HAMPDEN league surprise packet Portland wants to make Hanlon Park a fortress.
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The Tigers - who comfortably hold fourth place after defeating Camperdown on Saturday - already have more wins from eight games in 2021 than they did for the entirety of 2019.
The most unusual part is that all three defeats have come at home.
The prospect of travel to Portland is usually demoralising for the best of clubs. In the past, particularly when the Tigers are up and about, it's been traditionally hard to win at.
Tigers mentor Jarrod Holt said the club had a proud history of success at Hanlon Park and wanted to use it to its advantage.
"The club probably hasn't been that strong of late but back when the club was strong, I'm probably thinking back when I first coached here when we first came into the comp, we hardly lost here," he said.
We've lost three here, which, for a side that we think is going pretty well it's not really the norm.
- Jarrod Holt
"We had good sides and I know all that comes into account but it always does give you a little bit of an advantage and we want to actually make the most of that.
"I think we've already lost three here, which, for a side that we think is going pretty well it's not really the norm."
To improve results, Holt wants his side to sharpen its kicking skills.
The Tigers' pressure was their most attractive feature in the triumph over Camperdown but kicking - particularly from the back half - wasn't of the highest standard.
"I think executing our skills, our kicking skills especially," Holt said.
"I've been really hard on the boys about it all year. It's pretty much all we do at training but we're still not quite there yet.
"I know it's a confidence thing as well and just natural ability. Maybe we don't have guys who are great kicks of the footy but we're working hard at it and hopefully it clicks soon because the way we want to play, we need to be good kicks."
Holt said Portland was keen to play an attractive style of football.
"We're trying to really attack, when we've got the ball in the back half and when we kick well, it works really well," he said. "When we don't, it's hard to watch. Camperdown had a couple of ball users in the back half and it was frustrating to watch.
"It was like 'this is what we want to be doing'. We couldn't quite grasp it and they seemed to do it easily. They're a good side.
"You're probably always harder on yourself and the grass is always greener and all that. Their coach probably thinks we're good at things that we don't maybe think (we are)."
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