Footy Tragic

The Team:

Well I’m glad that I didn’t pre-write these articles as so far this pre-season we have seen a totally different Port Adelaide side to the one that finished the 2009 season so poorly. So far they have pumped local rivals Adelaide and done the same damage to top-8 hopefuls, West Coast at Subiaco. Firstly, it was great to see Port win the games so convincingly, and with so many younger players in the squad! But even more importantly, they backed it up in Western Australia -  something they really struggled to do in 2009. I am especially excited about some of Port’s youngsters this year - some of them are in great form, but just as importantly, they look good enough to push for senior selection. Hopefully this can be a big year for Port Adelaide as they are one of the more exciting AFL teams when in full flight. At this stage, I would hardly hesitate recommending you to put a few Port players in your squad - lets just hope they don’t fail us come round one!

Who’s Hot?:

Travis Boak ($396,900): Had a great pre-season and looks every chance to step up and lead the Power’s young midfield.

Steven Salopek ($373,200): After a less than impressive 2009 riddled by injury and form issues, Sal pushed very hard over the off-season and has come back looking better than ever. So far in the NAB cup he has stood out with his great HB/midfield role and penetrating kicking.

Mitch Banner ($94,500): Was an elite ball winner as a junior and after a strong pre-season it looks like he may be ready to replicate those attributes in the AFL.

Robbie Gray ($321,200): Has played his career as a medium forward but has often showed glimpses of star talent, just craving to be moved to the midfield. Fortunately, he worked really hard in the off-season and in row running personal bests and looking very fit. There is a strong chance we will see him in the midfield this year.

Cameron Hitchcock ($97,800): A first round rookie pick who looks a classic excitement machine, tearing up one and a half NAB cup games, showing great work rate and natural footballing ability in the forward line.  

Who’s Not?:

David Rodan: Did his ACL in a training drill and required a knee reconstruction. Due to using the ‘Malceski Method’ to repair his knee, he could be back in action only a month into the season. Still avoid picking him though.

Hamish Hartlett: After a great start to his pre-season, he has been cut down by another hamstring injury. Should be ready for round one, but with Port’s strong team and competition for spots he may find himself in the SANFL to regain touch.

Daniel Motlop: Had several injury concerns over the pre-season and despite playing the first NAB cup he still doesn’t look 100% fit – in fact, his poor showing in that game proved you don’t want him in your team anyway.

The Kid:

Mitch Banner ($94,500): Banner has been on most keen dream teamers lists for a while now – in fact, before he was even drafted people were locking them into their dream teams. Why? Because the kid knows how to get the ball! This is the point in the article where I remind you about the concept of dream team – we are not here to pick the flashiest player, the one with the best disposal, nor even the ones who will put their heads over the ball (and that is not to say Banner doesn’t tick any of these categories), but the ones who just get the ball again and again and again. Well… fair enough to say, Mitch Banner is one of these guys – the year before he was drafted he averaged a whopping 29 disposals through the TAC cup – these are Dane Swan style numbers kids! This is now the point where you turn around to me and give the example, “Bradd Dalziell could rack them up, but Vossy wouldn’t select him cos he’s actually pretty poor at football! Will the same happen to Banner?” Well, no, is the simple answer. Banner came to the club in 2008 known for being on the bad side of average for ball disposal, but it seems that he has worked really hard on this facet of his game for the past 12 months, impressing me (and I’m sure Chocco would be pretty stoked too) with both his ball winning abilities (both inside and outside) as well as his neat disposal. Whilst he ain’t a Brendon Goddard or David Mundy, he is definitely good enough to hit a target enough times to keep his spot in the team. For me, he is almost a must-have. Put it this way – if he is named to play round one, GET HIM!

The Premium:

Travis Boak ($396,900): Every year since he was drafted, Boak has taken his game to another level, as looks to be the case again in 2010. If we were making a list of A-grade players likely to take the step to elite category this year (ala Montagna), Boak would likely head the list. He showed us what he can do in his last few games for the season, averaging 28 disposals from rounds 18 – 22 and in doing so, marking himself as Port’s premium midfield option. The only concern is how he will handle the likely tag, which he will attract in 2010 – previously, players such as Shaun Burgoyne and Danyle Pearce have attracted the harassment, but as teams cotton on to Boak’s ability the attention will surely come! I can tell you that I am not the only one at Footy Tragic who’s excited by Boak – we were all singing his praises towards the end of last year, and with a super pre-season under his belt we are all pretty keen to get him into our teams! Whilst not a lock just yet, his clear room for improvement and undoubted ability make him a hard one to go past at what is quite a reasonable price! 

The Smokey:

Justin Westhoff ($283,600): The talk over the off-season at Port was often about a couple of different things; firstly, who will support Dean Brogan in the ruck – a two man race between Lobbe and Trengrove. Secondly, many were concerned about the form (or lack thereof) of the much-maligned forward, Justin Westhoff. Westhoff was one of the best young players in 2007 as Port made it to the Grand Final, however has failed to come on since due to his heightened amount of attention from opposition defenses. Amazingly, the solution to both of Port’s dilemmas seems to be the one answer; playing Westhoff in the ruck. Whilst not the most amazing tap ruckman (he was thrashed in the centre square by A-grade combo Cox and Naitanui), he works really hard across the ground and still has the talent to be rested up forward when not rucking – a fantastic combination! He was much better than next-choice ruckman, Lobbe, who was beaten both in the ruck and around the ground, suggesting that Westhoff really has the position in the bag if he continues to work hard. As we saw last year with Paddy Ryder, these versatile players can be fantastic DT players, especially when coming at the right price. Currently, Westhoff sits a bit below the $300k mark, but has the potential to do much more. Until he is officially given the role he is still speculative, but if  he does line up in the centre square in round one, you could be doing much worse than to be having him in your team.

The Smokey #2 (Instead of Bargain):

Robbie Gray ($321,200): I’ve gone for a second smokey this week due to Port having no clear bargain on their list, rather just a bunch of well priced kids… Plus, I couldn’t decide between Westhoffe and Gray. Now, I must start by saying I have always had a love for how Robbie Gray goes about his footy – every year since his debut I have spent time with him in my trial team before realizing he is just going to play forward again and subsequently trading him out. But this year is different – this year Chocco had hinted very strongly that he may finally line up in the middle! He even played there in the intra-club and totally chopped! The only question surrounding Gray is HOW much potential does he really have – we have never seen him play midfield for a full game to see what sort of numbers he is capable of, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if he averaged 85 – 90 points a game (similar to Higgins of 2009). He can play both inside and outside and is very creative with the footy and is therefore regularly trusted with it in hand. This shouldn’t be taken out of context, but his work in the forward line has always reminded me of Ablett when he played there for the first few years of his career. Unfortunately, we haven’t see him line up yet this NAB cup, so once again everything is extremely speculative. But please, for your own sake, keep an eye on the kid – I am so confident this will be his breakout season it’s just ridiculous!