The first-year mentor kicked the Tigers' last goal of the match before Eagles trio Jarryd Lewis, Matthew Wines and Tom Batten piled on three late majors to snatch two premiership points at Bushfield on Saturday.

"We have to have a plan in place for when it happens," Sharp said after the Hampden league round one match.

"Preparation is 90 per cent of the battle really and I guess we haven't practiced being in that situation.

"We haven't practiced if we're four goals up and the momentum swings their way what exactly we're going to do.

"It's a young team, we've been focusing on other things, like a new style of play, and we did that for three and a half quarters, so now we've just got to look to other areas of the game and how we can improve it."

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North Warrnambool Eagles coach Adam Dowie conceded they were lucky to escape with a 13.12 (90) to 14.6 (90) draw.

"The Portland guys would be a bit more disappointed than we would be," he said.

"We basically trailed all day and they played a lot better I thought for the majority of the day, so we snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat.

"In a way that was pleasing because they (my players) showed some fight."

Dowie said the Tigers' run and carry, spread and work at stoppages caught the Eagles out and "on big grounds and dry days they're going to cause a for headaches".

"They are going to really worry some sides. I supposed they have always been good starters in regards to the season but for them it will be about being able to maintain that intensity," he said.

Portland benefitted from recruit Jake Wilson's presence in attack.

The strong-bodied utility kicked six goals and gave the Tigers' fleet-footed players a target.

"The boys used the corridor, they moved it, they switched it across the ground," Sharp said.

"It was a running, attacking style of footy and we were composed when it wasn't on and looked for the right option.

"I couldn't ask for more in that regard. They did exactly what we worked on."

Sharp said Portland's youth now had senior games under their belts and felt comfortable at the level.

"Some people say we're inexperienced but I think we've been bleeding these young fellas for so long that we're still young but there's a lot of senior experience," he said.

"You can forget about that a little bit. All these blokes coming through have played a lot of senior footy now and they're only 19, 20 or 21, and it showed, they were really composed."

Dowie said he was pleased with the Eagles' ability to wrest the momentum their way in the final term.

"We kicked three or four goals in the last 12 minutes," he said.

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