Cobden wins first match of 2021 Hampden league season, ends five-game losing streak

The Bombers surprised red-hot Portland, which had won its past four matches, at Hanlon Park on Saturday to end their five-game losing streak.

Every Hampden league senior team has now had a victory within the first six rounds of the season.

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Cobden coach Adam Courtney said the 11.8 (74) to 10.8 (68) win was even sweeter considering it lost Patty Smith (concussion) and Tom Spokes (knee in the back) in the first term.

"For them to go out there and execute the game plan really well and give 100 per cent effort like that was a great reward for the boys," he said.

"It is a big trip to go over to Portland. We broke the trip up. We all met at Port Fairy just to break the trip up, went for a bit of a walk around, went through the game plan stuff.

"The boys had a really positive attitude all day. We were two men down for the majority of the day so it was a great character-building win."

Cobden led at every change and had a 27-point buffer at the final break.

Portland gave it a scare in the fourth term, kicking four goals to one.

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"We talked about it at three-quarter-time that they had 16 scoring shots last week in the last quarter so we knew they weren't going to stop," Courtney said.

"Our boys were out on their legs in the last quarter. We had boys cramping all over the ground but they kept themselves in the contest, every time they had to go they did."

Swingman Christian Koroneos was a standout for the Bombers at centre-half-back, Sam Thow, coming off an operation, was effective on a wing in his first senior match of the season and ruckman Mark Marriott challenged Tiger counterpart Ben Malcolm.

"Christian was a rock. He marked everything that came down and used the footy really well," Courtney said.

Portland coach Jarrod Holt said the Tigers, who suffered injuries to Rhys Egan (hamstring), Jake Edwards (glute) and Tex Mitchell (patella tendon), would learn from the defeat.

"We're not sulking about it; we didn't play well and to Cobden's credit they were hard at it and wanted it more than we did," he said. "They beat us through the midfield."

Holt was pleased with Connor Peters' creativity from the back line, defender Josh Edwards and midfielder Daniel Jackson, who kicked three goals.

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