ROUND 6
Saturday 4/5/02

Glenelg 5.2 8.3 13.5 17.9 (111)
Port 1.3 5.11 10.16 15.18 (108)

Best in my time, says Honor

By David Valente
Glenelg coach Brenton Honor had one plea for the Tiger faithful after Saturday's inspirational upset victory over Port Adelaide… don't give up hope.
It was a completely different Tigers line-up that ran onto Glenelg Oval and ruthlessly over-powered the Magpies than the one that had been comprehensively beaten in its opening four matched this season. And it is, Honor is confident, the line-up that will lift the Bays from where it has been languishing at the wrong end of the ladder since the mid '90s.
"It's important for supporters and Glenelg people to understand what we are doing here," Honor said. "I know it's frustrating but I just have to appeal to people's patience - hopefully this will prove to them that there is hope here."
Whether Honor is successful in lifting Glenelg into the ranks of serious contender, his move to an unashamedly aggressive style has at least made the Tigers a far more exciting spectacle for the loyal fans who have stuck by the club.
The Bays so often made Port Adelaide look second rate, rebounding fiercely off the half-back line, dashing through the midfield and peppering the goals with an accuracy and regularity rarely seen in recent years.
"That was the best brand of football we have played since I have been coaching," Honor said.
"We averaged 8.9 goals a game last year so we needed to give ourselves an opportunity to score.
"We would have been satisfied to kick 15 goals even if we lost but we kicked 17 and won," he said.
Glenelg had not scored more than 14 goals in Honor's 18 months at the helm. From the time the Tigers made their opening gambits midway through the first term, they played with confidence and daring and, in the biggest change to the game style, did not allow that intensity to evaporate at any stage.
If the Tigers' season is on the rise, Port coach Stephen Williams made it clear that - after capitulating to the bottom side and suffering their third successive loss - the Magpies had hit rock bottom. They had too few contributors, too little system moving into attack and frustrating inaccuracy from their fair share of set shots at goal.
"We were playing catch up all day. You can't miss the amount of goals we missed and hope to win the game," Williams said.
Port must hope for the return to fitness of inspirational ruckman, Magarey Medallist Ryan O'Conner, who was a last-minute withdrawal with a calf injury.
His exit opened the door for 200cm teenager to make a premature league debut after only two reserves games while Glenelg's late loss of Kane Cornes to the Power brought 18 - year old Jayce Richardson up for his first grade baptism.

BEST PLAYERS: Shir, Irvin, Maher, Stephens, McKenzie, Handby, Cook.
SCORERS: McKenzie 4.1, Willet 4.0, Maher 3.2, Irvin 3.1, Cook, Byrne, Koster 1.0, handby, Baldwin, Golding, Stephens 0.1, rushed 0.1.
INJURIES: Winstanely (cut lip).
CROWD: 3359.