It may be the AFLW off-season, but Port Adelaide assistant coach Sam Virgo is working hard behind the scenes to set her team up for the best possible start to pre-season. 

With senior coach Lauren Arnell on parental leave after giving birth to baby Marlie in January, Virgo is currently caretaking the AFLW program in Arnell’s absence. 

Supported by 200-game AFL player and former Brisbane AFLW assistant coach Dan Merrett, plus newly appointed Head of AFLW Shane Grimm, Virgo is relishing the opportunity to lead the playing group through a long off-season. 

“It's great to have someone who’s as experienced as Dan,” Virgo said. 

“He brings great energy and footy knowledge. To have his support has been really important for me and for the players. As they get to know him, they absolutely love him for his personality and his knowledge. And it's been really good to bounce ideas off him. 

“Grimmy has been fantastic to work with more closely over the last couple of weeks. I’m excited to see what he will bring to the program. He’s an incredibly experienced footy manager and no doubt, will have a strong influence on our group.” 

Virgo, Merrett and new AFLW head of high performance Anthony Gallomarino are running optional skills and gym sessions each week, to help players stay sharp and continue building their strength and fitness before pre-season officially begins. 

“We've made the optional sessions available for all our listed players,” Virgo said. 

“We've had great buy-in for those. Many of our players have been attending weekly, around work and study commitments. By and large, we've had great energy and really good attendance. The players are working on lots of craft and trying to get better, which is the main thing.” 

And while Arnell may be away from the club, she’s never more than a phone call away for Virgo, who has leaned on the senior coach for advice through this period.  

Starting from their time playing together at Brisbane, the pair have remained good friends, with Virgo arriving at Alberton in a coaching capacity ahead of the 2023 season. 

“I've been relying on Loz pretty heavily,” Virgo said.  

“She's a great person to bounce ideas off. And we planned these sessions together before she went on leave. She's pleased with the reports of how the players are going.  

“The other coaches have been dropping in as well. It's been great to have an all-hands-on-deck approach when everyone can get there to help out and provide those opportunities to improve.” 

With six new additions to the playing group – Kirsty Lamb from the Western Bulldogs, Lauren Young, Molly Brooksby and Shineah Goody secured in the pre-signing period, and Piper Window and Alissa Brook taken through the AFLW Draft – Virgo is pleased with how they have stepped into the program. 

“They've just fit in really well, it's been really easy, and a great opportunity for them to get to know their teammates before we officially kick off in June,” she said. 

“It's been really seamless. They're great people, and they've been welcomed with open arms by our existing playing group. And they're really keen to get better as well. They have loved being at the club, and you can see that they bring a real enthusiasm to the group.” 

Multiple players have already played the first two rounds of SANFLW, with Virgo keen to see players getting as much game time as they can at this time of year. 

“The more footy we can get into particularly the younger players, the better,” Virgo said. 

“They'll play a maximum of five games at their SANFL clubs and we review games with those players, so they can continue learning. Like I said, they just want to be constantly improving.” 

The AFLW squad officially returns to pre-season training in the first week of June, with the season starting during the AFL pre-finals bye weekend.