Port Adelaide senior coach Lauren Arnell says the confidence and belief her group will take out of an emphatic 58-point win over GWS should propel them into a productive off-season.
The Power sent retiring captain Erin Phillips out in style, scoring its highest total since entering the competition and even more importantly, did so in front of a heaving home crowd.
“You take confidence and belief out of a game like today and there's that lingering element of the confidence you have as a coach that your team's capable of that every week,” Arnell said after the match.
“You know there are some gaps and some improvement for our group, and we’ll attack that this off-season and we'll be really clear on the areas that we need to improve on.
“Finishing the season on that note, I'd be hoping we can translate that into a fair bit of confidence and belief in the volume of hard work that's required to close the gap in the competition but also a really clear understanding of this is what I know we're capable of.
“We just have to translate that now and use the off-season to project into next year. It's nice to get a positive finish to the season and understand that there's plenty of growth to go.”
Arnell stood alongside Phillips for the final post-match press conference of Port Adelaide’s season, praising the Power skipper’s composure and professionalism throughout her retirement week.
“I'm not sure anyone else could have handled it the way that she did, it's actually been enormous,” Arnell said.
“It's been a bit of a build-up and the thing we all know about Flip is how professional she is and her resilience…there wouldn’t be many people that understand what Flip goes through to get to the point where she actually performs on the weekend.
“It felt like a little bit of a circus pre-game as well but (I had) full trust that she would come out and perform and do everything she can for the team.
“The selflessness and the team stuff and just the professionalism under all sorts of chaos and adversity throughout her whole career is something to be proud of and just stoked we could get the win for her and go out the right way.”
Reflecting on the season as a whole, Arnell’s group learned some tough lessons in a number of games that came down to small margins.
“You've seen other teams who have had those results that are close go the other way and it’s incredible the belief you can build from just getting those little results go your way.
“You know sometimes in footy you can make small errors and get away with them. Our team traditionally hasn’t and what that means is you learn a bit sooner and you learn a bit harsher and use it to set us up for a lot more growth going into next season and beyond.”
On the legacy that Phillips will leave on the club and the playing group, Arnell says its about selflessness and a team-first mentality.
“She’s just a real team player and selfless leader,” Arnell said.
“Most of the work that Flip does is actually behind closed doors and so many people don't understand the impact that she's had on her teammates.
“Flip's had a really positive impact on all of our group and brought them along in the last couple of years. Erin's impact on the immediate playing group and on the club is a really lasting legacy and something to be so proud of.
“I just feel so privileged to have been her coach and to have walked this far with her and she's not bloody going too far either, I won't let her.”
