Under 18's : Portland received an initial dose of football reality when Imperials shell-shocked them with a full-scale onslaught in the 1st quarter. Winning the clearances all over the park, Imps launched waves of attacks that left the hosts flat-footed. Moving the ball with precision, Imperials surged to a 5 goal lead at the 1st break. The Tigers steadied in the 2nd term and managed to peg back the opposition, but the bugbear of errant kicking for goal returned to haunt them, with the result that Imperials still held sway by 23 points at the long interval. The Imperial blitz resumed in the 3rd term and they continued to storm the goals, expanding their lead by a considerable margin to have the seemingly parcelled up by the last changeover. Although there was no breeze to speak of, all the scoring was being done at the western end, the end to which Portland were aiming in the last quarter. A big last quarter saw the Tigers retrieve most of the lost ground and in the end went down by only a couple of goals. Good players over the four quarters were hard to find, but those deserving mention were Mitch Bunworth, Jamie Blacksell, Harry Warren, Tynan Drought, Dylan Barr and Alex Mason.
Final Scores: Portland 12-5=77
Imperials 14-7=91
Reserves : In a game that ebbed and flowed in the 1st half, Portland moved managed to get their noses in front by half time. The ball was moving around the ground in a free flowing game and neither side looked liked getting the ascendancy until Portland made a surge in the 3rd term. It looked as though they had an edge in fitness and Imoerials were beginning to tire as the match wore on. The Tigers had it by 26 points at the last change and although Imps made a couple of late surges Portland had enough of a lead to gain their first win of the season. Bets players were Jaron Quinlivan( a welcome back to a Tiger legend ), the Huppatz bros, Harley Angus, Brett Egan and Leigh Wiseman.
Final Scores: Portland 14-14=98
Imperials 8-5=53
Seniors : Portland, kicking to the scoring end, had an edge in general play through the opening exchanges and more than deserved a 13 point lead at the 1st break. A willingness to share the ball around and vary the approach to goal enabled them to open up a minor break. The 2nd quarter saw Imperials trump Portland at every turn. Too slick in their disposal and gaining the better of the stoppages, the visitors blanketed Portland's prime movers and the supply line was cut into the attacking zone. When the ball did arrive into the forward area, the Imperials defenders thumped the ball from marking contests and the running players swept it back up the ground with ease. Half time saw Imperials in control by 16 points and looking decidedly superior. The home side fought back doggedly in the third term. Their spirit was to be admired, but Imperials still looked to be fractionally better in the execution of the skills. As the home straight loomed, Imperials had their noses in front, but the Tigers clawed and scrapped their way to a break of nearly 3 goals in time on and against the odds looked as though they would nail the finish. Not to be denied, the red, white and blue steadied, gritted the teeth and got back to within a few points and that is how it finished, with perhaps the Tigers' fitness being a critical factor. A great spectacle-Portland's tenacity getting it home against a very capable and well drilled team. Good players were spread evenly around the ground, with Marcus England attracting top vote, Rhys Egan being everywhere and leading by example and other fine contributors were Jordan Kane, Luke Van Heugten, Dennis O'Loughlin, Beau Bentley and Zane Wakely.
Final Scores; Portland 14-13=97
Imperials 14-10=94
Last Modified on 14/06/2012 17:04