New coach Leah Sinnott has guided the Magpies to three consecutive victories to start the Hampden A grade season.

They clawed their way back from six goals down against the Tigers at Hanlon Park to win 44-42.

Portland made the early running, skipping to a 5-1 lead early in the opening term and maintained the ascendancy for much of the first half.

The Tigers were six goals clear midway through the second quarter before taking a four-goal buffer into the main break.

Sinnott said the Magpies then wrested momentum and held on. 

“We managed to turn it late in the third and soldier on into the last,” she said.

“We got four up and there was probably six or seven minutes to go and they got one or two back on us and then we managed to keep scoring evenly.

“If it had have gone a bit longer, who knows.

“They’re an intense, physical side so they would have keep running all day.”

Sinnott said the Pies’ undefeated start was pleasing, particularly given the number of fresh faces in the line-up.

“It’s good for confidence. It’s good for the young ones being able to have a run and be playing in sides that are winning,” she said.

“I guess sometimes when the kids step up you’re perhaps put into a weaker position and you end up getting thumped, so it’s nice for them to have success and be competitive with strength around them.”

Sinnott said Camperdown made a sluggish start but adapted to the conditions — the court was wet after a pre-game shower — and their opponent’s fierce style.

“I think in the first half we were hesitating releasing the ball to each other and then they (our players) got that trust back in each other,” she said. “Our defenders were great for us all day. They kept us in it when they (Portland) could have ran away with it.”

Teenage goaler Emily Finch, veteran centre Tracey Baker and defensive trio Caitlin Hall, Chelsea Castles and Brooke Richardson were the Pies’ best.

Finch sunk 26 goals.

“We had a good training session with the goalies to see how we can open it up and make more space and I could tell she had really taken that on board so I was really pleased to see her put that into her game,” Sinnott said. 

Portland coach Kerri Jennings lamented a lapse which cost her side the chance to snare its first win.

“I think we played for three-and-a-half quarters,” she said. 

“They played well and scrapped for everything and we weren’t running onto the ball again.

“It’s not that we’re not fit enough. We had the run-on in the last couple of minutes.”

Portland goal attack Lauren Hockley played under duress after hurting her groin against Hamilton Kangaroos a week earlier.

Jennings said it gave the veteran “grief all week”.

Camperdown has lost defender Ash Bradley for the remainder of the season.

The recruit, who was working in the south-west, has moved away. 

She played in the Magpies’ first two games of the season.