ABC TV will be airing their first Sunday match for 2012 this weekend when Port Melbourne take on the Geelong Cats in week one of the Peter Jackson VFL Finals Series proudly Powered by Milk.
The Qualifying Final will showcase a tough contest between second and third sides, with an added twist as both teams finished the home and away season with a shock loss.
Port Melbourne were pipped at the line by one point on Saturday against the North Ballarat Roosters who were able to finish their season on a high.
Coach Gary Ayres has used the knowledge gained from this loss to best prepare his side for the finals.
“The fact is that we need to play four quarters of football not 15 minutes. Getting away to a fast start and improving our tackle count will be keys this week.”
Port Melbourne will be entering this match with the upper hand being fixtured with a home game. The side have developed an extraordinary record of 20 straight wins at North Port Oval which will no doubt provide them with additional confidence.
“We believe that any advantage is better than no advantage and we must use this the best possible way. We train at North Port each week and play nine home games each year so it should carry some weight.”
The Borough has named four new players that are returning from injury including Dwyer, Pinwill, Pitt and Dillion. The question remains whether they are fit for a finals berth or if Port Melbourne have named them using their extended list due to having a Sunday match.
Port Melbourne and Geelong last met in Round 11 which saw the Cats run away with a 21 point victory. Reflecting on the match, Ayres believes his whole team must put forward their best performance to compete with the Cats.
“Our stoppage work will have to improve. We played in wet conditions last time but the weather looks like being reasonable so our ball movement has to be cleaner and more advantageous. Our best players need to be very good this week with a huge lift in performance of our lesser lights and overall a better performance as a team,” Ayres said.
This mid-season contest was a defining point in Geelong’s year as they were victorious in their next eight successive games. Coach Matthew Knights feels that this match provided his inexperienced side with the self-belief they needed.
“Port Melbourne had only lost one of their previous 28 matches so it was a massive test for our young group. To play the way we did and win against quality opposition, made it one of our most complete performances for the year and I think we got a lot of confidence from that result.
“Our midfield group played very well that day against the likes of John Baird, Shane Valenti, Toby Pinwill and Sam Dwyer and I think the battle in the midfield will play a large role in determining who wins the match this weekend.”
Like Port Melbourne, the Cats approach this Qualifying Final having just encountered a surprising loss. An inform Williamstown outfit knocked off Geelong by four points in the final home and away round.
“While it was not a performance we dwelled on too much, it showed that we have a number of things to work on ahead of the finals and it is important we address these areas of our game as part of our overall development program.
“At the same time we should take nothing away from our opposition - Williamstown played very well and put us under an enormous amount of pressure all day. They are definitely one of the inform teams in the competition and will no doubt be a team to watch in September.”
Geelong will be fielding close to their best side come Sunday after employing some clever tactics.
“Over the past four rounds we have made nearly 30 changes to our weekly team. Quite a few of these changes have been made to freshen up the squad ahead of the finals. It was important that we did this as we had five matches without a break leading into the finals. Now we will look to settle the line up.
“We are very confident in the depth we have on both our AFL and VFL lists and we know each week that whichever 22 or 23 players we take into the game, we will have a side that is capable of executing the plans we put in place.”
Knight’s respects Port Melbourne’s decorated history at their home ground but also possesses faith in his side and their ability to perform.
“You know that if you qualify for finals you are a very good chance of playing matches at North Port Oval. This has been the case for a long time and it is not an issue.
“Port Melbourne has been the benchmark team of the VFL competition for the past couple of years and North Port Oval has been a fortress for them throughout this period. They know the ground incredibly well and will no doubt be very hard to beat there.
“Having said this, where we play is not something that has concerned us this season. We have travelled well and won on the road at various venues such as Bendigo, Casey Fields, Ballarat, and Warrnambool,” Knights said.
The game will ultimately be defined by which team can bounce back from last round’s loss and improve upon the aspects of their game which had let them down.
Qualifying Final
Port Melbourne vs Geelong Cats
Sunday 2nd September – 2:10pm
North Port Oval
Broadcast live on ABC TV from 2:00pm
Last Modified on 31/08/2012 17:08