Port Adelaide believes it is on the precipice of a grand era at Alberton, but the Power is in free fall rather than rising
PORT Adelaide has internally believed the Power was on a stepping stone to success in Season 2019. But the trends of the second half of this season might prompt some rethinking.
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“WE are on the precipice of being a fantastic team.”
So said Port Adelaide Football Club chief executive Keith Thomas at lunch time on Saturday before the Power fell off the cliff at the MCG to be cast as the AFL’s ninth-ranked team - anything but fantastic.
There is a belief at Alberton that what is an underperforming team today will rise to meet its promise next season. In a sport with no guarantees, Port Adelaide does - after coming out of the black hole of 2012 - know there is always a “next season” in the AFL.
Port Adelaide is definitely on a precipice. But there will be many external critics who will doubt the Power is to become a “fantastic team”.
There are some long-running trends that do merit deep thought on whether Port Adelaide is to rise or fall next year.
At the end of Round 16, the Power was 11-4 ... and supposedly holding a “dream draw” to challenge, if not command, a top-four finish. There has been just one win in the past six matches.
It is a repeat of 2014 when the Power was leading the AFL with an 11-2 count at the end of Round 14. There was no top-four finish at the end of that home-and-away season either as Port Adelaide won just three of its last nine games.
And still Power fans wonder what could have been in 2014 had there not been a 3.9 start to that dramatic preliminary final against eventual premier Hawthorn at the MCG.
Port Adelaide was on a precipice then too ... and finished ninth in 2015 and 10th in 2016. There is no guarantee in this game - as Adelaide knows too well this season in falling from the minor premiership and grand finalist to an also-ran.
The one review note Port Adelaide cannot ignore is the scoreboard - the simplest and most meaningful statistic in a sport being overloaded with junk figures. This was where the Power was to have proven - after its “super” buys in the October trade period - that it would load up the scoreboard with more goals ... and score them efficiently.
Port Adelaide’s scoring average is down three goals this season - from 98 points to 80. The Power has not broken the 100-point barrier for nine consecutive games - and has hit triple figures just three times this season after breaking the ton in nine matches last year.
Port Adelaide is definitely on a precipice ... And Thomas might add that it is always darkest before dawn.