Are we worse than Port was three years ago?

[Munga]

Carlisle was taken in 2005
Boak, Gray and Westhoff in 2006
Lobbe 2007
Hartlett, Trengove and Broadbent 2008

We took Gilbert in 2005
Armitage and Geary 2006
Steven 2007
In 2008, 2009 and 2010 we took Stanley, Simpkin and Curren.

Where Port have done really well in the last three trade and free agent periods bringing in Ebert, Hombsch, Monfries, Neade, Chaplin, Polec and White. From the recent drafts add Wingard (pick 6 third season) and Wines (pick 7 second season).

We've gone for drafting youth at this point. Port were more trading/FA. In a year or two, once we figure out who will make the grade, we'll bring on the FAs.

So three years ago, the players who Port drafted were in their third to fifth seasons. Most of the players we drafted, and are yet to draft, are in seasons zero to three.

[philtee]

Interesting to chart the fall and rise of Port...

Year......H&A Finish.......Wins.........%
2007.....2nd.................15............113.54 Humiliated by Geelong in Grand Final
2008.....13th................7..............95.52
2009.....10th................9..............88.68
2010.....10th...............10.............82.38
2011.....16th................3..............64.51
2012.....14th................5..............78.87
2013......7th................12............102.45
2014......5th................15.............109.9 But 3 points away from a Grand Final appearance.

So how close are we to a breakout year?

[james rose]

St Kilda

2012- 9
2013- 16
2014- 18

I would argue on the PA timeline we are around where they were at 2010-2011 right now.

Which would mean best case we are three years away from 5th.

If I had to guess our next 6 years (as it would seem the club are trying to with the road to 2020 plan)

2015- 16-18
2016- 12-14
2017- 8-10
2018- 5-7
2019- 3-5
2020- Top 4

[bergholt]

So three years ago, the players who Port drafted were in their third to fifth seasons. Most of the players we drafted, and are yet to draft, are in seasons zero to three.

This was their list at the start of 2012:

https://www.draftguru.com.au/lists/port-adelaide/2012

No 30 year olds. And in fact, of the guys over 24 then, they've only got 4 guys left: Cassisi, Cornes, Schulz and Westhoff. And Cassisi's retired this year.

It's been a mass exodus of the old guys, their improvement has come from the kids obviously, but also their middle group, the core of the side:

Carlile: 24 years old, 91 games
Boak: 23 years old, 90 games
Westhoff: 25 years old, 89 games
Ebert: 22 years old, 76 games
Gray: 24 years old, 68 games
Trengove: 21 years old, 41 games
Broadbent: 21 years old, 33 games
Hartlett: 21 years old, 31 games

Only 8 guys but some serious quality there. Two guys in that list are going to get a bunch of votes tonight, a lot of the others are very solid or better. But keep in mind that even with those guys and Wingard and others coming through, they only won 5 and a half games that year. It was the next year before they really kicked into gear.

Our current middle group is: Armo, Geary, Steven, Savage, Roberton, Stanley, Delaney, Weller, Newnes. Maybe sneak in Hickey, Ross, Bruce, a few others with 20 or so games.

i don't know about you but I don't think our guys compare to their guys at this point. Hopefully in a year they'll look more comparable and then we'd have an outside chance of a big 2016. But as it stands I think that core isn't going to be good enough to build a great team around as Port did. So we're waiting longer than 2016, unfortunately.

[Teflon]

agree definite gap in talent off those lists - honestly when you look at our middle group and ask who would force their way into Port's side........youd think Steven is the only certainty with Stanley/Armo pushing