IT was an April Fool’s Day to forget for Portland in the Hampden Football League on Saturday, with the seniors defeated by Warrnambool 21.18 (144) to 4.7 (31) at Hanlon Park.
The Tigers were on the backfoot early on in the round one contest, trailing by 20 points at quarter-time, but were still well and truly in the contest with the game far from over.
However, the next two quarters drove the nail in the coffin for the opening fixture of the 2023 season, with Warrnambool kicking 12 goals to two over the next two quarters to put the game beyond doubt.
It was a demonstration of the massive change this Portland side has seen over the course of a single off-season, with just eight players from the side which defeated the Blues in the elimination final last season taking the field this time around.
For coach Jarrod Holt, the result was a reflection of the difference between the two sides’ preparation heading into the season.
“I don’t think what we were trying to do or the style of play we had was wrong, and especially early in the game it felt like we weren’t too far away,” Holt said.
“It came down to execution, and as the game wore on the fact that they were a lot fitter and stronger made the difference.
“I told the boys after the game that the reality is they’ve prepared really well for the season, and we haven’t.
“I know that we’ve lost a lot of players and there’s no doubt we’ll get better, but at present we just can’t run with them or execute on that level because we haven’t put in the work.”
Holt said that the challenging preseason is something he and the rest of the group won’t be dwelling on too much moving forward, as ultimately the side just needs to look ahead to the factors that remain within its control.
“I’m sure the whole group is aware of it, but it is something I wanted to address with them… but all we can really do now is look forward to the weeks ahead and try to build on something,” he said.
“They were fielding 22 guys who had real good preparation and had a lot of experience under their belts, whereas we had a lot of young guys out there.
“In saying that the positive to come out of it was that the young guys held themselves really well, I thought there were some really good signs there for the future and there’s certainly something to work with.”
Admittedly there is also a sense of déjà vu kicking in for those who have been around the club for a number of years, with Holt saying that it feels as though this is a repeat of where the club was a few seasons ago.
“It’s often been a case of us having a good group of young players where we’re hoping we can hang on to them and try to build something for the future, and I think over the past couple of seasons we were finally seeing that come to fruition, and now it feels like we’re back at square one almost,” he said.
“But I know we’re going to get better… I get that every coach would say that but I do believe we’ve got a chance to build on something for the season ahead.”
As for the players who put in the strongest stints on the park on Saturday, Holt was once again full of praise for the guys who will hopefully be the future of the club.
“I thought Charlie Piergrosse looked really impressive, he would only be bottom age under-18 this season and I thought he showed a lot, really good in the ruck and really good up forward.
“I thought Blake Schwarz showed a lot up forward, he could’ve had a couple goals… but he worked hard and his pressure was good.”
There was also plenty to be said for the more experienced players in the line-up, with skipper Josh Edwards and Jake Wilson rating a mention for their efforts in the backline, while on-ballers Toby Jennings and Connor Peters along with veterans Daniel Falcone and Martin Curtis also named in their side’s best afield.
Other games
Cobden was able to produce a remarkable comeback in their round one clash with reigning premiers Koroit, to eventually claim a 10.17 (77) to 7.7 (49) win on their home turf.
The Saints jumped out of the blocks far quicker, leading at quarter time before taking a 17-point lead into the main break.
The Bombers’ defence held strong in the second half as they restricted Koroit to just two majors, while booting eight of their own to take home a comfortable win.
Charlie Darcy, Mark Marriott, Jesse Williamson, Patrick Smith, Liam Loubey and Henry Robertson were the best for Cobden, while Dallas Mooney, Paddy O’Sullivan, Mac Petersen, Jack Block and Alex Pulling worked hard for the Saints.
North Warrnambool Eagles proved to be too strong for Hamilton Kangaroos in their matchup, with the Eagles coming away with an 18.13 (121) to 12.5 (77) win at home.
It was a see-sawing affair early on, with the Eagles leading at the first change before the Roos took a 16-point lead into half time.
But from there it was one-way traffic in the Eagles’ direction, as they booted 11 goals to two in the second half to claim a handy victory.
Brady Hicks, Cameron Whyte, Deacon White, Jack Hickey, Oscar Linke and Darcy Russell were the best for the defeated Roos, with the Eagles’ best players not to hand at the time of writing.
South Warrnambool did it comfortably against Port Fairy at Gardens Oval on Saturday, claiming a 15.12 (102) to 7.7 (49) win to kick off their 2023 campaign.
The Roosters’ stranglehold over the contest wasn’t in doubt for most of the first three quarters, as they took a 62-point lead into three-quarter time.
The Seagulls were able to peg a couple back in the final term, but it proved to be too little too late.
Josh Saunders, Jeremy Mugavin, Jonah Maher, Ben Rantall, Sam Kelly and Nick Thompson were the pick of the lot for the Roosters, while Matthew Sully, Segdae Lucardie, Kaine Mercovich, Tyson Macilwain, George Swarbrick and Isaac Martin were strongest for Port Fairy.
In the closest matchup of the opening round, Terang-Mortlake got the best of Camperdown by a single goal, coming away with a 10.12 (72) to 9.12 (66) victory.
It was a back-and-forth contest throughout, with the Magpies having the edge at halftime, before a big third quarter saw the Bloods reclaim the ascendancy to lead by 17 points heading into the final term.
And while Camperdown made a push in the last portion of the contest, it wasn’t enough to get them over line.
Ryley Hutchins (five goals), Alexander Moloney, Scott Carlin, Darcy Hobbs, Joe Arundell and Xavier Vickers were best for the Bloods, while Cameron Spence, Brendan Richardson, Toby Kent, Sidney Bradshaw, Brayden Draffin and Riley Arnold were the pick of Camperdown’s outfit.
Reserves and under-18.5s
Portland’s reserves found themselves in a similar position to the seniors in their matchup with Warrnambool, with the final score 23.16 (154) to 2.3 (15) in the Blues’ favour at full time.
An eight-goal to one first quarter essentially put the game out of the question very early in the piece, with the Tigers working hard over the ensuing three quarters defensively to reduce Warrnambool’s scoring opportunities as much as possible.
Despite the loss, the Tigers saw a number of solid contributions from players across the ground, with on-baller Dylan Barr named best afield, along with Matthew Payne, Ash Hill, Sharn Robinson, Ben Harding and Lachlan Stephens.
In the under-18.5s, Portland was unable to keep pace with the Blues despite a low-scoring but competitive first quarter, with the final score being 10.13 (77) to 3.4 (22).
While both sides had a rough start to the game with the scores locked at seven apiece at quarter-time, Warrnambool were able to find success moving forward much sooner than Portland which allowed them to claim a straightforward victory.
Kostya Vallance, Broque Field, Jordan Heinze, Noah Nicholls, Kaden Wilson and Nicholas Sealey were named in the Tigers’ best on ground.
