Port Malmö 21.17 (143) defeated Jutland 1.6 (12)
Port Malmö saw off the Jutland Shinboners in a one-sided affair at Limhamnsfältet. Jutland travelled down to Southern Sweden with a very respectable 16 players considering a number of key men were absent (most notably their chief goal-kicker, Harrop) but lost a centre towards the end of the first quarter meaning it was a 15-a-side contest from then on. This meant that Port Malmö, who decided to rest key Aussies McClaer, Parker and Page-Brown had the benefit of a four-man interchange and this clearly benefited the home team as after some tight opening exchanges the Maulers were able to essentially seal the game by half-time.
The opening minutes were frantic and far from pleasant on the eye as both teams scrapped doggedly to gain the early advantage. Both teams missed kickable opportunities with the chief culprit being Matt McMahan who missed a set shot from straight in front after taking an impressive diving mark. He would recover to kick 4.3 and leave himself just one goal from his century. It wasn’t until midway through the quarter that Port could open the goal-scoring through Daniel Scotford after a superb shepherd from veteran Danny Johncock cleared the path to goal. The Maulers followed quickly with another maximum after a great lead and mark by Brian Boyd and Tony McLoughlin made sure it would be a Celtic first-quarter treble when he goaled on the turn a few minutes before 1st quarter time.
Just three goals back after going up the “hill” in the first quarter, Jutland may well have fought their way back in to the game but a change of strategy from the Malmö centre, playing off Jutland’s ruckman Jens Djernes and the movement of their opponents, paid quick dividends with Malmö scoring three quick goals. Jutland registered their first major through Niels Pedersen but it would be their only scoring shot for the quarter. Backman Denis O’Riordan was superb in only his second DAFL game(and was awarded Best on Ground*) and Tony McLoughlin was able to keep target forward Rasmus Jacobsen quiet meaning It was again Malmö that took over and relentless pressure resulted in a return of 6.6 for the second term.
With a 10-goal advantage at half-time all that remained to be seen was how much the home team could bolster their percentage. Further scores from O’Riordan, Verngren and the rejuvenated Blondeau saw Malmö pick up where they left off in the previous quarter. More accurate kicking in the quarter saw Malmö kick more goals than points for the first time in 5 quarters of football and the feat was repeated in the final term as Port ran away with the game against the flagging opposition who were clearly struggling after a long journey and no interchange to call on. Port Malmö booted a much-improved 12.7 for the second half of the game with Scotford and McMahan the main contributors with four goals apiece whilst Blondeau added three more.
Jutland, whilst competitive in the centre with Engsbye, Djernes and Damborg who are all highly capable footballers, struggled badly without their go-to forward but will doubtless improve as the season continues as their newer players gain priceless experience. They are a better team than the scoreline suggests and Port Malmö will face a much sterner test in the return fixture.
Port Malmö Best: O’Riordan, McLoughlin, Ward, Blondeau, Scotford
*Port Malmö’s own B.O.G