Port Melbourne’s Patrick Rose has taken out this years Jim ‘Frosty’ Miller Medal. In his first season at the Borough, Rose kicked 67 goals to win the title ahead of a fast finishing Brendan Fevola who finished with 63 goals at the end of the home and away season.
Speaking after the final game of the season, Rose was surprised by his achievements for the season, but his mind was obviously focused on a bigger prize.
“It is obviously an honour and a privilege, but there are bigger fish for us to fry.
“I would rather have a premiership medallion around my neck, than any individual honour,” Rose said.
“At the start of the year if you had of said to me I would have won the 'Frosty' Medal I would have said ‘you are kidding’. I will take it – it is an achievement I will look back on once my career is finished, but the focus now moves to the Qualifying Final.”
Rose was the first player in the competition to kick 50 goals for the season, but he received extra attention in the second half of the season. His 50 came in 11 matches, whilst his final seven games produced 16 goals. Rose explained that the sides’ game style had changed since early in the season, as well as the defensive efforts of the opposition.
“I think earlier in the year, we did not so much get off the leash, but we played a different style of football, we moved the ball a lot more freely into the forward line, and as clubs were pressing up, we were moving the ball around the back.
“I think they have adjusted and the opposition do their homework pretty well, and are not going to let blokes kick five or six goals every week,” Rose said.
“As long as we win the game, whether it is me kicking goals or Dean Galea, or big Bonna’s or Caino, we are all happy.”
Teammate Dean Galea – who finished third on the goal kicking ladder – finished the season with 31 goals from his last eight games, and highlighted the spread of goal kickers the Port forwardline has with Adrian Bonaddio, Chris Cain and Callum Sinclair up forward. The mutli prong attack will be an advantage for Port come finals time – with finals something Rose is definitely looking forward to.
“I have played in two prelim’s and three semi’s, and have never got through into a Grand Final. That is all I want this year to get into the Grand Final and walk away with a Grand Final medal.
“That is the aim – that is why I came to Port to try and win a flag. I think we have given ourselves the best opportunity, so just hopefully we can get over the line versus Casey, have the week off, freshen up then try and get through the prelim,” Rose said.
“There will be sides coming at us, so we have to play our best football to get through.”
The final round cemented both Rose and Port Melbourne in the history books, Rose obviously with the goal kicking title – the clubs first since Danny Sexton in 1995 – and the Borough with their clean sweep of the home and away season. As great as the latter achievement has been, Rose believes it will not be a milestone that is celebrated until the year is completed.
“As Ayres said before the game, there is no one that has done it in the last 50 years, so we will look back on it at the end of the season, but we want more than to go through the season undefeated, we want to win a Grand Final, which has been our aim all year.”
Patrick Rose - Season 2011
Rd
|
Goals
|
|
Opposition
|
1
|
5
|
vs
|
Box Hill Hawks
|
2
|
1
|
vs
|
Casey Scorpions
|
3
|
2
|
vs
|
Sandringham
|
4
|
4
|
vs
|
Northern Bullants
|
6
|
7
|
vs
|
Frankston
|
7
|
5
|
vs
|
Williamstown
|
8
|
6
|
vs
|
Bendigo Bombers
|
10
|
5
|
vs
|
Werribee Tigers
|
11
|
3
|
vs
|
Coburg Tigers
|
12
|
8
|
vs
|
North Ballarat
|
13
|
5
|
vs
|
Geelong
|
15
|
1
|
v
|
Collingwood
|
16
|
4
|
v
|
Bendigo Bombers
|
17
|
0
|
v
|
Sandringham
|
19
|
4
|
v
|
Frankston
|
20
|
3
|
v
|
Williamstown
|
21
|
3
|
v
|
Northern Bullants
|
22
|
1
|
v
|
Box Hill Hawks
|
Goals: 67
Games: 18
Average: 3.72
Last Modified on 02/09/2011 10:34