I’ve been sitting on this for a while and I don’t say it lightly.
It is not easy to be critical of your former club, the club that you love and you’ve got so much affection for.
But facts are facts and it’s been 1,556 days since Port Adelaide won a final.
Despite forking out lengthy and expensive contracts for experienced players such as Ryder, Motlop, Watts, Rockliff and Dixon in recent years, Port have qualified for the top eight once since 2014.
Premiership ruckman Scott Lycett is the latest addition to the side, having signed a four-year multi-million contract just this off-season.
It’s hard to argue that a squad as experienced and chock-full of talent has significantly underachieved since taking the competition by storm in 2013 and 2014 where they were a kick away from a Grand Final.
Veterans Robbie Gray, Travis Boak, Paddy Ryder, Justin Westhoff and Brad Ebert are nearing or well into their 30s and must be feeling a premiership will elude them.
Since 2014, when the club and the fans thought this team was cherry ripe to push for their second AFL premiership, there have been a plethora of innovative marketing campaigns, slogans and bold predictions from club officials and players.
The Port Adelaide media department, I believe, are the best in the AFL as they continue to provide amazing access and an open environment for the media and for their fans.
And I understand the Power need to sell hope this time of the year to continue to grow the expanding membership numbers and try to fill out Adelaide Oval, which has seen a decline in attendances in the last few years.
But I’m sick of the talk.
It’s time for action.
Just yesterday, the ever-honest and forthright coach Ken Hinkley sat down with The Advertiser’s Reece Homfray and declared there is a freshness and a newness to Port Adelaide ahead of season 2019.
Captain-in-waiting Ollie Wines, Charlie Dixon and Matthew Broadbent have also done media appearances in the last week and the club released the feel-good story of former captain and coach Matthew Primus addressing the playing group over the weekend.
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Compare Port Adelaide to cross-town rival the Adelaide Crows this pre-season and it is chalk and cheese.
Adelaide is often coy with the media and their lack of transparency is often frustrating but they are letting their actions, not words, do the talking this summer.
There’s no doubt the club believes they can return to the top four in 2019 but you won’t hear anyone from the club predict it. They may just sneak up on the competition and do it.
If I’m a Port fan, I want to see, not hear. I want to witness the club fix their deplorable skill level, which has crippled them for 24 months. I want to see new recruits Rockliff and Watts fire for the first time.
And I want to see how they can fix the midfield which is stocked full of the identical player. I want to see it, I don’t want to hear about it.
Talk is cheap. I want actions.