Under 18.5's : It is probably to say that as a spectacle, there wasn't great entertainment value in the first half of the match. Although the weather and ground conditions were quite favourable, neither side was able to generate any cohesion in their game and the amount of fumbling and ordinary disposal was the norm. In the 1st term, it was Hamilton who controlled possession and had most of the play in their scoring zone but despite thiis they only had a one point lead at the first change. The second quarter saw the Tigers lift their intensity and it was their turn to dominate possession. But despite this they had trouble finding target. A string of behinds was eventually capped off with a goal, enabling them to take an 8 point lead into the main break.
The standard of the game picked up in the third term and it was Hamilton who made the running. They spread the ball around and delivered it with a lot more precision. A couple of quick goals and the Kangaroos had wrested the lead away from Portland. The Tigers then managed to control possession of the ball for a long period of time without being able to register multiple goals. It was the visitors by 2 points at the final interval and with the sun making a welcome appearance, it was shaping up to be a tense last quarter. And so it proved. Hamilton held on to their lead for a substantial part of the quarter before the Tigers with some clever link up play slotted acouple of goals that saw them edge to a 6 point lead. But again a series of missed scoring chances saw them not able to bury the opposition. The Kangaroos capitalised on this and they booted 2 late goals to emerge as victorious. It was a bitter pill for the Tigers who were best served by Levi Chapman, Toby Cocks, Ty Deans, Felix Jones, Connor Peters and Aaron Shepherd
Fibal scores: Portland 6-13=49
Hamilton 8-7=55
Reserves : The Tigers took the field with a patched up team that had a bit of the old( W. Imbi. V. Hockley ) and a bit of the new( a smattering of Under 18.5's ). And despite showing plenty of endeavour, it was the visitors who slipped intp gear and pretty soon they asserted their dominance. Leading by 3 goals at quarter time, they looked to be full of running and were making the Tigers look a little tardy. The drizzling rain didn't help matters as far as skills went but it was the Tigers who relished the reduction in the tempo of the game. They had narrowed the gap to 10 points at the long break and were making a decent fist of things. Portland continued to press in the 3rd term but the Kangaroos just had a bit too much polish. In previous games, one might have questioned the intensity of the player committmentbut that certainly wasn't the case here. The last change saw Hamilton 14 points in front a lead that was reduced in the last quarter but not enough to lose the game. A very meritorious effort by Portland but perhaps due to some inaccuracy in front of goal at critical times, not quite good enough to secure victory. Good Portland players were Hayden Dyke, Justin Van Heugten, Jake Jones, Tynan Drought, Jeremy Reynolds and Callum Greenham
Final scores; Portland 6-11=47
Hamilton 8-5=53
Seniors : Portland had the aid of a breeze in the 1st term but they struggled to fully capitalise on this advantage. A lot of the game was fought out in the midfield with neither team gaining any clear ascendancy. Hamilton had their chances to make an impact but there errant kicking for goal was proving to be a handicap. On the other hand when the Tigers attacked on a couple of occasions they moved the ball very precisely through the likes of Rys Egan and Brett Uebergang. 9 points in the Tigers favour was the wash up at the 1st crossover. The 2nd quarter was somewhat of a replica of the the 1st. Very tight defence with neither side finding goals easy to come by. Portland maintained their lead until late in the term when the Kangaroos slotted a couple of rapid fire goals and this was enough to get them to a 3 point lead at the long interval.
For the locals, tthe situation didn't improve in the 3rd tem. Hamilton doninated possession but couldn't fully capitalise on this. The hosts had trouble getting the ball into scoring positions and when they did, nothing seemed to eventuate. It seemed a fair indication of each side's respective position on the ladder that there was a lack of good ball moevemnt and the subsequent low scoring resulting. Towards the end of the term, the Tigers notched their first goal since the opening quarter. It did narrow the margin but at the last change the Tigers were still 7 points in arrears. The last quarter produced the football of the game skill-wise and it was the visitors who provided more of it. The Tigers looked threatening at times and at one stage, they got to within a kick but it was to no avail as Hamilton had the answers when required. It rounded off a disappointing day for Portland as in all matches, they had their chances to nail but they continually came up short. Portland's better players were Daniel Jackson, Rhys Egan, Daniel Falcone, Brett Uebergang, Bryce Finnegan and Ben Malcolm
Final scores: Portland 5-10=40
Hamilton 6-18=48
Last Modified on 04/07/2015 17:16