Portland V's Imperials @ Hamilton
Under 18"s
Portland took the game right up to their highly rated opposition, and with Barr taking some inspirational marks up forward and the defence repelling most of the attacking thrusts of Imperials, the visitors charged to a 4 goal lead at the first break. The home side intensified their efforts in the 2nd term and continually forced the Tigers into errors. The net effect was that at the long break, the margin was a mere 2 points in Portland's favour. Neither side could gain the ascendancy in the 3rd quarter with the Tigers strength being countered, by the greater mobility of Imperials. Late in the term, Imperials edged to the lead for the first time, but the Tigers fought back to hold sway by 7 points at the last change. It was to be a tale of woe for the Tigers in the final quarter as Imperials held out for a narrow win, despite Portland surging with 2 late goals. Best players for Portland were Greg Faure, Dylan Barr (6 goals), Jordan Kerr Ben Malcolm, Josh Slade and Brad Falcone.
Final Scores : Portland 13-7= 85
Imperials 12 -16 =88
Reserves
Unlike previous weeks, the Reserves hit the ground running and bounced out to a big lead in the first quarter. With the forward line getting good service from the midfield and the backline being very miserly, the Tigers completely eclipsed Imperials. Having a side sprinkled with recognised Senior level talent, this win probably didn't come as a huge surprise, but it still takes a positive mindset to achieve such an empathatic victory. Significant contributiors were Daniel Kinghorn, Winis Imbi, Beau Bently, Erik Stewart, Patrick Mahon and Heath Bourke.
A bit of quality in that line up.
Final Scores : Portland 18 -17 =125
Imperials 4 - 11 =35
Seniors
In a similar manner to the Reserves, Portland came out fully focussed and had 5 majors on the board in the first 10 minutes. Imperials managed to stem the onslaught and began their own attacking forays which resulted in a couple of goals. Towards the end of the term the pressure exerted by Imperials forced the Tigers into missing targets and the scoring rate slowed to a trickle. At times in the 2nd quarter, the Tigers threatened to break the game wide open with their precision skills, but the tenacity of Imperials ensured a contest, which had the crowd enthralled. Nonetheless, at the long interval, the visitors had extended their lead to 38 points which was probably a fair reflection of the game. The Tigers dominated possession on resumption, but wayward kicking for goal undermined the overall performance. When this aspect of their game improved, the visitors rammed on the scoreboard pressure to such an extent that the lead ballooned to 74 points as heads turned for home. Portland maintained their work rate in the final term, leading them to an impressive victory by some 115 points. In a team effort where contributions came from everyone, the superior performers were Daniel Falcone, Marcus England, Jaydon Styles, Sam Anson, Heath Brown and Cam Mather. Coach Jarrod Holt had an eyecatcher of a game characterised by its fine execution of skills and 7 classy goals.
Final Scores : Portland 23 -20= 158
Imperials 6- 7 = 43
Last Modified on 30/04/2011 22:08