Port Melbourne News

Port rebounds

From Leader Community Newspapers
Reported by Brad Beitzel
Full article Click here

FROM boiled lollies to advancing into the VFL top four.That’s the past week for Port Melbourne as it had one of its best second halves this season to knock off Box Hill by 49 points at TEAC Oval on Saturday.

Port digs deep

From Leader Community Papers
Reported by Paul Amy
Full article www.localfooty.com.au

Patrick Hassett gets chased down by Frankston's James Magner.JASON EDWARDS S47CK999

IT was ladies day at Port Melbourne on Saturday and the champers flowed at a marquee set up around from the small grandstand.

To judge from the anxious expression he carried in the first quarter, Boroughs coach Gary Ayres would have liked to inject a bit of fizz into his team as it lagged behind Frankston.

Despite being undermanned, the Dolphins fired off the first five goals of the match, leaving Port to fumble around like a man who’d misplaced his glasses.

But, good side that is, Port Melbourne clawed its way back and kicked six goals to none in the final term to win by 21 points and go 4-1 after six rounds.

No sooner had Ayres stepped down from the coaches box than he put his thoughts on Port’s next assignment. He called it a blockbuster: Williamstown at Point Gellibrand.

The Seagulls are still shirty about last year’s preliminary final, when the Boroughs came from four goals down at half time to charge into the grand final.

From ABC Grandstand
Reported by Chris Thompson
Full article Click here

Sam_pleming_rd3_rc04_2Frankston travel to North Port Oval to take on the Borough this weekend in Round Six, and ABC TV Grandstand will be there to bring you all the action live on Saturday from 1pm on ABC1 in Victoria.

And as well as all the regular action, Phil Cleary will this week take you inside the coaches box with Gary Ayres for a special look at what it takes to be a VFL senior coach during a game.

Their Round Three blemish against the Bullants aside, Port have been in good form at the start of Season 2009, a first-up thrashing of North Ballarat in the Grand Final replay signalling their intentions to go one better this season.

And after backing it up with a hard-fought Round Two win over Casey, the Borough went 3-1 with a two-goal victory over the Cats, before having last week off.

Comeback kings

From Leader Community Newspapers
Reported by Brad Beitzel
Full article
www.localfooty.com.au

PORT Melbourne’s Sam Dwyer went from villain to pin-up boy in his role in the Borough’s great fightback over Geelong at TEAC Oval on Saturday.

Port won by two goals after trailing by 21 points at three-quarter-time.

Dwyer kicked along the ground from 10 metres and missed halfway through the last term as Port was barnstorming home.

Five minutes later John Baird lofted a magnificent pass into centre-half forward and through a screen of players the small Dwyer plucked an overhead grab, went back and converted a more difficult opportunity to level the game.

At the death of the third term the margin was a daunting 27 points when James Podsiadly, who is in his first season as captain of the Cats, slotted the last of his five goals for the match.

Port Melbourne sizes up chances

From the Sunday Herald-Sun
Reported by Chris Mitchell
Full article Click here

PORT Melbourne coach Gary Ayres hopes a tall timber recruiting drive can help lift The Borough to another grand final.

Video interview Click here

Concerned the club was last year too reliant on power forward Adrian Bonaddio, Ayres has added Adrian and Fabian Deluca to the already-potent mix of David Fanning, Dylan McLaren and Bonaddio.

The new-look forward line -- minus Fabian, who kicked two goals in the reserves -- tore apart premier North Ballarat by 78 points in the grand final rematch at TEAC Oval last week.

Bonaddio and Adrian Deluca combined for nine goals in a forward line that will often also include a resting ruckman.

Read more...

Deluca hitting the VFL heights

From Leader Community Newspapers
Reported by Paul Amy
Full article - www.localfooty.com.au

ADRIAN “Archie” Deluca did a lot of things in the two years that followed his departure from Carlton at the end of the 2006 season.

Other than to check on how his younger brother Fabian was faring at Port Adelaide, football wasn’t on his mind.

Asked if he’d missed the game, the amiable big man said quickly: “Ah, no.”

Borough avenges final loss

From the Sunday Age
Reported by Brent Diamond

Full article Click here

Port Melbourne recruit Blake Grima is collared by North Ballarat's Stephen Clifton yesterday in the rematch of last year's grand final. PORT Melbourne's twin towers Adrian Bonaddio and Adrian Deluca showcased the Borough's new-look forward line during its 78-point blitzing of reigning premier North Ballarat at TEAC Oval yesterday.

And across town, Collingwood also won its opening match of the season, defeating Geelong by 24 points at Princes Park, with Anthony Rocca looking ready for a recall to the senior line-up after booting three goals and setting up several other forward thrusts.

"It's all part of his program," coach Gavin Brown said. "This is his third game now and it's all about match conditioning for him, and touch. It was just another one and I thought if he had kicked straight, he would have had a really good game."

The Borough, which has lost some talented players over the off-season including David Spriggs and Luke Livingstone, unleashed the lethal forward package of Bonaddio and Deluca, who booted nine goals between them in a match-winning performance, 20.13 (133) to 7.13 (55).

Deluca, the team's boom recruit who played 46 matches for Carlton, snared four goals while Bonaddio, the team's leading goalscorer last season, booted five.

A BREATH OF FRESH AYRES!

From Inside Football - Online
Article by Phil Cleary

Full article - Click here

Gary Ayres isn’t the first celebrity coach in the VFA/VFL, but few have won as many hearts. He did everything in his power to take Port to the flag. Just why so many of his stars went missing when the game was calling for a hero is something he’ll ponder in the coming days. Unable to find a spot where Dylan McLaren could influence the game and counter the dominance of Rooster ruckman Orren Stephenson, Ayres’ game plan simply unravelled. Suddenly players who’d looked invincible in the midfield throughout the finals – Toby Pinwell, Robin Nahas and Ryan McMahon – couldn’t find the ball and were error ridden when they did. How Port missed midfielder David Spriggs!

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