One of the Warrnambool and District league's premier midfielders will chase an elusive flag alongside close friends in the Geelong football league this year.
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Merrivale vice-captain Tate Porter has signed with reigning premier Leopold after a superb campaign with the Tigers where he finished equal third in the league best and fairest (J.A Esam Medal).
The talented ball-magnet, who returned to Merrivale in 2023 after a one-year stint with North Warrnambool Eagles in the Hampden league, will reside in Geelong alongside his partner who has a job in the area for her graduation year.
"We were moving up there anyway so thought I'd test myself in that league," Porter told The Standard.
Porter, who finished runner-up in the 2021 Esam Medal with the Tigers, was swayed to join the Lions through his connections to the club, with Warrnambool-raised friends Mitch Burgess, Marcus Herbert and Liam Herbert key members of the side.
Alongside Burgess, south-west exports Harris Jennings, Connor Giddings (Portland), Luke Justin (Kolora-Noorat) and Andrew Pepper (Hamilton) featured in the side's grand final victory.
Porter has fallen agonisingly short of premiership success the past two years, with the Eagles and Tigers both suffering grand final defeats.
The midfield star still looks back fondly on his return to his boyhood club.
"It was good going back there and playing with a lot of my mates from school and a lot of people I grew up with," he said.
"I definitely enjoyed the year, just couldn't get the chocolates at the end but that's all right, it doesn't always go the way you plan."
Matt Hughes
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
Matt is a sports journalist at The Standard.
