From Port Phillip Leader
Reported by Brad Beitzel
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IF IT is possible for perfection to grow, then Port Melbourne's perfect season grew another 10 per cent at TEAC Oval on Saturday.
The Borough won its 11th game in a row after defeating stand-alone Geelong by 41 points.
Port's growth is the rest of the competition's burden as it has the MC Hammers about it: You Can't Touch This.
It turns towards winter with two byes and only one game against a top-four team (Bendigo Bombers) in July. Then in August it plays likely finalists Williamstown, Northern Bullants and Box Hill.
Maybe a glimpse of its resolve to break its 29-year premiership drought came when Port had Dean Galea, Patrick Rose and Dan Keely all free in the goal square to kick the club's last goal for the match. There was no skylarking as Galea did the duty to draw him level with Rose's five goals.
Coach Gary Ayres is riding his colts (the team's average age is 22) like a jockey in a cup - there's no way he's going to allow the focus to shift from the finish line in September.
An example of the former AFL coach's push for excellence each week was Ayres being disappointed when the Cats got a couple of unanswered goals prior to the last break. Port responded with the first two goals in the last.
Joshua Scipione kicked a couple and second-gamer Tristan Francis received praise, too.
Geelong, which had only six players with more than 50 games next to their names, was searching for its second win of the season. It also had a third of its team changed from last week. It played forward of its opponents, so Ayres had Galea and Rose play close to the goal mouth.
Port was without Toby Pinwill, Adam Bentick and Malcolm Lynch, who will return from a grade 1 hamstring after this week's bye.
There was interest over Cats triple AFL premiership forward Cam Mooney's appearance.
The 31-year-old kicked four goals in his quest to ready himself for Geelong's AFL team.
