Under 18.5 : Portland were up against very strong opposition in North Warrnambool who occupy the hiighest position on the ladder. Despite the aid of a stiff breeze, the Tigers could make no headway on the scoreboard. In fact, the Eagles held a narrow lead at the first break and they expanded this considerably in the 2nd term when the scored a string of unanswered majors. So significant was their dominance, the match was effectively over at half time. The 2nd half was a replay of the previous. That is to say, there was very little scoring in the 3rd quarter before another run of goals from North in the last quarter. To Portland's credit, at no stage did they run up the white flag in spite of going down by a sizeable margin. Better players for Portland were David Denboer, Eamon Crossley, Gordie Slade, Nathan Valori, Callum Schultz and Leighton Marshall.
Final scores: Portland 1-6=12
North Warrnambool 13-10=88
Reserves : In a similar manner, the Reserves encountered formidable opposition but they mounted a spirited effort in the first half. To the extent that they were marginally in front at half time. Certainly the effort and resolve of Portland more than counter balanced the slight edge that North had in the skill department. But wheteher it was the warm day or the 5 day turnaround from the previous match or some other factor, the energy levels of the Tigers took a severe dip in the 2nd half and the Eagles took full advantage of this to forge their way to a conlusive victory. Daniel Kinghorn, Cam Mather were in outstanding touch for the Tigers whilst there were solid contributions from Damien Bell, Bryce Koenig, Jesse Stone and Jayden Clark.
Final scores: Portland 4-5=29
North Warrnambool 8-17=65
Seniors : Portland had the wind at their backs for the opening term and used it to maintain the bulk of possession. Rebounding strongly off the backline and using the ball with precision, the forwards were fed a multitude of scoring opportunities which they unfortunately squandered. With 10 scoring shots to 3, the Tigers had a meagre 2 point advantage at quarter time and even North supporters were commenting that had the Tigers been more efficient, the course of the game could have been drastically different. But it was onlysupposition and the Eagles ensured that Portland payed a heavy price for their inept shooting for goal. They clinically built up a healthy lead, yet at no time did the Tigers capitulate. They kept boring in to make the opposition earn their lead but at the main break, it was the Eagles by 35 points. Sometimes statistics can be amazing and one surfaced at half time. The number of scoring shots from each side was the same but unfortunately the Tigers could not register a goal in the first half.
This trend continued in the 3rd term when the visitors again had plenty of possession but again they couldn't convert accurately. North expanded their lead and the Tigers slumped to a 56 point deficit at the last crossover. It got a little bit ugly for the Tigers in the last quarter due to North's ability to continually win the contested ball and use it effectively. It took until deep into time on for the Tigers to register their only goal but they had persisted for the whole encounter and again there were lessons to be learnt from this experience-notably the importance of getting early goals on the board. There some splendid efforts from the Portland side and none better than Brett Uebergang who continued on with his rich vain of form. Others to attract attention were Jesse Murray, Daniel Falcone, Nathan Haylock, Keean Gray and Daniel Jackson
Final scores: Portland 1-21=27
North Warrnambool 17-12=114
Last Modified on 30/04/2016 20:01