PORTLAND’S Hampden League senior footballers made the trek to Mortlake to take on Terang-Mortlake Bloods on Saturday evening, with the Tigers eventually going down 12.10 (82) to 3.3 (21).

Portland’s struggles with starting well continued in this match, as they conceded six first-quarter goals while scoring just one of their own via Will Hunter.

The struggles continued during the second quarter, as they added just a single point to their total while the Bloods added two more majors to take a 43-point lead into the half.

In his half time speech, Tigers coach Jarrod Holt implored every one of his men to “show some character” in the face of adversity, not to mention cold, wet and dark conditions.

And despite the side missing key players due to injury and unavailability, they held strong over the second half to restrict the Bloods to just a further four majors while booting two of their own through Toby Jennings and Daniel Falcone.

It was a scrappy contest all-round thanks in large part to the slippery conditions, but nonetheless the Tigers went down fighting, with standout performances once again coming courtesy of usual suspects Jake Wilson, Jennings, Falcone and Marty Curtis.

Also noteworthy was Harry Kerr’s efforts alongside Wilson in the backline, while Toby Oakley’s ruck work was invaluable in his first senior game for the season.

Holt said after the game he was pleased with how his side responded to his half time challenge but added that Terang-Mortlake’s success in this contest came down to them “outworking” the Tigers early.

“They were able to spread effectively after the contests and we just weren’t running with them,” he said.

“It’s disappointing, but at the same time it was nice that we were able to fight it out, the last thing we want to do at any stage this season is roll over and not try to improve or get something out of each game.

“We were still able to get some opportunities up forward, and on another day, we might have been able to kick a few more goals.

“I want all the boys to have a positive frame of mind about where we’re at and where we can improve.”

Holt added that he was impressed with the performances of the players who came into the side from either the reserves or under-18.5s due to their shorthandedness.

“I thought it was good to get a senior game into Harvey Reynolds, and as the game wore on he looked better and better.

“He spent a lot of time down back in the second half, he looked pretty comfortable and did some good things, it was a tough circumstance to have on debut.

“Toby Oakley was really good, he provides some character and leadership around the group and he’s a strong body in those contests.

“Nathan Valori and ‘Stuch’ (Zac Stuchbery) worked hard, it obviously wasn’t a good day to be a winger given the conditions.”

Sticking to the topic of the tough conditions, Holt said he felt games like this suited players and teams with a high skill-level.

“It’s no secret that we didn’t have a strong preseason and maybe that played a factor in terms of guys still being under-prepared, and I think that showed (on Saturday) just in terms of our ability to work around the ground and provide options,” he said.

“I think we’ll improve in our ability to back ourselves and be confident that we can win a contest if we take it on as the season progresses.”

Reserves and under-18.5s

Portland’s reserves side also went down to the Bloods earlier on in the day, with the final scores being 19.6 (120) to 5.3 (33).

The Bloods got the advantage off the back of a nine goals to one first half, with the Tigers finding their feet in the third term as they booted four goals to keep pace with their opponents over that stretch.

It ultimately wasn’t enough to help them cut into the lead, however, as Terang-Mortlake kicked away in the final term.

Best players went to Lachie Stephens, Marcus England, Jesse McMillan, Will Oakley, Jed Lucas and Nik Oakley.

On the flipside, Portland’s under-18.5s produced an emphatic victory over the Bloods in their clash, coming away with a 10.19 (79) to 3.3 (21) win.

The Tigers had the run of play for pretty much the entirety of the match but struggled to make it count on the scoreboard until the second half, as after a 4.13 first half they were much more efficient in front of goal in the latter stages.

Tom Burns, Kaden Wilson, Marcus Zeunert, Riley Gallagher, Noah Nicholls and Flynn Brough were the best performers for the Tigers.