Port Melbourne News

Media roundup of coverage of Sam Pleming reaching 200 VFL games.

From the Port Phillip Leader
Reported by Paul Amy
Full article - Click here

IT’S as if his name is rusted to the Port Melbourne results.

In the past few years, more often than not S Pleming has featured in the Borough best.

When Sam Pleming played his 150th senior VFL game a couple of years ago, Port board man Les Quarrell reckoned the defender they call “Plum’’ had been in the list of best players at least 100 times.

Year-by-year results on the VFL website go back only to 2010, but they suggest Quarrell was close to the mark.

In 2010 Pleming has 13 mentions in the top six players. In 2011 he had 10 mentions. In 2012 it was 12. Last year he got up to 15.

The numbers bear out Pleming’s consistency. He has been a remarkably productive player for Port since joining it in 2006 after spending 2004 and ’05 on Carlton’s rookie list.

The sight of him taking intercepting marks across the half back line and turning defence into attack with canny disposal has been a staple of Port games for close to a decade. He reads the game as if it’s an alphabet book for kinder kids.

Durability is another asset: he’s missed only three matches in nine seasons, two with a finger he cut at work in 2008 and one with a rolled ankle in 2010.

Honours have piled up around Pleming: Port’s 2011 premiership, state jumpers in 2012-13, best and fairests in 2010-11, team of-the-year selections from 2010-13 and VFL life membership.

Port Melbourne have also released a highlights video capturing some of the Plemings TV highlights.

From the Herald-Sun
Reported by Paul Amy
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PORT Melbourne has been numbed by the death of recruit and former West Coast Eagles rookie Michael Mascoulis.

The 20-year-old died in a car accident on Friday.

Coming out of the Northern Knights, Mascoulis spent 2012 on the Eagles' rookie list and played with West Perth this year.

Returning to Victoria, he signed at Port Melbourne three weeks ago.

"I got told at 11 this morning," Borough coach Gary Ayres said on Saturday.

"You just freeze. We saw him at training on Friday night, full of beans and energy and high hopes, and the following day we're told he's no longer with us.

"It's a terrible tragedy. He was a lovely kid coming back here to make a bright and brand new start and was keen to do well.

"You heart goes out to his family and his friends."

Former teammates and friends took to social media in an outpouring of grief to pay tribute to Mascoulis.

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Paul Amy
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HE'S a veteran of the VFL, but Marcus Marigliani has a schoolboy's enthusiasm as he contemplates the 2014 season.

In fact, he says he hasn't felt as excited about his football since Essendon drafted him in 2009.

The muscle-packed "Rigger'' signed at Port Melbourne last week, cutting ties with Sandringham after three seasons.

He was made captain of the Zebras this year and understood the prestige of the position. Players like Chad Liddell, David MacGeorge and Darren Mitchelson held it before him.

But ultimately it wasn't enough to keep him at Sandy. He'd become fed up with the alignment with St Kilda, thinking the development of Saints players took precedence over winning.

There were occasions this year, he said, when St Kilda players were taken off the ground and rested, leaving the Zebras down on numbers.

From The Age
Reported by Brent Diamond
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Port Melbourne is expected to churn out more mature-age recruits in the lead-up to this year's AFL draft with midfielder Chris Cain already being linked to Fremantle, which is renowned for picking up late bloomers.

Heading into a semi-final against arch-rival Williamstown at North Port Oval on Saturday, Cain, who has generally spent most of his eight seasons at Port as a half-forward flanker, believes a move to the midfield has paid dividends this season.

"I've been able to play a bit more in the midfield and that's probably helped me go forward and back instead of just playing forward, over the last few years,'' Cain said. ''Some of our better players going down in the midfield has given me an opportunity.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/ports-chris-cain-shows-vfl-a-ferti...

From the Sunday Age
Reported by Brent Diamond
Full article Click here

Port Melbourne has breathed new life into the VFL finals with a stunning 25-point win over Collingwood in an elimination final at North Port Oval on Saturday.

While reigning premier Geelong is clearly the team to beat following its comfortable victory over Casey in a qualifying final on Friday night, the Borough is eyeing the possibility of a showdown against the Cats if it gets past arch-rival Williamstown in a semi-final next week.

Former Magpie Julian Rowe stung the Borough into action with two first-quarter goals but it was Heath O'Farrell who drove the stake into the Pies' hearts with three goals in the last quarter.

Midfield warrior Toby Pinwill, speedy Nathan Batsanis and Danny Hughes, who has blossomed heading into spring, were the keys to Port's victory, while former Bulldog and Hawk Wayde Skipper was influential against Collingwood veterans Ben Hudson and Darren Jolly.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/port-beats-pies-to-set-up-seagull-...

Comment thread: http://www.vflfooty.com/node/8701

From Port Phillip Leader
Reported by Paul Amy
Full Story Click Here

GARY Ayres was disappointed. Of course he was.

In captain John Baird's 150th match, his Port Melbourne team had given all it had in an exhilarating match against Geelong and dropped six points short.

Baird was disconsolate after the game, taking a position on the floor and gazing across the changerooms.

The defeat left Port needing to defeat Coburg this week to contest its seventh consecutive finals series.

But, convinced it was his side's best performance this season, Ayres was drawing possibilities from the result, not dwelling on the must-win predicament ahead.

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Paul Amy
Full Story Click Here

THE VFL has declared the waterlogged North Port Oval unsafe and shifted tomorrow's Round 15 VFL clash between Port Melbourne and Box Hill Hawks to the City Oval.

League officials inspected the ground this morning after Box Hill officials raised concerns about playing on it.

They quickly decided to take the match to Box Hill.

Stretches of water settled on North Port Oval last Saturday, with one long-time Borough supporter saying he had never seen it so heavy.

It's the third home game Port Melbourne has forfeited this season. Matches against Werribee and Sandringham were transferred earlier in the season due to work on the Norm Goss grandstand.

From the Port Phillip Leader
Reported by Paul Amy
Full article - Click here

Conditions were miserable. It was body-numbing cold and sheets of water covered the ground.

Port Melbourne supporter Ian Bryce has been watching the Borough since 1946 and couldn't recall North Port Oval being so heavy.

The ball rarely bounced. Mostly it skipped across the surface, like a pebble over a pond. Players often slipped as they pursued it.

But Port, with strength and desperation, put aside the rugged setting to give one of its most convincing performances of the season and hand its great rival Williamstown a thrashing in the Round 14 VFL match on Saturday.

The Seagulls had the best of the first term and led at quarter time. But they could add only four behinds in the following three quarters.