2011 snapshot
Ladder position: 16th; 3W, 19L
Leading goalkicker: Robbie Gray (32)
Leading possession winner: Travis Boak (458)
Played every game: Jackson Trengove, Robbie Gray
Debutants: Cam O'Shea (18 games), Jasper Pittard (13 games), Ben Jacobs (12 games), Simon Phillips (eight games), John Butcher (four games), Tom Jonas (four games), Jarrad Irons (three games)

Stats leaders
Toyota AFL Dream Team: Travis Boak (1810 points, average: 86.2)
Kicks: Danyle Pearce (260)
Handballs: Travis Boak (222)
Marks: Troy Chaplin (115)
Hit-outs: Dean Brogan (249)
Clearances: Travis Boak (79)
Contested possessions: Robbie Gray (214)
Uncontested possessions: Danyle Pearce (274)

NAB AFL Rising Star nominees
Jasper Pittard (round four)

List manager
Port Adelaide's win-loss record indicates the club has plenty of needs to address, but at the top of the list should be another blue-chip midfielder. Travis Boak, Dom Cassisi and Hamish Hartlett were made to carry too much of the workload in the midfield, which ranked bottom-four in the AFL for clearances, and the Power should be able to secure another talented onballer with pick No.6 in the draft. A ready-made ruckman to support promising big man Matt Lobbe is also a must.

Games that shaped a season
Rd 4: Port Adelaide 14.14 (98) d Adelaide 9.12 (66), at AAMI Stadium
The Power lost the opening three games of the season but, as they so often do, found something extra for their clash with the Crows. Port Adelaide trailed by 27 points at quarter-time, but kept Adelaide to two goals in the second half to run out comfortable 32-point winners.

Rd 10: Port Adelaide 13.11 (89) d Richmond 10.14 (74), at TIO Stadium
It was six weeks before Port Adelaide tasted another victory. The Tigers, who had sold a home game at the MCG to play in Darwin, struggled to adapt to the humid conditions and the Power pounced. The rank underdogs trailed at half-time, but kicked away in the final term to record their first win in Darwin since round 19, 2006 and only their second win of the season.

Rd 20: Collingwood 23.21 (159) d Port Adelaide 3.3 (21), at AAMI Stadium
No one expected the Power to topple the reigning premiers … but no one quite expected them to be thrashed by 138 points either. The Magpies kicked the opening 12 goals of the game in wet conditions to put the result beyond doubt in the second quarter, and completely embarrass a non-competitive Port Adelaide in retiring champion Chad Cornes' farewell game.

Rd 21: Hawthorn 31.11 (197) d Port Adelaide 5.2 (32), at MCG
Just when things looked like they couldn't get any worse for the Power, they did. For the second straight week, Port Adelaide slumped to a record defeat, this time against the goal-hungry Hawks. The only bright spot for the visitors was the performance of Butcher and rookie Tom Jonas on debut.

Rd 24: Port Adelaide 17.10 (112) d Melbourne 15.14 (104), at Adelaide Oval
After losing to Essendon in heartbreaking fashion the week before, Port Adelaide was determined to finish its season and farewell ruckman Dean Brogan on a high in the first-ever AFL match at Adelaide Oval against the Demons. The lead changed hands three times in the final quarter of the enthralling contest. In the end it was the Power, who finished narrowly ahead, holding on to record just their third win of the season and avoid their first wooden spoon.

What went right
Coach Matthew Primus did as promised and pumped game time into young players, including Pittard, Ben Jacobs, Cam O'Shea, Phillips, Lobbe, Matt Broadbent and cult hero Butcher. Gray put concerns over his durability behind him, playing every game of the season and Hartlett showed his star quality in 16 games before having season-ending shoulder surgery.

The club was also able to re-sign Victorians Jackson Trengove, Alipate Carlile and Andrew Moore, who were rumoured to be leaving the club. Away from the field, Port Adelaide merged with SANFL club Port Magpies and played a role in securing the move to Adelaide Oval in 2014-2015, which is expected to help the Power's bottom line.

What went wrong
Pretty much everything else. The club managed only three wins to record its worst season in the AFL and heap pressure on first-year coach Primus.

The League was required to step in and write a cheque for $9 million over the next three years to help the cash-strapped club ahead of the move to Adelaide Oval, prompting concerns over the Power's long-term future. Chief executive Mark Haysman resigned along with three board members and there was speculation about 'cultural' problems at the club.

Critical moment
Primus was optimistic the Power's first win of the year against cross-town rivals Adelaide in round four would kick-start their season, but a week later he was back at AAMI Stadium apologising to his club's supporters.

Port Adelaide led Gold Coast by 40 points in the third quarter in a match the home team was expected to win - and win well - but capitulated in the last quarter to go down as the first club in history to lose to the fledgling Suns.

It was far from the Power's biggest loss of the season (three points), but it scarred the players and prompted Primus to label his team as, a 'laughing stock'.
Most valuable player

Despite an injury-interrupted pre-season, midfielder Travis Boak quietly went about improving his game. The potential future captain amassed 25 or more disposals on six occasions to be Port Adelaide's leading possession winner, and also won more clearances (79) than any other player at Alberton.

He shouldered a lot of responsibility in the midfield in the absence of the injured Cassisi in the first half of the season. Needless to say, he would benefit from more support from his fellow onballers.

Coach's pet
Hard-nut Matt Thomas enjoyed a career-best season, playing both as an attacking and negating midfielder. The uncompromising onballer led the Power in tackles, averaging nearly seven per game and also pushed forward to kick eight goals. He battled injury throughout the season, but missed only two matches and should poll well in the club's best and fairest award.

Next big thing
Former No. 8 draft pick John Butcher was a revelation for Port Adelaide in the last four rounds, providing a strong target in a struggling attack and kicking 11 goals. The 20-year-old's goalkicking remains an issue, but he has an undeniable presence and - provided he re-signs - is a player Primus can build his team around.

Needs a big pre-season
One of the Power's biggest concerns this season was the form of middle-tier players, Troy Chaplin, Steven Salopek, Brett Ebert and David Rodan. Ebert, who missed a large chunk of the pre-season recovering from LARS surgery on his knee, can be excused but the club needs a more consistent level of performance from Chaplin, Salopek and Rodan.

All three players should be in the prime of their careers, but their development stagnated this season, with the latter two being dropped at different stages. The experienced trio will need to assume more responsibility next year following the retirement of stalwarts Chad Cornes and Dean Brogan.

Trading places
Port Adelaide insists three-time best and fairest winner Kane Cornes is a required player, but speculation is rife the club will seek to trade him at the end of the season. Cornes has vowed to refuse any trade if his name is mentioned in October's AFL exchange period, so it will be interesting to see how the situation plays out.

Jacob Surjan has denied reports he wants to leave Alberton, but after receiving limited opportunities this season he could be forgiven for assessing his options.

What they said:
"What's happened this year is far from ideal, but we also need to look at the bigger picture. We'll see the benefits of what's happened this season in the years to come in terms of the games we’ve got into guys, like Hamish Hartlett, Matty Lobbe, Jasper Pittard, John Butcher and Cam O'Shea. All these things are money in the bank for years to come, but we need to try and fast-track everyone and ensure that next year we make significant improvement and that we definitely win more than two or three games."
- Port Adelaide captain Dom Cassisi

In a nutshell
It was a year to forget for Port Adelaide, but the club is confident Primus' long-term approach to selection will pay dividends in the years to come.

Overall grade: D

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL