Portland had its first competitive hitout for season 2015 when they took on their old foes, Heywood, at the Heathmere Recreation Reserve on Saturday 21st. It was a very willing encounter with plenty of grunt being applied by both sides. In the first couple of quarters when both sides had their stronger sides on the park, the Tigers probably had the better of the contest especially in the 2nd term when they had the use of the gusting breeze. The latter stages of the game saw Heywood, with its physical impact fight back, and made Portland earn every possession.
Matt Kelly and Jake Dignan were very prominent in the early stages-both relishing the dry conditions to snare plenty of possession and then proceed to use the ball effectively. Other Tiger players to show out included the Haylock brothers( there are 3 of them ), Ben Malcolm( whose day had started in ordinary fashion with a couple of personal issues ) and the two Daniels-Falcone and Jackson( both very cool in the testing conditions ). A couple of youngsters, namely Josh Andrews and Aaron Caldow made their presence felt with their preparedness to take on the contest. Both displayed aerial power and when the ball hit the floor their follow up efforts were very commendable. Overall, it was an encouraging first try out with many senior players still to make their season debut.
Next week( March 28th ) the pre-season cup for Hampden sides is being staged at South Warrnambool. Portland's opponents will be last year's premiers in Koroit along with Cobden.
Last Modified on 21/03/2015 20:52