David King on the plights of Essendon and Port Adelaide after missing finals
ESSENDON squandered a golden opportunity to fast-track its progress by missing the finals and David King charts it back to the Dons’ horrible start to the season when coach John Worsfold and his crew “simply got it wrong”.
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There’s a bouncer at the front door of the AFL finals series and he’s checking the identification of all teams vying for their finals opportunity.
Port Adelaide don’t have a recognisable identification, or worse they’ve been getting by on a fake ID and therefore have been refused entry.
No entry for the Bombers, who are still on their “L’s”, as they haven’t completed the hours required to obtain their full license as they didn’t start until round 9 this year.
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Incredibly disappointing results given the evenness of the competition and the any-team on any-day nature of the last few weeks of the home and away season. The 2018 premiership case can be made for all eight finalists this year, but clearly these two aren’t in the conversation.
John Worsfold and his crew simply got it wrong in the first two months of the season. Mark Webber had better starts from the grid than the Bombers, but since Round 9 Worsfold has orchestrated a game style that’s sustainable and in-line with successful models of recent seasons.
The Bombers can move the football from their defensive end into their forward 50, but this season they don’t rely solely on that mode to score. It’s a complimentary asset after either their clearance or press game as failed.
The leaders are leading and Essendon looks like they’ve a positive environment to produce proactive football. There’s no better example of that than Aaron Francis on his return to AFL footy. An intercept marking machine that is blossoming.
“Knowing where you’re at”, is the only question a club needs to understand at any point in the season, but more critically at season’s end when recruiting and trading actions shape the future and create the timelines for the next perceived opportunity for success.
Port Adelaide started the season with the AFL’s second most talented list, according to Champion Data, and at 11 wins and four loses there were no arguments.
There are no excuses for the one win, five loss finish and they’ve been the AFL’s most experienced line up during that tenure.
How can Port Adelaide be so poor? Does Ken Hinkley coach to protect the lesser talent or to maximise the stars, ala Damien Hardwick? Is it the individual players’ fault or does the answer lay somewhere in between? Either way this seasons review will be brutal.
The Power have midfield and forward line names that are the envy of other clubs. So how can they have fallen from last season’s No.1 contested ball team down to No.15 and No.2 for clearances down to 14th in the true midzone, between both 50m arcs?
Is it structure? Motivation? It simply cannot be a lack of talent.
Sam Powell-Pepper encapsulates the Power’s season. Compared by some to Dustin Martin last year, in reality he will be more like Max Rooke. A pressure player who wins his own football, but not in the volumes that have been unrealistically expected.
Rooke played an important role for Geelong in its dynasty and if you ask Max’s teammates there was no better standard setter.
One thing is for sure is that Hinkley must alter his methods drastically this off-season. In 2017 the Power had the best forward press in the AFL. Was Ken spooked by the first week exit from last years finals campaign?
Right now they’re the John Doe of the AFL: Unable to identify.
Both clubs were aggressive in targeting mature types that would come at significant financial and draft selection expense.
The difference is the Bombers obtained three players 24 years of age or younger while Port Adelaide’s trio are 27 or older putting pressure on immediate returns and premiership opportunities starting 2018.
Port Adelaide basically bought high and sold low in last years off-season.
Would Aaron Young and Jarman Impey be providing more than Jack Watts and Steven Motlop? They’d be considerably cheaper and would not have forced the club to sacrifice important National Draft selections!
Just watch Hawthorn turn Jarman Impey, who was pigeonholed under Hinkley, into a versatile and solid contributor week-in, week-out for the Hawks. Does the trading out of Impey say anything about Hinkley’s inability to maximise or capitalise the talent on this list?
The Essendon players aged 26 years of age or under offer premiership opportunity next season, particularly if the rumours of a Dylan Shiel-type coming on-board eventuates. Pulses are certainly racing at Tullamarine.
Tomorrow night’s clash won’t answer any questions or provide a view to the future in any meaningful way but the method of how Port Adelaide play will under Friday night lights.
Hinkley, please take the handbrake off and set the sherrin free. Let the stars take control.
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