PORT ADELAIDE senior coach Lauren Arnell admits it was nice to get reward for effort on Sunday, with her side clinching its first win in NAB AFLW 2023.
Sunday was full of firsts for the club – the team’s first win on the road, Katelyn Pope’s first game for the club and captain Erin Phillips’ first Port Adelaide goal.
Arnell spoke to the Adelaide media on Friday to reflect on the win, discuss her feelings on the new CBA deal and to look ahead to Geelong at Alberton on Saturday.
Arnell on the Round 3 win
“It was just really nice to see reward for effort from our group and we obviously had a pretty tough fixture to start the season, playing the Crows and Lions in Round 1 and Round 2 then to travel and get our first away win in the conditions that we did, coming back from 20 points down in the third quarter showed real grit from our team. Something I’m really proud of is the pressure we applied against the Saints but also, we withstood, Saints were the number one pressure factor team for that round and so we stood up to that as well, which I think is a reflection of the standard we played against in Round 1 and 2 so certainly happy to talk about last week.”
Arnell from coming back from 20 points down in Round 3
“You ask your players to take a level of risk particularly offensively and I've spoken a lot about how much we like to open up scoring in this game and I think for us, for our people, for our fans and our members watching high scoring games and for the general community watching AFLW. You know, to kick eight goals eight on the road when you're down by 20 points, I think that's the kind of footy people want to see and the type of footy I'd like to coach. And to ask that of our players to really take the game on away like that, I'm proud of them.”
Arnell on the team’s mood following the win
“It's a really good question but actually no change. It's one thing I'm proud of in our group even last year when it was a really challenging year, one win, one draw in 10 weeks, our group always turns up regardless of the result the previous week. It's always a slightly lifted mood when you win and it's definitely reward for effort but regardless of the result each week, our group turns up to learn and so not a heap of difference to be honest.”
Arnell on Erin Phillips’ first goal for Port Adelaide
“It was great. Obviously, there's been so much talk (about it), more so media-wise and from fans. I think a lot of people don't realise how much time Erin spends high up the ground so to kick her first goal is really nice but also the timing for the team, it was essentially the sealer on the day so that was even better.”
Arnell on Round 3 club debutant Katelyn Pope
“We're really happy with Katelyn Pope, she certainly earnt her spot and was pretty unlucky to be out of the team from Round 1 really. What we really love about Popey is she's actually got a lot of experience as an elite athlete both in cricket and AFLW and she hasn't always had things go her way so to have a level of resilience in a player that we've added to the group adds maturity to our whole team and she really showed that. It might have taken her a little bit of time to get into the game but certainly that second half she showed her weapons and really brought a fair bit of pace and attacking and defensive urgency to the game, which we love. I think what a lot of people don't realise is how hard this environment is, high performance sport. Even the best players don't get things their own way week to week and things are judged by wins and losses all the time. No team can win every single week and not every player can play every single week so to have someone like Katelyn Pope who's had her fair share of adversity with selection in cricket and football, to be able to show the level of maturity with how to turn up consistently regardless of whether you get things your own way, I think that makes a real difference to a young side.”
Arnell on the CBA agreement
“The CBA is a huge step forward for the whole competition. Reflecting on my time in the playing environment, I was involved in all those conversations with the PA from 2016 onwards. I can remember being in that room in the very first meeting with the key stakeholders of the AFL PA and a number of us players at the time and they said ‘how much do you think you're worth?’ And we had no idea and so to go from that in 2016 to now where I think in a couple of years' time, we'll be above the minimum wage for every single player in the comp. There’s now more certainty over a five-year deal and a whole range of other things that are huge for female athletes, it's a massive step forward and just the certainty even in my role as a senior coach, you can start planning and having some certainty around how much time you might have players available to you next year, even in the off-season and the pre-season is huge.
Arnell on the development of playing conditions for AFLW players
“I think it's probably more pride in how much the competition's grown and the investment in the AFLW is a huge step forward. I shot a message to Paul Marsh and Julia Chiera from the PA yesterday and just said ‘this is incredible work’. To see that level of investment into female sport and our competition is going to be crucial as this competition grows so it's probably more pride than anything else and excitement to know that if you invest in women's sport, you get great outcomes and that's really happening now.”
Arnell on Round 4 debutant Maddy Keryk
“Maddy Keryk and I actually played at Carlton together in that first two seasons and so she's been another addition similar to Katelyn Pope where you've got someone who things haven't always gone their way but they just turn up and work really hard for the team every single day. Really humble and modest about how they go about it and on-field, a real competitor and brings serious contest, which we really value. (She) knows Geelong inside-out so really great timing for Maddy to come into the team and probably for her, not a moment too soon.”
Arnell on Geelong
“They're a good side. I watched Geelong/North last Friday night and we've seen how good North are and I thought Geelong looked the better team in that first half last week and then North probably stepped up and showed that extra bit of class – they've got some serious players in their side as well so (we're) expecting a really contested game of footy. They've got an elite midfield which, hopefully we can show some of our learnings from some of those earlier rounds against elite midfields, but knowing we stood up to the number one pressure factor (team) in the competition last round, Geelong are the number one pressure factor team for the competition over the first three weeks, so it's going to be a hotly contested game and we're really looking forward to it.”
Saturday’s game gets under way at 12:35pm ACST and can be watched live on 7 Mate, Fox Footy and Kayo.
With perfect weather and plenty going on around the ground, it's set to be a fantastic day out at Alberton. Get your tickets for the match here.
