Tigers back to their best against Demons

A 51-DISPOSAL effort from Charlie Ham has topped off Torquay’s incredible team dominance against Portarlington on Saturday.

The 22-year-old was the star of the show as the Tigers thrashed the Demons at home, winning 24.18 (162) to 4.7 (31).

Ham admitted his spectacular performance could be thanks to a new pre-game ritual.

“Funnily enough, it was the first time I’ve ever had an energy drink pre-game,” he said.

“Dropping my first 50 bomb, (I’m) probably inclined to include that in the pre-game ritual now!”

He said it felt good to “get the hands on it”.

“I’m not really the player to rack up possessions, but it helps when our midfield dominates… and allows me to do my best work on the outside.

“It was just one of those games where I felt like I was in a bit of a flow state and everything was going my way and the team’s way in particular.”

Ham’s 51 touches led an amazing team disposal count, with Nathan Mifsud picking up 47 disposals himself – 24 of those contested.

Midfielders Matt Boag and James Darke also gathered 41 disposals each, while the Geelong VFL-listed Paddy Hughes had 34 himself.

“I actually rewatched the whole game from start to finish and it was so entertaining,” Ham added.

“Even though it was a big win, the ball movement was just so satisfying and fun, everyone was just feeling so good.”

Ham felt a shaky start to the Tigers’ 2025 campaign may have ultimately served them well, with the win on the weekend now making it four wins on the trot.

“You can definitely feel a real difference in vibe compared to the start of the year,” he said.

“There was a lot of expectation on us, but I feel like maybe even those losses got rid of that expectation and we could just start focusing on getting the team back to where it was.

“All credit to our coach, Dom Gleeson, he provided that shift in confidence within the playing group.”

The second-placed Torquay will face the fifth-placed Anglesea in Round 13 in a Grand Final rematch at McCartney Oval.