Port Melbourne News

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
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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.''

From localfooty.com.au
Reported by Paul Amy
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GARY Ayres and Andy Collins were part of one of football's great backlines.

When Hawthorn sides of the 80s and 90s were read out, they invariably started with A Collins, C Langford and G Ayres.

On Tuesday night, Port Melbourne coach Ayres and West Adelaide coach Collins match moves in a Foxtel Cup match at the MCG.

The winner will progress to the semi-finals in July.

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Paul Amy
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PORT Melbourne has achieved some spectacular victories under the coaching of Gary Ayres.

But as he took in scenes of jubilation in the changerooms Ayres was moved to bracket Saturday's triumph over the Casey Scorpions as "right up there".

There were a number of reasons why he did so.

The Borough were missing top-liners Dean Galea, Shane Valenti, Toby Pinwill, Nathan Batsanis, Hugh Sandilands, Myles Pitt and Danny Hughes.

They were up against an unbeaten and hardened team.

And at three-quarter-time they trailed by 24 points and had kicked only seven goals.

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Paul Amy
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BOTH coaches owned up to a "hollow feeling".

"You haven't won but you haven't lost ... it's always a bit strange," Port Melbourne's Gary Ayres said.

Sandringham's Simon McPhee said: "Feel empty, to be honest. Sh-tful, excuse the language. In the end you've just got to try to focus on the stuff we did well."

And as they discussed Sunday's gripping draw at Kars St, Frankston, they agreed on another thing: that two points were better than none.

From www.localfooty.com.au
Reported by Paul Amy
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A SLIP-UP against an emerging opponent or a sign of deeper difficulties?

It was a question Port Melbourne coach Gary Ayres had to confront after his Borough tumbled to a six-point defeat against fellow stand-alone club Frankston at Kars St on Sunday.

In doing so, Port hit a negative mark, 1-2, for the first time since 2007.