Port lost 107 v 73

Port team that day:

FB: Jonas Carlisle Moore

HB: Pearce Trengove Hartlett

C: Broadbent Boak Cornes

HF: Wingard Westhoff McCarthy

FF: Ebert Scultz Logan

Foll: Lobbe Ebert Cassisi

Int: D Stewart, M. Thomas, P Stewart, Young

The bolded names represent players who haven't played a large part in this season for Port. You'll notice it's very little change in the spine or better midfielders. Mainly just a replacement of the bench players and they even lost Pearce and McCarthy (RIP) who were good for them.

What they did change:

- New President

- New CEO

- Senior Coach

- Fitness guru

- Let disgruntled free agents go in Chaplin and Pearce

- Let disgruntled out of contract young highly rated talent go for free when a deal couldn't be reached in Jacobs

- Paid minimum prize for free agents/out of contract fringe players in Monfries, Hombsch (both who have been very good) and Stevensen and Campbell Heath who haven't been so great

- Got a bit lucky with such a good young midfielder in Wines playing so well in his first year

Anyway after we lose on Saturday (without Frawley, Dawes, Hogan and Clark for that matter) we should reflect on what can be achieved with a smart off season. We'll get a new coach. Hopefully Dave Misson can revatilise his program because the continued running tactic isn't working. We should tell Sylvia and Watts they can accept reasonable contracts or walk and we can target some smart acquisitions of players in the right age group.

shows the power of quality people doesnt it?

They have a midfield.

Simple really.

We have spent the past 6 years decade picking KPPs, midfielders who are slow or pizz off, players who can't hit the side of a barn with a kick, handball to stationary targets, can't take kick outs, athletes that have no endurance, you name it. Everything bar good footballers who demand the ball and can deliver it . Go figure.

Our recruiters should be shot.

They have a midfield.

Simple really.

We have spent the past 6 years decade picking KPPs, midfielders who are slow or pizz off, players who can't hit the side of a barn with a kick, handball to stationary targets, can't take kick outs, athletes that have no endurance, you name it. Everything bar good footballers who demand the ball and can deliver it . Go figure.

Our recruiters should be shot.

I know they do but they had Cornes, Ebert, Boak and Hartlett last year. Despite the obvious talent there you wouldn't have said that's a strong midfield or any sorts. Or maybe you did but not many would've agreed.

I'm hoping somehow from nowhere Jones, Sylvia, Viney, Toumpas, Trengove somehow come together as a core group next year from nowhere. We don't have to improve as much as Port but enough to win some games would be a start!

And I don't think we shot BP but we certainly showed him the door. It's probably one thing Neeld did right. Even though he then tampered with the rest of the list filling it with spuds he kicked out BP and let Todd spend at least some picks on getting Jack Viney, Toumpas, Kent, Matt Jones as midfielders.

I know they do but they had Cornes, Ebert, Boak and Hartlett last year. Despite the obvious talent there you wouldn't have said that's a strong midfield or any sorts. Or maybe you did but not many would've agreed.

I'm hoping somehow from nowhere Jones, Sylvia, Viney, Toumpas, Trengove somehow come together as a core group next year from nowhere. We don't have to improve as much as Port but enough to win some games would be a start!

And I don't think we shot BP but we certainly showed him the door. It's probably one thing Neeld did right. Even though he then tampered with the rest of the list filling it with spuds he kicked out BP and let Todd spend at least some picks on getting Jack Viney, Toumpas, Kent, Matt Jones as midfielders.

I have a feeling alot of it is going to just click for us, for example if trenners found his zip he would get to more contests and he becomes a 25-30 touch a game player instead of 20, he's already our best defensive mid by a mile, Nathan Jones is our heart and soul, Viney and toumpas have shown patches but will become better with time, Matt Jones has been much better than i expected and Grimes was fantastic early in the year as a mid, add a free agent and some more draft talent and there is no reason we can't be as good as them next year imo.

As PJ said the other night. There were some stupid decisions made about getting rid of the team leaders and now we don't have any. Port has those leaders. We need to acquire these over the next couple of years

Or we can win tomorrow and do all that stuff on the off season.

GWS are still an absolute rabble.

In hindsight Scully and Trengove weren't the best 2 of their draft, but i remember the massive impact they had coming into the side together. If we can find another 2 young midfielders who are AFL ready who knows what can happen.

from memory scully was a certain pick one and trengove was the second coming of nathan buckley, not sure we surprised anyone picking those two.

Yeah i said in hindsight didn't I? I would have picked them 2 at the time as well.

Yeah i said in hindsight didn't I? I would have picked them 2 at the time as well.

I think Trenners will come good, he is getting his 20 touches and a few tackles a game atm and if he gets his zip back he will get more involved, Scully i'm not sure on, maybe the hype has been too much for him but he really isn't impacting games the way i would have hoped

in all honesty i thought he was better with us than he has been at GWS.

but as you said in hindsight Dustin Martin would have been a better choice than either.

In hindsight Scully and Trengove weren't the best 2 of their draft, but i remember the massive impact they had coming into the side together. If we can find another 2 young midfielders who are AFL ready who knows what can happen.

Bruce and Green had a similar impact in their first season. 2000 was a great year. Would love to see that happen again.

As PJ said the other night. There were some stupid decisions made about getting rid of the team leaders and now we don't have any. Port has those leaders. We need to acquire these over the next couple of years

We can develop said leaders too, e.g. Trenners/Grimes, Garland, N Jones.

I think for us we will acquire leadership but also develop leaders within.

Take hope from the Port rebuild. We will need every bit of a miracle.