On the board: Portland Tigers clinch first win of Hampden league season, defeats wasteful Hamilton Kangaroos by 21 points

A strong crowd were in force at Hanlon Park to witness the Tigers soar to a 9.6 (60) to 4.15 (39) victory, setting up the game with a blistering first half before bravely holding on against a wasteful Hamilton Kangaroos in the traditional Anzac Day blockbuster.

The ex-SANFL and VFL big man, who was excellent in the air and provided a strong presence all day, told The Standard he was taken aback by the honour and praised his teammates for their fight and endeavour to clinch the four points.

"It feels extremely good, to get the win was important but to get the medal on one of the biggest days on the calendar is awesome, it's a real honour," he said.

"The boys cracked in hard, ran hard all day and they probably didn't know what hit them. It was great to see. We tackled hard and played that hard brand of footy we know we can play."

The experienced campaigner said he was happy with his own performance but reiterated he was just playing his role.

"I just defend first, fly for my marks when I can and intercept and just play my role," the humble star said. "I just use my leadership and try and set up the young boys.

"Luckily it paid off for me today."

Tigers coach Jarrod Holt said it was pleasing to see his group play an attacking brand of football on the day.

"We've had a lot of change, there's a lot of boys still learning their craft and playing senior footy so it's hard to know week-by-week how we're going in a way," he said. "I reckon you learn a lot when you win and we've been outclassed against some good sides and doesn't allow us to teach or set up on our own terms.

"I saw today that if we can get things on our terms it'll work for us moving forward. They didn't kick straight and we were lucky in a way. But I want to play an attacking brand of footy, let them go a bit and see what they've got.

"That first half cooked us and we piled on a lot of pressure but we managed to hang on. It was good to hold on and reward ourselves with a win."

The Tigers mentor said it was one of the most enjoyable days of the entire year for the club.

"It's a great day, it's a privilege. the boys get down to the dawn service and we talk about what's it about and what it means," he said.

"The sacrifices of the past allow us to have days like this, and every time we play them it's close no matter where we are on the ladder so it's great to be part of."

Kangaroos coach Hamish Waldron said he couldn't question the endeavour of his group but lamented the wastefulness in front of goal.

"We'll take a bit out of the second half but we were just wasteful with the footy and have to be cleaner with it," he said. "To have more scoring shots and to lead inside 50s 56 to 33, that's the bit that hurts the most."

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