, the team fell into a confused hole when the 'plan' wasn't working and a bit of creativity was called for.

It's a bit early to determine Allan Richardsons 'style', but I certainly hope that he doesn't feel the need to drill to much regimentation into the side and kill all the creativity, like Lyon's style seemed to.

[Bunk_Moreland]

Watching Port on TV against Hawthorn, Commentators started talking about Hinkley's coaching style, the concensus being trhat he promotes a great deal of freedom among his Players to play their own game.

This was supported by Ling, who said Hinkley did that at Geelong when he was there, telling Players not to be afraid of taking risks and to back themselves, etc.

As far as St. Kildas rebuild is concerned, is this a sign that there's a danger that too much structure, role playing, zones, etc, can kill naturally instinctive Players confidence?

Even though there was success, I certainly felt that when Lyon was coaching St Kilda, the team fell into a confused hole when the 'plan' wasn't working and a bit of creativity was called for.

It's a bit early to determine Allan Richardsons 'style', but I certainly hope that he doesn't feel the need to drill to much regimentation into the side and kill all the creativity, like Lyon's style seemed to.

Remember though, all that hard work was done by Primus. Hinkley took a list that had been through the slump and had grown together.

Thats why it is VITAL to give Richo time to bed down his game and teach and develop the youngsters. This meand big time pain for a few season, but we need to hold our nerve.

We stuffed up with Watters, we need to support Richo for the next few years

[Loyally Numbed]

Watching Port on TV against Hawthorn, Commentators started talking about Hinkley's coaching style, the concensus being trhat he promotes a great deal of freedom among his Players to play their own game.

This was supported by Ling, who said Hinkley did that at Geelong when he was there, telling Players not to be afraid of taking risks and to back themselves, etc.

As far as St. Kildas rebuild is concerned, is this a sign that there's a danger that too much structure, role playing, zones, etc, can kill naturally instinctive Players confidence?

Even though there was success, I certainly felt that when Lyon was coaching St Kilda, the team fell into a confused hole when the 'plan' wasn't working and a bit of creativity was called for.

It's a bit early to determine Allan Richardsons 'style', but I certainly hope that he doesn't feel the need to drill to much regimentation into the side and kill all the creativity, like Lyon's style seemed to.

Remember though, all that hard work was done by Primus. Hinkley took a list that had been through the slump and had grown together.

Thats why it is VITAL to give Richo time to bed down his game and teach and develop the youngsters. This meand big time pain for a few season, but we need to hold our nerve.

We stuffed up with Watters, we need to support Richo for the next few years

I'm willing to give AR all the time he needs, but I think there's a really good lesson for him here and I hope he heeds it.

Because, I think that it's evident from Port's and to a lesser degree, Melbournes, improvement, that Player confidence is a huge element in this.

My worry is that with a new coach and a lowly team, the natuaral tendency would be to want to demonstrate your coaching prowess by establishing a 'game plan' and assigning the players 'roles' that you want them to perform, which may just backfire if you have a lot of Players that lose confidence when they think too much, which will just add more time to the rebuilding process.

[aaron82]

Dont underestimate the effect Darren Burgess (fitness guy) has had on the group. Port have been running out games as good as any side for the last 18 months. They dipped a little bit in the 2nd half of last year, but managed to find that extra gear going into the pointy end.

They just seem to have the right balance between experience and youngsters, and between guns and GOP's.

And a coach who they all love...

I noticed Port at the start of last season in the pre season comp- they looked fitter and faster than us on a very hot day when we played them..our midfield looked like old draught horses plodding along..similar to our recent games!

Im sure our guys are very fit but it wont make them faster. We have many slow midfielders or at least average paced ones. Second halves havent been our worry. i think it seems we go ok when the other sides come back to our level.

Spot on. We are very one paced in the midfield. On footy classified last night there was vision of the bulldogs midfield against Gold Coast. They are similar to us in that they are quite strong on the inside with Boyd, Libba and Co but when it got released out wide with handball they were like Datsun 121's chasing Ferrari's.

Besides Steven who is not 100% none of our midfield has breakaway speed. It is rare that we have a centre clearance with a clean takeaway and a player running into space to have a shot on goal. Usually a centre clearance for us will either go to the wing first or be a hacked Clint Jones style kick that is of no advantage to the team.