Port Adelaide senior coach Lauren Arnell said the focus in the current block of games is about paying close attention to process. 

Showing up and being ready to play from the first bounce is what Arnell says the group has lacked in its last two games against North Melbourne and Richmond. 

Arnell spoke to the Adelaide media on Friday about what to expect from Carlton this Sunday, Kirsty Lamb’s concussion, and the congested AFLW fixture. 

Arnell on the focus this week 
“Obviously, there's elements of the game style that we need to focus on. And then the next layer is to turn up and be ready to play early in the game. Again, some of it is, you know, you're playing A-grade mids who got away from us very early in Garner and Riddell against North Melbourne and Conti and McKenzie against Richmond. So, you know, there's a little bit of growth and learning required there. And also (we need) to turn up and be ready from the first bounce.” 

Arnell on Kirsty Lamb’s concussion 
“Yeah, we've seen Kirsty, obviously one of our better players against Fremantle in Round 3, I think it was and, yeah, really disappointed to see her go out with concussion. I think she's just starting to find a groove in a new side.” 

“I think, obviously, we'll leave (her replacement) for the selection announcement a bit later on today. But yeah, a few things to weigh up, whether you bring in another mid or add a bit more height, knowing that Carlton have played what's close to three rucks or two-and-a-half rucks. So yeah, a bit for us to weigh up.” 

Arnell on the short turnaround between games this week 
“I think everyone's playing a congested fixture at the moment, and some teams are less healthy than us, so I think you just understand that it's a busy time. We had the ability to plan for it early in the pre-season. And yeah, if anything, the challenge is kind of knowing what day it is at the moment, because you're used to playing on a weekend, and so playing a Friday and then a Tuesday, and both travel games, it's kind of hard to turn around and go “now we're hitting the weekend”. So yeah, I think, you know, we plan for it. We're doing okay. Our list is relatively healthy, obviously, really disappointed with Kirsty Lamb's concussion and the four ACLs on our list at the moment. But beyond that, I think we're in reasonable shape to deal with this portion of the fixture.” 

Arnell on the congested fixture 
“There's no doubt fatigue’s there for everybody, coaches included, you know, myself and Dan Merrett are full time in our coaching department, and (the other coaches) are working full time jobs outside of that. And so no doubt the players are fatigued and sore at this point. But again, we had the ability to plan for that. And so certainly, as staff and coaches and players, there's been a whole range of things we've been planning for, for a long time in this congested period, and we are hoping to do it better and working hard to do it better than most clubs, if we can. And I think there's certainly plenty to work learn out of it, and also acknowledge that there's a reasonable level fatigue right now for everybody. 

“I think if you plan well enough, everything is workable and achievable. I think you just have to acknowledge that where there might be longer meetings in a regular week turnaround, a six, seven, eight-day turnaround, you have somewhat longer opportunities to train and have education. In this portion of the fixture, you just have to be more efficient and streamlined in what you do.” 

Arnell on the Richmond game on Tuesday 
“I think the biggest thing for us is being ready to start a game. We've come up against a couple of A-grade midfields, and they've hurt us early in games the last two weeks. And certainly North Melbourne look to be playing at the absolute back end of the year this year. And I think the best of Richmond will be able to go deep in finals if they hold their list together with health. So, you know, I think as a growing and young side, we have to keep learning and understanding that if we are able to bring our best for longer, we can shake those top-end teams. But I think the process for us at the moment is the most important part of understanding how we turn up and being prepared to play from the first bounce, regardless of who the opposition is and how good they might be.” 

Arnell on Carlton 
“Oh, the best of them is very, very good, and they'll obviously be disappointed coming out of the North game. And again, North are an exceptional team. I think, Carlton, they're about middle of the table on the ladder, and we feel we're around that mark too. So I guess we went into Round 3 thinking Fremantle would be some sort of a watermark game. And think Carlton is another measure of that, again this week. And again, the process for us has to be the focus. Regardless of opposition. We turn up and continue to improve each week. 

“I think in an 11-game season, it's important for us to put our best foot forward this week against Carlton. And you know, there's absolutely no doubt our group is craving a win, but we do have to look after the process before we worry about the result.” 

Arnell on preparation for the Carlton game 
“I think what helps is, again, talking about needing to be efficient in this block of time, even simply for the players and coaches watching oppo and preparing for the next game, it is helpful when the two teams you're about to play, play each other. It's one game of footy to watch. You know, to cover two games is helpful, to be fair. I do think there's a group of top-end teams consistently performing, regardless of opposition, and then there'd be a big bank of teams, including us at the moment, across the comp, who know that their best is right up there, and there's a gap between the best and what seems to be not their best at the moment. So yeah, I think consistency for a lot of teams is hard to gauge right now, and that's why the focus for us needs to be about process and turning up from the first bounce, regardless of who we play.” 

Arnell on Cheyenne Hammond 
“Cheyenne is an incredible person amongst our group, on and off field. She’s someone who she's actually had off-season surgery each year that she's been here and been able to rehab every time, and been able to catch up with everyone who's been in full programming from the first day of off-season. And she's someone who has led our pack and won our time trial most recently, and so as a teammate, there's none better. And then as a footballer, we've seen so much growth for her, particularly since she joined us from the Suns and was able to come home (to SA), and she's recently bought a house here in Adelaide, which she's been working so hard on with her partner for so long. And just to see that growth for her on field now that she's hit her mid-20s and to be able to do a job on Conti in the second half, but also as a winger earlier in the game…we watched the vision back, and she's made efforts of about 100 metres to save to certain goals deep in our backline. And so yeah, there's massive value there in Hammo. And I just love watching how much she's growing. It's similar to Julia Teakle. They’re two people who've just worked so hard at their craft for a long period of time, and we're finally seeing it start to pay off for them and the team.” 

Arnell on Molly Brooksby 
“Molly is an unassuming character, certainly. The metres gained is a real promising addition to her game, and we know it's always been there. You know, her biggest weapon is her ball use and reading the game. She's a pretty smart footballer, so giving her a little bit more license and unleashing her a little bit against Richmond shows some positive growth. And no doubt, opposition teams will see a bit of that out of her game. And, you know, we'll continue to give her a bit of license there to get on the end of some of the harder intercept work.”