An absolute classic match, played in some of the worst conditions in recent memory. With more than 24 hours solid rain in Melbourne, the ground was always going to struggle to deal with it, with a lot of surface water, right across the entire surface. THankfully the grass underwater held up pretty well with the interchange and centre squartr the worst affected by mud.
The crowd was more than healthy.. In fact I thought it was one of the larger crowds for the season.. A credit to Williamstown and Port Melbourne supporters alike. Real VFA / VFL suporters that get along and support their side. The grandstand was well populated, and hardy folk stood out in the rain with their umbrellas or jackets. The crowd was probably boosted by the club celebrating the 1993 Thirds Premiership win. It was good to see it being played in the rooms at ha;f-time and after the game.
To the game itself. I thought all week that the club would be treating this as a final, with our September aspirations on the line... And as Gary Ayres said, it showed. The most cohesive, four quarter effort I can recall since 2011. Port were ferocious, but played smarter than at any time this season. Perhaps simplifying the game helped, with conditions less than condusive to that over-using of the footy that has plagued us this season.
When was the last time that the Seagulls were kept goalless for 3 quarters? Surely not for many many years.
From a Port perspective, it was such an even performance, right across the ground. Even first gamer Sammy RARU played a terrific game, hard at it, and used the ball well when he got it too.
This game had it all, including a good old fashioned all-in brawl. It was old style VFA footy on a wintery Melbourne day.
I've got more to say, and photos to upload.. I'll do that tomorrow!
