PORTLAND and Hamilton will take to Hanlon Park today for the annual Anzac Day clash, in what senior coach Jarrod Holt said is their “biggest game of the year.”

For the Tigers, it will be a chance for them to get their first point in the win column against another side who has yet to win a game in their 2023 campaign.  

Holt said the occasion won’t be lost on any of his when they run out this afternoon.

“We encourage all the boys to get to the dawn service and pay their respects, and I’ll remind the boys of how important the occasion is during the pre-game,” he said.

“We see it as a privilege to play footy on a day like this, we’re very lucky to do it.”

With both sides desperate for their first win of the season, Holt said he expects a very tight game of football.

and I’ve told the boys as much at training in the lead-up… we’re really looking forward to it.

“Both sides are desperate for a win, and we always end up playing them pretty close… even last year when we were in a better spot than them ladder wise, we only just got over the line.

“It’s a special occasion, we’ve got some nice weather forecast, it should be a great game.”

But for one particular Tiger this will be a game of even more significance, with Connor Peters set to run for his 100th game for the club.

Peters, who will play in his 70th senior game to go along with five reserves games and 25 under-18 games, said it was an honour to have represented the club on these many occasions.

“I am very proud; I’ve been at the club since I was 15 or 16… I remember back when I first came here eight or nine years ago it was pretty rough, but we were kind of on the up,” he said.

“My first senior game probably stands out in my mind as one of my most special moments… but other than that winning that finals game last season was phenomenal.

“We had a really strong side in 2021 and last season… the club is in a bit of a different phase now as we’re looking to bring some young guys through.”

But while the loss of some key personnel from last year’s team has been a challenge, it has also presented an opportunity for the likes of Peters to take a chance to step up into a more senior role, not to mention getting the opportunity to run through the middle.

“I’ve played most of my senior footy running through half-back, that’s been kind of my role for a large portion of it… so it’s been good getting a chance to do some work through the middle when I’ve had the opportunity,” he said.

“But I think the emphasis for this season is really on the young kids coming through, we all want to see them succeed and take the club forward.

“There’s something to be optimistic about for the future, seeing the young guys like Karsen (Edwards) and Charlie Piergrosse perform well.”

As for the opportunity to play on Anzac Day, Peters described it as a “privilege.”

“Obviously you learn a fair bit about the history in school, it’s an important day that we try to make the most of,” he said.

“We’ll all be heading to the dawn service (this morning) and really trying to get in the spirit of it.

“It always gets a good crowd out, hopefully plenty of people decide to come along and get behind it.”

Tomorrow’s action at Hanlon Park will get underway at noon with under-18.5s, while the seniors will take the field at 3:30pm.