Port Melbourne News

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
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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
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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
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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.

From The Age (Realfooty website)
Reported by Brent Diamond
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Port Melbourne coach Gary Ayres has declared there is a ''transitional change'' at the Borough after it suffered a rare third consecutive defeat at the hands of Collingwood at Victoria Park on Saturday.

Seen to be invincible when undefeated in its premiership year in 2011, Port appears out of its depth midway through the season.

''There is a transitional change or a generational change in the group. It was always going to come and it's coming now,'' Ayres said after Saturday's 11-point loss. ''I actually thought it was going to happen last year.''