Portarlington is a chance to play finals for the first time since 1994

After parting ways with its senior coach after seven games, a BFNL club guided by a former school teacher has won three in a row and is pressing for its first finals campaign in 31 years.

Portarlington’s Mitch Turnbull stepped up to coach the Demons in Round 8. Picture Mike Dugdale

It was perhaps the exclamation point on a pretty unforgettable month for a traditionally embattled club suddenly starting to take giant strides in the BFNL.

Portarlington made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in late May when it parted ways with senior coach Darren Findlay, after just seven games.

The club’s senior assistant, Nathan Storer, wasn’t even in town when the news dropped, due to his work with the education department going from school to school in the state’s southwest.

President Steve Cogger told this masthead that Findlay and the Demons decision makers were unable to get on the same page about the club’s future direction.

So while an injured Mitch Turnbull stepped up to coach in Round 8 against Geelong Amateur, the co-captain and Storer have since combined over the past three rounds to immediate effect — the Demons have won their past three games.

“I know it’s been a long time, that’s for sure,” Storer said of the club’s last three consecutive wins.

“There’s a few firsts that have been happening over the last little bit.”

Mitch Turnbull addresses the players at quarter time against Geelong Amateur in Round 8. Picture Mike Dugdale

However, it was in the final quarter against Modewarre on Saturday where everything appeared to click.

Down by 30 points at three quarter time at home, the Demons would boot 8.1 to 2.2 to bank their fifth win of the BFNL season.

Storer, who moved to St Leonards in November to be closer to the club, said the massive response didn’t come down to any kind of chest-thumping speech.

“I’m a small cog in a big wheel,” Storer said.

“I might have been the mouthpiece, but it was very much a group discussion at the three quarter time break.

“And also leaning into some of the experience of the playing group.”

For Storer, it was an opportunity for the 22 players to define what the club stood for.

“These are the things that we’re going to be judged on,” he said.

“Ultimately it was up to us to really hone into what we wanted to do as a footy team in that last 30 minutes, or 36 minutes if you saw the clock.

“It was 22 blokes doing an outstanding job.

“If you’re playing at 2pm or 12pm and you’re part of that group that’s out there playing, we want you to be able to stand up and buy into what we believe in and what we’re moving towards.”

While the likes of Riley Hayden, Scott Greenhough and Caleb Kennedy on the wing were terrific, and youngsters Jack Baldi, Luke Salvador, Ethan Hughes and Harry Sedgmen continued to impress, Storer was particularly pleased for club stalwart, Stephen Walton.

Booting two goals in the final term, Storer said the “Bear” was a link to the bad old days of Portarlington.

“His pressure all day was outstanding and to see someone like him stand up in that moment (was great),” he said.

“This is a guy who was a captain when the club was losing by 200 points every week.”

Just a win off fifth place, Demons fans are now dreaming of their first finals appearance since the 1994 decider against Ocean Grove.

Portarlington's Max Ruiter. Picture: AFL Barwon.

While Findlay has departed the scene, Nathaniel Symes is overseeing the midfield,

Nathan Pigott the defenders and Shaun McPherson the forwards.

And under that new management, they’ve beaten Ocean Grove, Newcomb and now the Warriors, all while missing Jack Dorgan, Turnbull and Kelly Pickard to injury.

“Those boys are so good at what they do, they’re just hungry to learn as coaches,” he said.

“The boys love them, the community loves them, we’re very lucky.”

The club confirmed on Tuesday that Pickard was still two weeks away while Turnbull would be back after the bye round in mid-July.

Storer says there are brighter days ahead following a few weeks of undisputed turmoil with Findlay’s exit.

“What’s happened over the past few weeks is not nice, there are people and their families involved in these things,” he said.

“It’s a really serious and personal thing that’s gone on.

“In relation to the last three weeks, it’s been a huge credit to the playing group, it’s been a huge credit to the medical staff, our support staff.
“There’s been that bit of turmoil, but the way people have locked in ... we’ve really tried to be really open with each other.

“It’s really been a bit of a problem solving process, where we say: ‘what do we stand for? What do we believe in, and are we able to get there as a group?’

Geelong Amateur’s Blake Sutterby and Portarlington’s Teia Miles battle it out in the centre in Round 8. Picture Mike Dugdale

“People have been really excited to buy in, huge credit to some of our more experienced players.”
Greenough, Teia Miles, Connor Menadue, Nick Lane, Mitch Howard and Riley Hayden have helped with that direction.
And Storer’s skills as a qualified schoolteacher, and a passion to understand how people learn, has come to the fore.
“It’s definitely transferable from the classroom to the football club, that’s for sure,” he said of his teaching skills.

“The optics externally probably don’t suggest that (the club is) a good place, I think there’s a bit of noise there.

“But within the (four) walls, it’s a really good spot to be.

“I’m really thankful to be working so closely with the amount of good people (at Portarlington).”

Originally published as Portarlington is a chance to play finals for the first time since 1994