Walsh: Power can avoid Eagles' fate

Phil Walsh at Port Adelaide preseason training. Picture: Sarah Reed. Source: News Limited

PHIL Walsh says he likes what he's seen from Port Adelaide's young charges since returning from West Coast at the end of last season.

Walsh, who spent the past five years at the Eagles after a decade at Port under Mark Williams, believes the Power are poised to avoid the pitfalls which befell West Coast in 2013.

"Last year at West Coast it was touted in the media we'd play in a Grand Final - we finished 13th," Walsh said.

"What you did last year doesn't count for much in this industry.

"It's a ruthless industry and once you lose that mindset of being the hunter and working hard you very quickly get sat on your backside.

"I haven't seen anything yet to suggest that will happen here ... I'm really excited about what this group is going to produce this year."

Walsh conceded there was an "unknown" factor to the Power because there were no guarantees everyone would reproduce - or improve on - the form of last season.

Fox Footy launches the 2014 season with a new-look advertising campaign.

But he believed the group was approaching the season with the right attitude.

"Ken says this a little bit and I believe it too 'you get what you deserve'," Walsh said.

"This group works really hard and if they continue to do that and not get ahead of themselves they'll get the rewards."

Port's new midfield manager was measured in his assessment of the onball unit's potential but was impressed with the depth on hand at Alberton.

"It's a group that has come through together which means they should have really good chemistry," he said.

"I think it can be a really strong midfield but the competition out there is so fierce. Every team in the top four or top eight have elite midfields.

"The further improvement of Lobbe in the ruck - that's going to be exciting. His second half last year I thought was outstanding and he's made some big leaps.

"Travis Boak was All-Australian, can he back that up? That's going to be really interesting.

"Ollie Wines - he burst onto the scene. What's his second year look like?

"Brad Ebert since he came back to Port Adelaide ... has played his best footy. Can he keep that going?

"Can Hamish Hartlett become the player everyone thinks he is? Can he get a bit of consistency in his game to be able to do that?

"It's a bit of an unknown but I think that's fantastic."

Read More..

SuperCoach: No more Mr Nice Guy

Shane Crawford reveals his bargain picks for SuperCoach 2014

SuperCoach is the best fun since footy was invented. Don't miss out! Source: HeraldSun

I HAVE a message for all those kids who constantly remind me that I'm an easybeat at Nissan SuperCoach.

To those little old ladies who stop me in the supermarket aisle and want to see who my captain is that week.

SUPERCOACH IS BACK! CLICK HERE TO START PICKING YOUR SQUAD NOW

And to my friends and work colleagues who get so much satisfaction out of defeating me throughout the season - guess what? That's all about to change. That's right, in 2014 my philosophy is simple: No more Mr Nice Guy!

I'm so excited to have footy back in the paper and even more excited that my new SuperCoach squad, which I've spent my summer holidays fine-tuning to pure perfection, is ready to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public.

WIN $50,000 PLUS A NISSAN ALTIMA ON OFFER FOR THE HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL ROUND SCORE OF 2014

Nothing but premiership glory for me this year!

I'm sick and tired of my emotions being defined by the result of my SuperCoach team.

Every weekend of the season I go in full of hope only to show my face on Monday to cop the barbs about an out of form line-up.

I will not stand for it any more.

SUPERCOACH 10 COMMANDMENTS

12 PLAYERS TO ROLL THE DICE ON

My preparation will be faultless, just like the AFL players who are training like their life depends on it (it will if they are in my team and not performing)!

While they sweat it out on the training track and in the gym, I'm working just as hard dissecting every story about a player "training the house down" over pre-season, injury reports, stats, the fixture and making a few calls to people in the know.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CHAT ON A MOBILE DEVICE

THE BASICS: HOW TO PLAY SUPERCOACH

HOW TO PICK A WINNING TEAM

TOP SUPERCOACH PICK AT EVERY CLUB

JAY CLARK REVEALS HIS EARLY SUPERCOACH LINE-UP

JOIN THE SUPERCOACH COMMUNITY ON FACEBOOK

I'm not going to give away the results but here are some questions you should be asking too:

WILL Gary Ablett still be the No. 1 SuperCoach player by the end of the season or will Scott Pendlebury, Nat Fyfe, Patrick Dangerfield, Trent Cotchin or Ryan Griffen challenge for the prestigious title?

WHICH injured player is a MUST for our sides? Is it Dale Thomas or Hamish Macintosh? You will get them at a good price, but are they be reliable?

WHO will be the next Chad Wingard? Last year Wingard exploded as Port Adelaide started the season on fire with plenty of great SuperCoaches scorers - who can do that this year?

WILL the Demons under Paul Roos go from SuperCoach duds to SuperCoach studs?

WHAT do we do with ageing stars like Adam Goodes, Mathew Pavlich and Chris Judd? Do they still have currency? Hint: Never write off a champion.

IS THIS the year of the Tiger? Teams that win lots of games score lots of SuperCoach points. Getting on board a rising team early could be the key to success.

ST KILDAhas a new coach and a rebuilding mentality. Does that mean they will give plenty of game time to youngsters and, if so, which ones?

AND what about Buddy? Will he fit into the Sydney's style of play? Will the SCG (smaller ground) mean more goals which means more points? I am confident he will win the Coleman Medal this year.

SERIOUS SUPERCOACH: IS THIS THE YEAR TO LEAVE OUT ABLETT?

SERIOUS SUPERCOACH: IS JACK MARTIN WORTH THE CASH?

I will let you in on one piece of inside knowledge.

My old teammate Campbell Brown tells me Jack Martin is the best talent he's ever seen, which is a huge call considering he's played with champions like Luke Hodge, Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli - and not forgetting Gary Ablett - so surely Jack is an automatic lock in everyone's team (no pressure).

Watch all the NAB Challenge games, follow SuperFooty for all the latest news on who's hot and who's not. Jump onto Twitter and Facebook for the latest tips from the experts.

Make sure you keep an eye on the Herald Sun's very own Jay Clarke and Mark Robinson who I can reveal have also had outstanding pre-seasons.

I'm ready to take on the world in SuperCoach so get your team registered and take me on. Next time you see me in the supermarket I'll be the one doing the bragging.

BRING IT!

SuperCoach has a new user-friendly look for 2014. Source: Supplied

NEW FOR 214

FREE SUPERCOACH GOLD

Get a Herald Sun digital subscription and get SuperCoach GOLD free all season. It's the ultimate resource for the serious SuperCoach player keen to get one up over their mates.

FREE SUPERCOACH APP

The app you know and love is yours free in season 2014 on Apple and Android devices. It's never been easier to play. Coming soon.

IMPROVED SUPERCOACH DRAFT

Fancy a challenge? Take one your mates in our draft game with all new functionality and features for the 2014 season.

ALL NEW MOBILE SITE

Take SuperCoach with you wherever you go with our all-new mSite. Change your team, follow live scores and check your ranking all on your mobile or device.

REAL RIVALRIES

Bragging rights are yours for the taking. Play a mate head-to-head every week of the season with our all-new rivalries feature.

PLAYER COMPARISON TOOL

Take the guesswork out of team selection with our all new player stats comparison tool. A 50-50 call? Not anymore!

REWARDS & BADGES

Get recognition for your SuperCoach prowess with our all new rewards and badges.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? SIGN UP NOW FOR A SHOT AT $50,000!

WHY SUPERCOACH IS NO. 1

SuperCoach is the only fantasy only game that uses exclusive Champion Data ranking points to provide scores. Champion Data's unique formula is refined every year to reward players for the actions that make a real difference on the field. So stats like contested possessions and goal assists score highly while an uncontested mark when the game is over earns less points. And, like a real AFL coach, you'll be cursing your players who make a bad turnover instead of cheering another cheap stat.

That's why SuperCoach is Australia's No. 1 fantasy game by a clear margin year after year, and the game of choice for serious footy fans.

Read More..