The Cygnet Football Club played host to the Huonville Lions last Saturday in fine but crisp chilly weather, and had little to celebrate at days end with the Lions proving successful in all three grades. The Colts coming off a bye, and without Dean Atkinson and Max Carter, including Captain Will Ford through Senior duties, appeared sluggish from the first bounce, and struggled to contain a determined and desperate Lions side. The game was fairly close all day with the slippery conditions early proving difficult for both teams, however the Lions adapted to the conditions better and marked strongly. While the Port drew to within two points of the opposition late in the final quarter, Huonville steadied with two quick goals to douse the Ports comeback. This is the Colt’s first loss of the year, and will stand them in good stead for the second half of the season. Better players included Adam Duggan who was at his rebounding best in the backline while Sam Dean chased and tackled hard all day, with his second and third efforts outstanding. Joe Water-Sims and Levi Smith were consistent over four quarters while Tom Slevin played his best game of the season. Goals were shared by Sam Dean, Joe Shields, Loic Auderset and Ben Halton, all with one each. The Reserves took to the field with many young and old faces (a bit of a Dad’s army as the Kermandie scribe best describes it) keen to atone for their first round drubbing. They played one of their best quarters of the season in the first term holding the Lions well against a four to five goal breeze. From there, the opposition gradually pulled away to have the game in hand by half time. While the Port, as always, battled hard till the final siren, the Lions were more controlled and consistent over the four quarters to record an 81 point victory. Better players included James Robinson and James Shaw who both put their bodies on the line to try to keep their side in the contest. Sam Walter, Peter Roberts, Brad Cordwell and Josh Wilcox all battled hard against overwhelming odds to no avail. Goals were scarce but Daniel Watson contributed two. The Seniors on the back of recent improved performances took the field fired up for a real contest, but the loss of a vital toss and a sluggish start (yet again) cost the team dearly. It was tough in an under in the first ten minutes of the match, with both sides hitting the ball hard, but the Lions broke the shackles to pile on 8 goals to one to make it extremely hard for the Port for the rest of the match. We showed some improvement in the second term with Huonville still holding a six goal lead at the long break. After half time, unfortunately it was all one way traffic with the Lions piling on 14 goals to 2 to record a big 114 point victory. Best for the Port in a disappointing performance included Bradley Watson, who has led brilliantly from the front and battled his heart out over recent weeks. Gerard Brereton continues to show improvement in the ruck while Mitchell Direen and Rhys Synnott never gave up till the final siren. Andrew Jurd did his best in an over-worked backline on the Lions big forward Chris Joyce, but with the constant accurate supply this was always going to be a difficult mission. Michael Darcy with 3 majors was the sides only multiple goal-scorer. The Club acknowledges the assistance provided by the Huonville Lions trainers and assessment of Kane Nielsen-Duggan who appeared to have sustained a nasty head or neck injury, but thankfully recovered to watch the remainder of the match. Overall, three disappointing results, but we look to this weekend with renewed optimism with our visit to Snug Park in games that will not be taken lightly by the players of all three sides. See you all there! “Support the Port”

PAST PLAYERS & SUPPORTERS MEETING

A meeting of past players and supporters will be held on Tuesday 24^th June, 2008 at the Cygnet RSL Club commencing at 7.00pm. All are welcome to attend.

PORT VOLUNTEER OF THE WEEK:

This week’s volunteer of the week is “Rip” Clifford. Rain, hail or shine, each Friday he ensures the oval is line-marked for all our home matches. “Rip’s” important contribution is greatly appreciated by the Club.

FROM THE CLUBROOMS

Saturday night saw the culmination of our Biggest Loser competition with the weigh in a well-contested event. Some wonderful efforts saw  close to 50 kilos in total shed by our dedicated bunch of losers. Trent Cowen was crowned ‘Biggest Loser’ of the Cygnet Football Club with a loss of 15 kilos, he was followed by Damian Burnett with 10 kilos and Brad Cordwell with 9 kilos removed. This competition has aroused plenty of interest from those around the club and is sure to run again for those that think they can do the hard yards. Following the presentation the Port ran a hotly contested ‘talent’ night for a wonderful $200 prize. We had acrobats, ageing strippers, raw but talented singers, authentic Cygnet tribal dancers and a guest appearance from Borat Direen. While all tried hard on the night, Mrs Cascade took her toll on some competitors and hurt them on the scoreboard. The winners on the night were the authentic Cygnet tribal dancers with their dance routine entitled “training in the dark without a coach”, a classic dance featuring full on war paint and lovely loin cloths. The all singing, all dancing “grease balls” were second with their biggest hit song so far “we can but try” and Borat Direen’s appearance won him an honourable mention although our judges for the night have been mentally scarred for life by his aerobic routine aptly named “look out below”. Thanks to all those who came along and supported the Port.