Port Melbourne takes down Werribee in a Friday night thriller
By Zoe Greenhill, Borough Media on June 26, 2022
Port Melbourne have secured their fourth win of the season in a thriller Friday night game home at ETU Stadium, defeating Werribee by 3 points, 9.7 61 to 7.16 58. A nerve-wracking beginning to the night involved a power outage of the new ground lights at ETU Stadium, pushing the first bounce to 7:30 pm, however that didn’t stop the boys from putting on a show of strong Borough-style footy for the crowd.
Marcus Lentini showed up to the contest continuously, walking away with 31 disposals and putting the pressure on Werribee. Mitch Lewis and Paul Hunter both worked hard defensively with 7 and 6 tackles respectively. Debutant Oskar Manton was presented his jumper by brother Archi pre-game and had a valuable impact on his debut with 10 disposals, 1 behind and 1 tackle.
The first quarter saw the Borough work as a cohesive group, kicking 4 majors and keeping Werribee goalless. Anthony Anastasio snagged the first goal for Port Melbourne, before Paul Hunter, Eli Templeton and Harvey Hooper also kicked through the middle. Defensive work from the Borough meant Werribee only managed 3 points for the quarter, setting up for a promising game.
An excited crowd rallied around the Borough during the huddle, firing the boys up for another big quarter. Port Melbourne remained composed and held possession for a high percentage of the second quarter. Goals from Archi Manton, Cody Szust and Fletcher Roberts pushed the lead to 41 points. Werribee were only able to concede one point before half-time, giving the Borough a 40-point heads up going into the back half of the night and leaving Werribee goalless for the entire first half.
Werribee stepped up their game in the third quarter coming out and dominating the contest. A deserved goal from Anastasio kept the Borough in the game, however, the pressure gauge needed to increase in order to hold the lead for the rest of the game and secure the win.
It was a nail-biting last quarter with the margin becoming increasingly smaller. Oskar Manton had his first look at a goal in the VFL but unfortunately went through for a behind. The Borough slowed the play as much as they could to hold the lead and ultimately take a 3-point victory over Werribee.
Next week Port Melbourne face the Casey Demons at Casey Fields on Saturday afternoon with the first bounce kicking off the game at 1:05pm where the Borough will look to take down a, so far, undefeated side.
Port Melbourne 9.7 61 defeated Werribee 7.16 58
