Port stands out for flag
Brent Diamond
May 15, 2011
The Age
Full Article
PORT Melbourne rocketed to premiership favourite with a 51-point thumping of Williamstown in the wet at TEAC Oval yesterday.
The Borough is aiming to become the first VFL stand-alone team to win the flag and is in the best position it has been in to do so - particularly after a first-half slaughter of the Seagulls, who were considered the biggest challenger after seven rounds.
With reigning premier North Ballarat seemingly out of the race this season, Port has jumped the queue and has taken its game to a new level.
Some former AFL players, including ruckman Wayde Skipper, the return of its own skipper John Baird, the improvement of Billy Burston, Josh Purcell, Jake Dermott, Jake Edwards and Hugh Sandilands have all contributed to the rise of one of the most traditional clubs of the competition.
Williamstown, with its rich depth of Western Bulldogs talent, appeared to have the best list on paper yesterday, but stand-alone teams such as Port and Frankston have the advantage of a united team all season.
