Reserves v East Gambier ; In the tranquil setting of Island Park, a dour opening term saw neither side gain any ascendency. With both defences dominant, scoring opportunities were minimal. In fact the only goal come with a couple of minutes remaining and it enabled the Tigers to take a 4 point into the 1st break. In stark contrast, the opening skirmishers of the 2nd quarter saw an avalanche of goals, each side scoring a couple as the status quo was maintained overall. An edge in polish enabled Portland to strech the margin to 3 goals until some undisaplined play gave East some breathing space. This saw them reduce the arrears to just 6 points at the long break and Portland's momentum was halted. Indeed, all the momentum was with East early in the 3rd quarter and a couple of early majors were enough for them to grab the lead. A spate of Tiger goals saw ascendancy restored and propelled Portland to a 5 goal margin entering the home straight. This lead ballooned in the last term as the Tigers surged home to book a place in the 2nd semi. Best players were listed as Justin Van Heugten, Marcas Amor, Kane Spencer, Daniel Kinghorn, Telverne Onus and Matt Huppatz.
FINAL SCORES : Portland 18 - 5 = 113
East Gambier 8 - 5 = 53
SENIORS V NORTH GAMBIER : Despite the fine weather to welcome the start of the game, the rain gods soon prevailed and turned the ideal conditions into these that were somewhat tricky. North made a lot of the early play, with Portland's errant kicking for goal proving a liability. After an even first quarter, the Victorian side had its forward line click into gear and they bolted away to take a commanding 37 point lead at the main break. A rejuvenated North fought back with 3 quick goals on the resumption and had Portland in damage control. A couple of steadying goals gave the Victorian Tigers some respite. With the last break looming the game developed into a stalemate, each side having trouble penetrating the opposition defence. 30 points separated the teams at the final change and with the contest still up for sale, Portland opened with a barrage of minor scores. It took until nearly time-on for the 1st goal of the quarter, a fair indication that much of the heat had dissipated from the contest. And so, Portland progressed to the 2nd semi, the fruits of a hard working display. Best for Portland were Marcus England9 business as normal ), Heath Brown( the power-house was swiched on ),, Sam Anson ( just kept working ), Jarrod Hayse (7 goals in a classic forward display ), Cam Mather super cool across the defence lines ) and Beau Bentley( always dangerous ).
FINAL SCORES : Portland 16- 16 = 112
East Gambier 10- 5 = 65
Last Modified on 28/08/2011 14:54