Under 18.5"s : A soggy Gardens Oval greeted the Tigers as they continued on with their quest to gain a finals berth. In a modified game due to lack of numbers, Portland had the upper hand from the start but failed to consolidate this fact on the scoreboard. The slippery ball was difficult to control and this resulted in a barrage of points in the 1st term. Port Fairy occasionally looked dangerous on the counter attack but the Tigers led by 16 points at the initial change. The 2nd quarter was more of the same with Portland dominating possession but not fully making use of their chances. Every now and then there was a spark of skill but it was mostly a slog with the visitors stretching their lead to just sshort of 5 goals at the long break. The Tigers kept up their consistent streak by booting a couple of goals whilst keeping the opposition scoreless. The blustery conditions made ball-handling a sizeable proposition and both sides suffered from this. Turning for home, Portland were 7 goals to the good but in the last term, they got their act together and launched a meaningful series of raids into their forward line. This resulted in a steady stream of goals that saw them forge right away to score an emphatic victory. The Tigers were best served by Jarod Donovan, Gordy Slade, Liam Robinson, Nathan Valori, Angus McKinna and Scott Denboer.
Final scores: Portland 13-12=90
Port Fairy 0-2=2
Reserves : The Tigers welcomed a alarge number of permit players that boosted both the quantity and quality of the playing group. They immediately swung into attacking mode and had a couple of goals on the board before Port Fairy realised the game was in progress. From then on, the tempo slackened and the Seagulls worked their way back into the game. The sun was tending to dry out the condiitons but the wind still made it awkward for the players. The 2nd term saw Port Fairy have that little bit more intensity in their efforts and they edged their way towards the lead. With the wind not favouring either end, both teams had their share of possession but it was Port who had the most effect on the scoreboard. It was all tied up at half-time but the 3rd quarter saw a couple of defensive lapses from the visitors and for the first time in the encounter, the Seagulls got to the front. They maintained the upper hand for the duration of the quarter with the Tigers unable to have much impact in the scoring department. The season long malaise of Portland running out of steam in the 2nd half appeared to have come back and the Tigers had an arduous task of regaining front spot, being down by 13 points at the final chsnge. But looks can be deceptive as the Tigers roared back with a renewed zest as they put the pressure on the opposition. It was a slow process but Portland inched their way back to the lead position. It took most of the quarter but well into time on, Portland put their noses in front with a well taken goal and shut the door on Port Fairy to get home by a point. In a very even side, the better players were Hayden Telfer, Eamon Crossley, Luke Solly, Jason Behncke, Jarrod Holt and Jake Patterson.
Final scores: Portland 6-10=46
Port Fairy 6-9=45
Seniors : The tempo of the opening stages was played at a staggerinf rate and it was the Seagulls who had a the ascendancy. They were just a bit slicker with their ball movement and their subsequent delivery into the forward line was very classy. The Tigers were not disgraced to this point but they were finding it hard going countering the free running Seagulls who took a lead of a couple of goals into the 1st break. It was more of the same in the 2nd quarter but this time the home side ripped gaping holes in the Tiger defence and booted a string of goals to open a decisive lead of more than 5 goals by mid-quarter. They maintained this margin to half time.
On resumption, an early goal to the Tigers reflected a newly found confidence in attacking the ball but the Seagulls quickly regained the superiority. They seemed to have an excess of numbers at every contest, forcing the Tigers having to toil hard to obtain possession and then use the ball effectively. There was a stark contrast in the mode of delivery into the respective forward areas-Port Fairy were able to pinpoint their targets over a varying range of distances whereas the Tigers were guilty of being one-dimensional in that they tried to bomb the ball into the scoring zone but most times the Port Fairy defence was able to mark safely and spread the ball out to their runners and set up another scoring raid. The lead had stretched to 7 goals by the last change with the home side looking completely on top. An early Tiger goal in the final quarter sparked signs of a revival but these hopes were shortlived as the Seagulls then went on a scoring rampage that left Portland wallowing in their wake. Pretty soon the margin was out to 10 goals and starting to look decidedly ugly. Portland conjured up a couple of late consolation majors but overall the home side was too classy and the margin of 10 goals was probably a fair indication of the game. Better Tiger conributors were Ben Malcolm, Keegan Gray, Aaron Shepherd, Nathan Haylock, Daniel Falcone and Bryce Finnegan
Final scores: Portland 12-7=79
Port Fairy 22-8=140
Last Modified on 21/08/2016 11:38