A determined Bendigo Bank Cats have come away with a nail-bitingly narrow win over Port Melbourne, securing the victory in the dying minutes of the match at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.

Buoyed by the return of AFL-listed players Allen ‘Bundy’ Christensen, Travis Varcoe and Jackson Sheringham, the boys battled hard from first to last to hold off the Borough juggernaut, sealing the win 13.8 (86) to 12.11 (83).

Geelong surprised the top of the table team by matching their intensity from the first quarter despite being touted as the underdogs in the lead up to the match. Slippery conditions made clean possession tricky, but the Cats managed to sustain the consistent pressure to bring the game to a contest for the majority of the match.

Successive five goal quarters gave the Cats the upper hand leading into the final term; however a final quarter attack by the Borough made the weary Cats a little nervous. Port Melbourne’s experience and fitness were evident in the late surge as they managed to break through the relentless Geelong attack to move the ball predominantly into their forward half, bringing the margin to a mere 3 points before the welcome siren brought the match the a narrow finish.

‘We knew that if we were going to beat Port we would have to play the game out at a high intensity, particularly in the contest. I thought our midfield, our high forwards and high defenders did a marvellous job in tackling and harassing and then taking the ball forward,’ Coach Matthew Knights said after the game.

‘It was obviously a bit nerve-wracking in the last 15 minutes but thankfully we fought hard and got a great victory.’

The highly touted return of Allen Christensen did not disappoint as the dogged midfielder threw himself into the match with gusto, securing 18 disposals, 8 clearances and 4 tackles for a best on ground performance. Christensen was understandably pleased with his performance, but emphasised that he was happy to simply be out on the field once more.

‘It’s been a bit up and down getting to this point. I’ve been thinking about it all week, but it was great to put the footy jumper back on and get a kick. I loved it.’

After undergoing hip and back surgery and subsequently missing most of the preseason, Christensen was finally ready to put his hand up for VFL selection after stringing together several weeks of solid training sessions.

‘Today the coaches wanted me to put myself into the game and create a contest, so I was glad I was able to do that. I’ll eventually get back into the hard and forward running over the next few weeks; I’ll just have to keep hitting the track to make the most of it.’

Knights conceded that the team had received a much needed boost from the inclusion of Christensen, Taylor Hunt and Travis Varcoe, applauding their skill and on field guidance.

‘The guys invested a lot emotionally in today’s game, particularly in their leadership. Over the next few weeks we’ll be keen to get our semblance of a team back so that we can start to play better footy every week.’

Youngster Jarrad Jansen put in another prolific performance in the midfield, finishing with 11 disposals, 8 tackles and 9 clearances, with two goals to boot.

‘To see Jansen get rewarded for the effort he puts in on the inside was really important. He does so much work winning the ball and feeding it to others, so to see him finishing his work with polish was really important for his confidence.’

Jake Kolodjashnij also won the coaches’ praise after keeping livewire forward Julian Rowe to a meagre 5 disposals, with Knights’ describing the first year’s performance as ‘outstanding’.

Darcy Lang also warranted a mention with his fleet-footed antics, securing 13 disposals and providing vital assists in the forward 50.

‘I thought Darcy was really lively today. He nailed his tackling against bigger bodies and his ability to win the ball at the stoppages was really pleasing.’

Despite missing a significant portion of the game after a knock to the foot, Brad Hartman again definitively raised his hand for selection after another strong performance in the midfield.

‘Brad’s had a really good month in the midfield after playing forward for the last few years. He’s probably been our best and most consistent midfielder over the course of the year.’

In only his second game after returning from injury, forward Shane Kersten was unfortunately swamped by the slippery conditions, compounded by the consistent presence of two or three Borough defenders as the ball moved into the Geelong forward 50.

‘Shane is a really good young player. I thought he competed hard against the numbers which was tough, but he contributed well and managed to get some solid game time in.’

St Joseph’s midfielder Kieren Paliouras and Drysdale defender Stephen Benstead each made successful VFL debuts in the tough match, winning approval for their surety and skill.

‘The boys played really well for their first game. Benstead played a good game with our back seven, particularly in his play behind the ball and his decision making when he won the ball.

‘Paliouras also played a good game as a winger. We were looking for he and (Dane) McFarlane to add a little bit of speed, and I thought both of them did that really well.’

The Bendigo Bankers will look to secure a second straight victory next week against Coburg at Piranha Park on Saturday, with kick off at 2pm. Be sure to support our young boys either at the match or by following @GeelongVFL for live score updates!

Geelong VFL 13-8-(86) def. Port Melbourne 12-11-(83)
Goals: Hollmer 3, Jansen 2, Hartman, Sheringham, Kersten, Thurlow, Toohey, Tudor, Herbison, Gibbs.
Best: Christensen, Hollmer, Hunt, Thurlow, Kolodjashnij, Sheringham.
Injuries: Nil.
Reports: Nil @ Simonds Stadium, Geelong.