Under 18.5's : This abbreviated match got off to a rocket start from the hosts with a couple of scoring shots producing one major in a very short space of time. With the solar energy radiating out of the sky in huge amounts and a blustery wind favouring the seaward end, the Tigers made light work of kicking against breeze. When they went forward they did so with purpose-a couple of times through very snappy work from Whil Doodt. In contrast, the Kangaroos, whilst having plenty of the ball, were very shoddy in their their delivery and their return of 6 behinds for the term left them 7 points in arrears at the quarter time. The 2nd quarter saw the Kangaroos draw first blood when they snagged a quick goal and for the initial part of the term, the Tigers played from behind and payed the consequences when Hamilton monopolised possession. Again they made hard work of scoring. Sam Davis was prominent in defence and from mid quarter, he helped launch a wave of attacks tha saw Tom Hernan get on the end of some of them to notch a couple of goals. The Tigers took a 17 point lead into the long break but it was still a game up for decision.
The game see-sawed from one end to the other in fairly repititive fashion for much of the 3rd term with neither side gaining the superiority in this phase of the match. Although the wind still favoured the to which Hamilton were attacking, the Tigers defended stoutly to maintain their 17 point buffer at the last change. The Tigers reaped the benefits of efficient delivery and sound positional play to dominate the last quarter. Their transfer of play was exciting to watch and the score mounted steadily so that at game's end, Portland were 39 points to the good. All over the park, the Tigers had clear winners and the best of them were Liam Robinson, Nathan Valori, Tom Hernan, Sam Davis, Whil Doodt and Gordy Slade.
Final scores: Portland 9-8=62
Hamilton 2-11=23
Reserves : It was a keenly contested affair for the duration of the quarter. Neither side gained the ascendency with both defences emerging on top. Portland edged it by a couple of points at the 1st break but they hadn't made full use of the wind advantage in the 1st term and the visitors showed them how to do it when their turn came. Using the conditions to their advantage, Hamilton gained the upper hand by some 8 points at the main break.
The wind abated during the course of the 3rd term but the Kangaroos' overall edge in skill enabled it slide out to a 16 point lead by the last change. With the brilliant sunshine still covering the park, the Tigers' fitness levels seemed to be ebbing as well and the their opponents seemed to be capitalising on this. Portland faced a stern task to get back into the contest but to their credit they knuckled down to their task and by much grunt and a few snippets of skill, they managed to get to within a kick deep into the term but Hamilton steadied and a timely goal right on the siren ensured victory by 12 points. The Tigers had some good goers with Pat Mahon, Daniel Kinghorn, Dan Oliver, Liam Little, Delwyn Beavis , Aaron Hill and Luke Solly being the pick.
Final scores: Portland 6-8=48
Hamilton 9-3=57
Seniors : Portland had the assistance of the breeze in the first term but Hamilton put a brake on the scoring with the Tigers struggling to get any fluency into their play.As the quarter progressed, the pattern remained the same with the Tigers not doing any damage on the scoreboard. Towards the end of the quarter their persistence paid of and they were able to get the goals column functioning. Quarter time saw the Tigers to the fore by 26 points. Despite pushing into the breeze the Tigers had the better of things in the second term. They were prepared to work hard when they didn't have possession and when they got the ball in hand, they used it to advantage. Led by coach Luke Crane, the Tiger smaller brigade capitalised on the work of Ben Malcolm to keep propelling the ball forward. Levi Konitzka was a viable focal point and if wasn't able to grab the mark, he held it up for the crumbers to swoop. Portland advanced to a 44 point at the long break and appeared hungry for more success.
But it didn't work out that way. Hamilton ran hard and created more scoring chances, leaving the Tigers in disarray. All over the field, the Tigers lacked the required intensity. The Portland defence as a whole lacked cohesion, dropped marks, and blundered their disposal. When the ball did go forward, the attackers were caught out of position and the ball was quickly transferred out of the danger Kangaroo zone. It was a disappointing term for the home side and it enabled the visitors to narrow the gap to 37 points. If the 3rd quarter was disappointing, it paled into insignifcance with the last term as regards the Tigers. The bad habit of kicking it in the air and hoping a team-mate received it was highly visible as well as the flying from behind and hoping to take the mark of the year. One could go on ad nauseum but the simple truth is Hamilton were just too good when it mattered. Fitness must be a query. Last week the Tigers were run over and this week it repeated itself again to worse effect. Still, the game is a learning experience and supporters would hope that there were valuable lessons that the players picked up on. Players worthy of mention were Brett Uebergang, Jesse Murray and Luke Crane.
Final scores: Portland 11-11=77
Hamilton 11-13=79
Last Modified on 26/04/2016 09:35