TeamPlayedFine39

Improved somewhat as the game went on, but not a great night for him. Is at his best when he hunts the ball, rather than sitting back off the play. Needs to move to a wing/on-ball to make better is of his skillset. Is coming from a long way back due to injuries, but is also being played out of position.

Have been a big wrap for ANB but he has been diabolical this year and a liability tonight. Very disappointing as he was someone we needed to step up this year... huge step backwards.

a) is 100% gameplan

Hasn’t Rance’s man kicked 3??

Oscar is a rock.

Already got our goal for the quarter! Go Dees!!

Somewhat surprised to see the haste in getting Lewis back into the line-up...

Glass houses. We're hardly setting the football world on fire ourselves.

How is it ‘revisionism’? Last year he was widely praised for having an excellent second half to the year. https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/the-move-that-breathed-new-life-into-melbournes-jake-melksham/news-story/4d177aa89bd50d6e43f8314a6f8ea02c His highlights sees the commentators consistently saying how good his second half of the year was. It is ‘revisionism’ to say that now that he is playing poorly this year, he was never any good.

I’ve never seen him play live, but I was under the impression that he was quite quick ‘in the mound of Boomer Harvey’... or was that just pre-draft hyperbole??

Spargo seems to be contributing.

I believe Balic and Shane Yarran were close. May explain him not playing.

Have a read of the Hawthorn boards tonight and you’ll see similar comments to what we’ve been reading/posting all week. They blew the game today in the first half and were lucky to only be down by ten goals. The final score line flattered their performance immensely and only turned in their favour when they KOd Higgins and EVW. Simply put, they didn’t show up to play. My point is though, that is not the Hawthorn we played last week. Last week they were switched on, confident, hard running and highly accountable. Much like the Nth of the first half were not the same nth we played two weeks ago. This season, with the comp as even as it is in the opening rounds, if you’re not switched on and ready to play, you lose.

Yes, but by that same argument, so is Hawthorns.

It’s hardly the genius of Hawthorn that’s turned the match- they KO’d 2 nth players in 6 seconds.

We’re starting to sound like the football media on here. A team plays well: ‘They’re amazing; will play finals.’ A team plays poorly: ‘They’re terrible; won’t play finals.’

True, but you can’t draw a form line from today to last week. Nth smashing Hawthorn does not make last week any worse, or two weeks ago against Nth any better.

Do you honestly think Hawthorn are playing as well this week as they did last week? Like us, they haven’t come to play.

All a North victory will show us is that this season is even, unpredictable and if you don’t bring your best sustained effort, you’ll get rolled. Plenty of upsets in every round so far this year...

I’m still not sold on the Hawks and GWS have gone (slightly) backwards. They’re missing Mumford, Stevie J, Williams, Scully and Wilson. There’s also the lingering doubts on their list’s ability to play finals football. They’re Port Adelaide 2001-03. Hawthorn have the best coach in the league by a country mile. He is the best weekday and match day coach going around. Their list however is fragile and is not a shadow of what it was three years ago. Get the feeling that, once again, someone could pinch a flag this season as there’s no established, consensus powerhouse team.

This one’s a bit of a throw-back to the 2016 jumper, which had the silhouette of the lone soldier. The simplicity is good, but if the AFL want this to be ANZAC round, then the rising sun should be in place of the AFL logo. Would focus the attention on the important symbols (sponsors aside).

FWIW Fritsch has had 5, 3, 0 and 3 tackles this year.

We shouldn’t get too smug about Watts. He’s had more marks, kicks, handballs, goals and tackles that Fritsch this year. And it’s not as though our astute recruitment of Lever is reaping us any rewards at this stage. If he left us, as many of his former teammates have done, for more money or success, then let him have it. But he fought to stay. Not sure why this thread becomes the Jack Watts bashing thread every week..? I wish him the best, but he’s a Port player. Time to move on.