The Port Melbourne steamroller continued on its way to post an 11th straight win for the season, crushing a brave Geelong by 51 points at TEAC Stadium on Saturday, as Samantha Landy reports.
The Borough conceded a six-point quarter time lead to the Cats who looked poised to threaten another top echelon team after falling agonisingly short against the Northern Bullants last week.
But the ladder leaders kicked into gear after the first break, winning the remaining three quarters emphatically in a display which no doubt convinced many that Port Melbourne could finish the season undefeated.
Borough’s coach Gary Ayres remained coy when asked about his side’s prospects for a flawless 2011, responding “ask me in about ten weeks”.
“So far the guys have been pretty level headed,” he said.
“Early on we may have started to believe a little bit about what people were saying [about us] and what we thought we could do.
“But you just know that next week there’s different opposition, and they’ll be doing their homework big time because we have come to this point now.”
Ayres admitted his side was thoroughly tested by the Geelong outfit which boasted the ‘big hairy cat’ Cameron Mooney at full forward and colossal AFL-listed ruckman Trent West. But the side was also missing a number of influential players to AFL duties, notably livewire Allen Christensen, leading goal kicker Mitch Brown, premiership midfielder Shannon Byrnes and big man Dawson Simpson.
“I thought [Geelong’s] overall clearance work was probably better than ours today, with West especially,” the Port Melbourne coach said.
“The way they were able to orchestrate play once they got their hands on the ball was better than ours, especially in the first half.”
Ayres expected the match to be “a letdown to some degree” for his side after their stunning victory over North Ballarat last weekend.
Despite this he was pleased by his players’ ability to once again perform when it counted.
“We were able to get sequences of our play going when we needed it,” he said.
Geelong leapt out of the blocks early, booting three goals in as many minutes before Port Melbourne even entered their forward 50. The second came off the boot of Mooney who showed he’s still got what it takes to be a full forward at the highest level by outmuscling opponent Jarrod Dalton for the mark and running off him with ease to spear the ball home.
Both sides employed effective defensive presses, making scoring difficult. The teams could only muster five majors between them for the term.
Port stepped up to break the goal drought in the second quarter, booting five goals to Geelong’s two to advance to a 12-point lead. The visitors were a little too predictable when going forward, with Mooney regularly the target, allowing the Borough backmen to repel the Cats’ advances on most occasions.
Star Port Melbourne forward Patrick Rose started to affect the game in spectacular fashion in the quarter, ducking and weaving amongst multiple Geelong defenders before affecting a look-away handpass in one play which set up Chris Cain for his second major of the match.
The Borough moved further ahead in the aptly named premiership quarter to increase the deficit to 29-points at the final break. Billy Burstin goaled in the opening 30 seconds of the quarter and was later joined by Josh Scipione, who excelled in his return to the seniors, and super-forwards Rose and Dean Galea, who finished the day with five majors apiece.
Port showed noticeable improvement after half time, winning more of the centre clearances and showcasing their strength and speed in the midfield.
The final quarter mirrored its predecessor with the home side dispatching the visitors by 51 points. Rose and Galea continued to cause headaches for the Geelong backline, which was led valiantly by Cameron Guthrie.
Mitch Cuthill provided the highlight of the quarter for the Cats, taking an impressive specky (click HERE to view the mark) and topping off his mark with the last goal of the match.
The usual suspects starred for Port Melbourne, with Nathan Batsanis and Sam Pleming gathering 26 and 25 disposals respectively, and the two-pronged attack of Rose and Galea as influential as ever. Chris Cain gained praise from Ayres for his 24 touches, three goals and six marks.
Mooney and West both made strong cases for AFL selection, the forward finishing with four goals, 16 disposals and eight marks and the ruckman dominating the hit outs. Simon Hogan was close to Geelong’s best in his second game back after taking time out to treat depression, amassing 25 possessions. Mark Corrigan and Case Tutungi were also influential.
Port Melbourne get a well-earned rest with the bye this week and can look forward to the return of the electric Malcolm Lynch after the break. Geelong has a genuine chance to post its second win of the season when they take on fellow cellar-dwellers Frankston at home on Saturday.
Last Modified on 27/06/2011 14:49