EXPERIENCE and leadership are two qualities Port Adelaide's inaugural side has in abundance, with two former club captains and 346 career games of experience on board.
Coach Lauren Arnell has also been able to add some real talent from the overflowing South Australian draft pool to the side.
B: I.Tahau A.Foley
HB: Li.Cockatoo-Motlap C.Hammond S.Goodwin
C: K.Surman M.Moloney J. Mules
HF: H.Ewings G.Houghton La.Cockatoo-Motlap
F: E. Phillips J. Teakle
Foll: L.McGrath J.Yorston H.Dunn
I/C: E.O'Dea S.Syme J.De Melo M.MacLachlan A.Dowrick
Emerg: J. Halfpenny L. Johnson
Building a list
Integrating experience and youth into one side will be Port Adelaide's best strength across all lines once chemistry is struck. Defensively the club boasts a great balance of 1v1 strength (Indy Tahau, Angela Foley) and rebounding ability (Litonya Cockatoo-Motlap, Sarah Goodwin).
There are plenty of contested players who will no doubt get an early run in the teal, including Maria Moloney, Jacqui Yorston, Hannah Dunn and Ebony O'Dea, who will then be complemented on the outside by Kate Surman, Justine Mules, Hannah Ewings and Maggie MacLachlan. Thanks to this depth, they will have the luxury of keeping Erin Phillips in the attacking line for long periods of time, then pinch-hitting around the ball.
Meanwhile, the run and evasion that Gemma Houghton and Laquioiya Cockatoo-Motlap each offer will work well around more traditional key forward Julie Teakle.
MacLachlan will also provide Lauren Arnell with some versatility during games, able to play in various positions depending on the situation at hand.
What this structure also allows is leadership on each line, which goes a long way toward not only player development, but in-game awareness – something that can be the difference between a win and a loss in close games.
In the mix
As mid-sized forwards, Jade De Melo gets the nod thanks to an exceptional SANFLW season, but Tessa Doumanis, Lily Johnson, and Jade Halfpenny could reasonably push for a spot in the attacking line depending on how structures permit.
Britt Perry misses out on a midfield spot purely due to the depth they possess on that line, with the likes of Moloney, Dunn, Yorston and O'Dea just a little more consistent in their impact throughout games. Meanwhile Ella Boag can add outside run if necessary.
Should Arnell opt to go with a two ruck setup, Olivia Levicki will get the call up, and Alex Ballard and Amelie Borg could feasibly push into the spot currently occupied by Cheyenne Hammond. Yasmin Duursma is another who can be used across that half back line, pushing up into the midfield, but will be aiming to improve her consistency before getting the call up.
