PORTLAND’S under-17 soccer side has gone from strength to strength in the 2023 South West Victorian Football Association season, as after a 4-2 win over Corangamite on Sunday they remain in third spot with five wins, a draw and only one loss from seven fixtures.

Panthers coach Mikey Meaola, who also coaches their under-14 side, said his group had been pushed by motivation from last year’s heartbreak.

“We lost in the grand final last season, so I think the group came out really hungry to go one better this time,” Meaola said.

“A lot of these guys have played together for a really long time, so the chemistry is all there, and on top of that we have some powerhouse players in the mix as well.

“Bodie Steel, Ceejay Durbidge and Sandy Trace, they’re all great players who were ready for senior action even last season.

“Having the opportunity to play with the senior group this year has only been beneficial for them, its paid off in terms of their composure.”

Meaola added that he’s also seen a lot of development from the rest of the side who are starting to click into gear.

“I think our older players have done a great job of playing as a part of a team… one of the key things we emphasised was wanting to bridge the gap between our stronger and weaker players and I think we’ve managed to do that.”

The under-14s have unfortunately had less success, although they celebrated their first win of the season on Sunday defeating the Lions 5-2.

“It’s been a bit of a jumble, a lot of them are still finding their feet in a different position,” Meaola said.

“Mathematically we can still make finals and we’re not going to stop pushing till the end.”

In terms of what the rest of the season holds for that age bracket, Meaola said it comes down to holding on to their players for the future.

“Player retention is always a success… other than that there’s still a lot of growing for these kids to do across both age brackets, their game IQ has picked up and will continue to get better.”