LAUREN Arnell sees the best of her "Inaugurals" and knows that quality of football is worthy of more than just one win and a draw from nine AFLW matches.
Problem is, Arnell - and everyone else - does not see enough of it for long enough to manifest winning totals on the scoreboard, as again noted in the two-point loss to St Kilda at RSEA Park on Sunday afternoon.
"Unfortunately, we are really inconsistent ...," said Arnell in summing up not just the Round 9 loss to St Kilda but also the inaugural campaign that now has a 1-1-7 win-draw-loss record with one match to play.
Port Adelaide again went through a quarter without scoring - the third in which a 12-point lead at half-time was wiped out while St Kilda set up snapping its six-game losing streak with a three-goal charge while dominating plays in its forward half.
Port Adelaide did respond in the last term - and might have had the winning play in the last three minutes when captain Erin Phillips set up key forward Gemma Houghton with a chance to score the winning goal in her 50th AFLW match. The accurate kick was called touched by the umpires, denying Port Adelaide its first win on the road.
And Arnell knows the real fault in the result is within her own ranks.
"We are just inconsistent," Arnell said.
Port Adelaide did hold St Kilda scoreless during the last term. But the winning plays - even after correcting the advantages being handed to St Kilda at stoppages - did not come.
"It is disappointing. We had opportunities in that last quarter, but we allowed far too much score for the Saints and we did not create enough for ourselves. Saints were the better team on the day," said Arnell in paying tribute to a St Kilda team that certainly did its homework on Port Adelaide, particularly in setting up defensive walls to counter the attacking plays created by midfielders Maria Moloney and Hannah Ewings.
"There is capability in this group to win games of footy," added Arnell. "We are very frustrated at this point that we are not (winning).
"Any Port Adelaide supporter would see the type of brand we are building. Unfortunately, we were really inconsistent with that brand of footy today - and that disappoints us.
"There is some exciting footy there. I can show our group what is a great way (in their plays); we can move the ball. They are things we have been working on since day one. We are just inconsistent."
Port Adelaide captain Erin Phillips came to the bench out of concern for her strapped left knee during the third term - and then returned to the field to ease the demands on ruck Olivia Levicki who dominated with 39 of the team's 40 hit-outs.
"We needed a different look," Arnell explained. "Levicki's first season of AFLW, first season of footy; we just wanted a different look. So, Erin played a little bit of time in ruck. She had a real impact on the game. One great thing about Erin is that she is really versatile. It's just another weapon in her bag (to play in ruck)."
Port Adelaide's attack again lived to "feast or famine" themes.
"It was a difficult time for our forwards. We did not have time in our front half for the first three terms," Arnell said.
"A big focus for us has been development - and connection. We talk about connection and off-field we have put heaps of time into that. Our group is pretty tight. We still have a way to go in terms of on-field connection ... it is frustrating today because this was the game that we have been most inconsistent in the type of brand we want to play for four quarters. We're certainly frustrated in that element and we know we can do better.
"We also know there are elements of our game that we need to give time to - we can't rush that."
Ewings again stood out with her 17 disposals to have the coach's praise for playing even better than in her Rising Star-nominated game against Sydney in round 3.
"We have a big group of young kids 20 of the 30 are under 24; for all of them there is the challenge of finding consistency in a 10-game season," Arnell said. "Hannah might have had a couple of quieter games after her Rising Star nomination. Today, that might have been her best game. It is exciting for Hannah that she can get to the back end of the W season as a first-year player and put a performance like that out there. I know she will do everything she can to put that level of performance out there again next week."
Port Adelaide closes its inaugural AFLW season by hosting fellow newcomer Essendon at Alberton on Sunday.
Arnell is not seeing a team - that has now featured all 30 inaugural players - limping to the finish line.
"Our energy is really good," Arnell said. "One challenge of W this year is Year 12 kids. We have a couple who finished school this week. There are huge challenges in that aspect.
"Our players do apply themselves exceptionally well. I have never been able to fault them on that. So, we will keep turning up and if we can find that element of consistency we'd like to think we would finish the season with a win."
And Arnell is not branding the Round 10 clash with Essendon in any special way.
"Every game is as important as every other for us," Arnell said. "We turn up to win. So, we don't need to treat (the season-closer with Essendon) differently to any other game," added Arnell who was asked if the game at Alberton could be badged as a "grand final".
