
Portland captain Daniel Jackson says finals will start early for his group ahead of quality home-and-away fixtures against Koroit and South Warrnambool.
The Tigers were ruthless in their 116-point rout of Port Fairy on Saturday, with Jackson among his side's best.
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"It's a good win for us," he said. "We had a couple losses recently so it was good to get back to form. The message was to stick to our structures and get back to playing like we were during the first half of year.
"Our first half was good but the second half lacked that sting and the intensity died out a bit. We'll need four quarters against the top sides."
Tom Sharp kicked six goals to take his season tally to 70, with the skipper praising the competition's current leading goalkicker for his form.
"We've spoken about it, I think the most someone has kicked at Portland is 40 or 50, so (Sharp's effort) is huge, it's hard to look past," Jackson said. "But we've also spoken about not being one dimensional because teams can figure you out. We've got to continue to get more avenues to goal."
The Tigers are finals bound for the first time since joining the Hampden league in 2013, though Jackson said the group isn't getting ahead of themselves.
"We've haven't really spoken about it yet," he said;. "We've got to be playing our best footy towards the end of the year.
"But it's pretty big for the club. Last year we looked on track to play finals so we've tried to ride that same momentum into this year, which I think we have to some extent. There is a good vibe at the club, everyone's buying in."
Jackson said the Tigers' final three rounds, including Terang Mortlake, Koroit and South, was ideal preparation for finals, with each game "almost a mini final".
Meanwhile, Andrew Luxa (hamstring) and Harris Elliot (back) were injury casualties for the Seagulls.
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Meg Saultry
Sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard, with a strong interest in Australian Rules Football, basketball and women in sport. Email: meg.saultry@austcommunitymedia.com.au | mobile: 0475 949 802
Sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard, with a strong interest in Australian Rules Football, basketball and women in sport. Email: meg.saultry@austcommunitymedia.com.au | mobile: 0475 949 802