Last Season
Port Adelaide began last season on an all-time high, and after a massive win over Sydney at the SCG in round one and a smashing of Fremantle in round two, had many thinking that Port Adelaide was the real deal once again.
After these two massive victories, the Power went 4-5 over the next nine rounds, with wins over Gold Coast and Brisbane, while losing comprehensively to Essendon and GWS. A run of four wins in their next five following steadied the ship for Port as they pulled clear of the pack and looked set for finals football.
With four wins and two losses to close out the season, the Power stormed home to finish fifth and set up an elimination final against West Coast. However, that was as far as they got, losing the final is extraordinary fashion.
The game was level at full time, meaning extra time needed to be played, where Port let a 13-point lead in extra time slip to lose by two points in heartbreaking fashion.
Robbie Gray, Chad Wingard, Ollie Wines and Brad Ebert all had consistent years, with Paddy Ryder showing his worth earning All Australian honours. Charlie Dixon also announced his presence as one of the premier key forwards of the competition, whilst Sam Powell-Pepper was one of the AFL's top performing rookies.
Off Season Grade
In: Tom Rockliff, Jack Watts, Steven Motlop, Sam Hayes (Pick 47), Kane Farrell (Pick 51), Jake Patmore (Pick 58), Joel Garner (Pick 60), Dom Barry (Pick 61)
Out: Jackson Trengove, Jarman Impey, Aaron Young, Brendon Ah Chee, Logan Austin, Matthew Lobbe, Angus Monfries (retired), Nathan Krakouer (retired), Matthew White (delisted)
Off season Grade: A
The addition of Tom Rockliff is massive in terms of on field leadership and the aggression he shows around the ball. Jack Watts and Steven Motlop will need to prove as to why they were recruited considering their inconsistencies. If they can play their best footy all year, the Power may be a premiership contender.
Dom Barry was selected at pick 61 and seems an interesting prospect, having already impressed on the training track as reports out of the club has suggested.
Defining Period
Port Adelaide will once again travel to Shanghai to face the Gold Coast Suns, while also playing two Friday night games this season - one more than last year. With the clash against Gold Coast in round nine, Port will also face games against Geelong, Adelaide, Sydney, Essendon and West Coast in the first nine games. This stretch will define their season, so if they can win three or even four of these tricky matches, expect the Power to be right up there come season's end.
Round 1 Saturday, Mar 24 Fremantle Adelaide Oval (Home)
Round 2 Sunday, Apr. 1 Sydney Swans SCG (Away)
Round 3 Saturday, Apr. 7 Brisbane Lions Adelaide Oval (Home)
Round 4 Sunday, Apr. 15 Essendon Etihad Stadium (Away)
Round 5 Saturday, Apr. 21 Geelong Cats Adelaide Oval (Home)
Round 6 Saturday, Apr. 28 North Melbourne Etihad Stadium (Away)
Round 7 Saturday, May 5 West Coast Eagles Perth Stadium (Away)
Round 8 Saturday, May 12 Adelaide Crows Adelaide Oval (Home)
Round 9 Saturday, May 19 Gold Coast SUNS Adelaide Arena at Jiangwan Stadium
Champion Data Suggests…
Champion Data suggests that the Power are all in this season. They've gone from a young list that lost the preliminary final in 2014, to a mature list that is ready to contend.
They've recruited Watts, Motlop and Rockliff who are three players that are very undervalued. The addition of these players might shake off the tag that developed at Port, suggesting they were flat track bullies. Port Adelaide only defeated a side from the top nine twice last season, whilst beating the bottom nine sides with a percentage of over 200. In the big games, their offensive and defensive pressure and willingness to create a contest were the reasons why they couldn't win.
The addition of these players will hopefully give them this ability to contend with the top four. Motlop is classy and skilful at his best, while Rockliff can accumulate the ball and tackle ferociously.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: Port Adelaide simply has the best forward line in the competition on paper. They have Charlie Dixon and Robbie Gray who are classified as elite, while Sam Gray and Jack Watts are above average. All four players are in the perfect age bracket of 25-29. Add in Jake Neade (above average) thanks to his elite pressure skills and Chad Wingard and Travis Boak (Mid-Forwards), and Port Adelaide will be looking dangerous in the forward line this season. They ranked 1st in the competition for both general and key forwards.
Their midfield is also quite strong going into the season, being ranked sixth in midfield and second in mid-forwards.
They have Boak, Steven Motlop, Tom Rockliff, Brad Ebert and Jared Polec all running through the midfield this year,. They also have Wingard, Ollie Wines and Sam Powell-Pepper in the 21-25 age bracket, who all rank at least above average.
Weaknesses: Port Adelaide's most widely known weakness is their inability to beat the better sides in the competition. Their contested possession, uncontested possession, clearances, inside 50 differential all dropped dramatically, while their transition and points off turnovers were considerably worse against the better teams. With the competition wide open this year with 12-13 teams in contention to play finals, Port need to win more games against better opposition.
Their defence against better teams was also highlighted as a reason why they couldn’t get across the line against the better teams. When they played elite clubs, the flood gates completely opened, highlighted with the opposition's rate of transition nearly doubling the Power's. The defence couldn’t win the ball back and found it hard to forward intercept.
Prediction
7th
They need to shake the label of flat track bullies real fast. The signs were worrying last season as they came crashing down after a loss in the elimination final. Their new recruits will help them improve, while expect their forward line to fire this season. They could finish as high as fourth but considering all the other strong sides, anywhere between 4-8 is possible.
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