VFL
Port Melbourne 11.8 (74) def Richmond 10.10 (70)
Port Melbourne won an absolutely thrilling VFL Grand Final that was decided after the siren on Sunday.
Port came from 13 points down late in the final term, only to kick the last three goals to lead by five points with a few minutes remaining. However, Richmond weren't done with it yet, with Ben Lennon marking outside 50 with just seconds left on the clock after a frantic final few minutes. His long range shot after the siren went wide to hand the Borough their 17th VFL flag.
The win came against all odds for Gary Ayres' men. Earlier this year the club was almost evicted from the league due to a debt of over $300,000. The situation galvanized the group and less than 12 months later, their never-say-die attitude helped them win an unlikely VFL flag.
The game itself had it all. Despite it being low scoring early, it was a thrilling tight and contested match. Richmond led by seven points at quarter-time, one point at half-time and two points at three-quarter-time and looked to have gotten over the line late in the last quarter. But three last quarter goals from Dylan Conway proved vital.
Damian Mascitti (30 disposals), Toby Pinwill (29 disposals, 10 tackles, eight clearances) and Shannen Lange (27 disposals, four clearances) were also important for Port.
The Tigers had a host of AFL-listed players who pushed their case for an unlikely Grand Final spot, namely Sam Lloyd, who won the Norm Goss Medal for best on ground with 35 disposals, nine tackles, seven marks and a goal. Shai Bolton also impressed with two early goals and an impressive high flying mark.
Richmond had a total of 19 AFL-listed players take to the field against Port's standalone VFL team.
