PORT ADELAIDE
2007 in brief
Played: 25
Won: 17
Lost: 8
Finished: 2nd
Played every game
Dom Cassisi
David Rodan
Shaun Burgoyne
Brendon Lade
Michael Pettigrew
Toby Thurstans
Chad Cornes
Brett Ebert
Kane Cornes
AFL debuts
R1, Nathan Krakouer
R1, Adam Cockshell
R10, Robbie Gray
R10, Justin Westhoff
R12, Travis Boak
Best and Fairest Award
1 Kane Cornes - 225
2 Chad Cornes - 196
3 Peter Burgoyne - 186
4 Dom Cassisi - 164
5 Shaun Burgoyne - 151
Leading goalkickers
Brett Ebert - 56
Daniel Motlop - 44
Shaun Burgoyne - 39
Justin Westhoff - 34
Warren Tredrea - 31
All-Australians
Kane Cornes (wing)
Chad Cornes (wing)
Brendon Lade (interchange)
Departures
Retired: Josh Mahoney and Darryl Wakelin
Traded: Brad Symes (Adelaide)
Delisted: Ryan Willits (redrafted in Rookie Draft)
2008 in brief
President: Greg Boulton
Chief Executive: John James
Coach: Mark Williams
Captain: Warren Tredrea
Coaching staff: Matthew Primus, Jason Cripps, Adam Kingsley, Tony McGuinness, Darren Trevena, Daniel Healy
Arrivals
Father-Son selection: –
Trade: -
Rookie elevation: -
Scholarship elevation: -
NAB AFL Draft: Matthew Lobbe (16, Eastern U18 VMFL), Marlon Motlop (28, Wanderers NT), Matthew Westhoff (33, Central District SANFL) and Mitch Farmer (49, Calder U18 VMFL)
International rookie selection: –
Non-registered for three years selection: –
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft: –
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Nick Salter (Woodville-West Torrens, SANFL), Daniel Boyle (Murray Bushrangers U18 VMFL), Ryan Willits (Port Adelaide senior list). Gavin Grose was retained as a second-year rookie.
The year ahead
The Power defied expectations last season by catapulting from 12th to second within the space of just 12 months. Three of the club’s senior players earned All-Australian honours, while the younger players flourished in the garden of opportunity at Alberton.
Now, the pressure is on Port Adelaide to back-up its stellar season with another strong showing in 2008. Coach Mark Williams is prepared to embrace the inconsistencies that often go hand-in-hand with young players and he acknowledges that bettering last year’s stunning success will be difficult.
But Port Adelaide is a proud club and you can guarantee the disappointment of Grand Final day will drive this team to greater heights in the not so distant future.
The Power will start the season without veteran defenders Darryl Wakelin (retired) and Michael Wilson (achilles injury) and the inexperienced back line of Alipate Carlile, Troy Chaplin, Jacob Surjan, Toby Thurstans and Michael Pettigrew will be immediately put to the test against Geelong in round one.
Port Adelaide has a relatively tough draw having to play the likes of Geelong, Sydney, Fremantle and Sydney twice and the club will be looking to replicate the fast start that triggered its success last season.
Premiership readiness
No one, not even Port Adelaide itself, thought the club was ready to contest the flag last season, but that didn’t stop the Power from claiming 17 wins and storming into the Grand Final.
The Cats exposed Port Adelaide’s immaturity on the last Saturday in September, but the young Power squad will be better for the experience.
The club’s senior players still have time on their side and the core group of 20-24-year-olds like Brett Ebert, Danyle Pearce and Steve Salopek will only improve.
Punters have non-finalists from last year, Fremantle and St Kilda, ahead of Port Adelaide in premiership betting, as well as contenders Geelong, West Coast, Collingwood and Hawthorn.
It's unlikely opposition teams will be so flippant in dismissing the Power’s commanding 2007 performance.
Who to watch
Warren Tredrea is one player who’s had everyone at Alberton talking over the summer.
Williams admitted the skipper was given a “free ride” in terms of selection for a few games last season, but he’s expecting bigger and better things from the 29-year-old this year.
A half-fit Tredrea still managed to boot 31 goals last season and at full fitness he’ll be one to watch in the multi-pronged Port Adelaide attack.
Young forward Robbie Gray is also on the comeback from injury and, according to the coaching staff at Port Adelaide, is one of, if not the most exciting player on the club’s list.
Predicted ladder finish
Fourth. In such a tight competition, it's foreseeable the Power could finish anywhere inside the top eight. Port Adelaide is a renowned tight-game specialist and with a good run on the injury front and continued improvement from its young players, the Power could push for another Grand Final berth.
Betting:
$13 to win the flag.
From coach Mark Williams:
"Last year we had an outstanding improvement on the season before, both individually and also as a club.”
“Inconsistency with young players is a little bit like the Australian Stock Exchange, you like to think at the end of the year it’s improved, but you know in between there’ll be ups and downs.
“It gives the players some comfort to know we understand that, and also helps around the place with other coaches and other players to understand – everyone is focussed on getting better, but it doesn’t always happen as quickly as you’d hope."
The final word
Williams, like most coaches in the league, will rely on the ongoing availability of his ‘blue-chip’, or seasoned performers, like Chad and Kane Cornes, Peter and Shaun Burgoyne, Dom Cassisi and Lade in 2008.
Youngsters Justin Westhoff and Travis Boak stormed onto the AFL scene in their first season and will be under pressure from outside to improve, but the real development must come from the club’s ‘middle-aged’ group.
Salopek, Surjan, Ebert, Pettigrew and Pearce all had solid season’s in 2007, but will need to take it to another level in 2008 as opposition teams crack down on the club’s prime movers.
The Power had a few things fall their way last season, but it wasn’t luck that got them to the final day in September. Port Adelaide unearthed some genuine talent in 2008 and you can expect Choco’s boys to be around the mark again.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
