YARTAPUULTI senior coach Lauren Arnell has praised the effort from her playing group with two games to go of the regular season, and a possible finals berth ahead.
In a big week, the club will celebrate Jo Miller’s league debut, Kirsty Lamb’s 75th game, Cheyenne Hammond’s 50th, as well as marking the first weekend of AFLW Indigenous Round.
Arnell spoke on the impact of Lamb and Hammond, the focus on taking one game at a time, and how young star Matilda Scholz has recovered from an injury scare last Friday night.
Arnell on getting reward for hard work
“Certainly four wins in a row is enormous reward for effort, and not just for this year. It's been a long time coming for us and to have reward for effort over the last four weeks is really nice, and we still feel like we've got a heap of work to do. So, it's remaining on an even keel off the back of that.”
Arnell on playing a finals brand of footy
“I think, to be fair, obviously we're sitting seventh on the ladder currently, but we haven't locked away a finals spot. And so the conversation for us is, it's a privilege to be in a position, where you’re asked about finals publicly, but internally, our focus has to be on how we get better each week. And to be really honest, it's been our focus since the start of this year. And a big pre-season focus and a conversation I've been having with the group since before pre-season started, is that our growth will be measured to an extent, in wins and losses this year, but mostly in the growth we see on and off field from the group, and the maturity that we've started to see develop in difficult moments in games. But yeah, there's certain measures of growth that we think is for long term, more important than just pure wins and losses this year.
“You certainly don't sit in the pre-season wondering what you'll be asked in a Round 10 press conference (but) honestly, just really pleased that we can talk about it. And also balancing that with we've got a heap of work to do, and that starts with the Gold Coast on Saturday.”
Arnell on Jo Miller making her debut this week
“Yeah, exciting for Jo Miller, our debutant this weekend. Jo is actually a Queenslander and so it will be awesome for her family, who are based in just south of Brisbane, to be able to come to the game and watch her debut. She's had a bit of a long run into playing her first AFLW game. She played for Coorparoo in the QAFLW, and then just to chase her footy dream, moved to Darwin in what is our off-season, but Darwin plays in the wet season up there. And so she's come out of Brisbane, then Darwin, and then moved straight down to play for Glenelg in the SANFLW, and put together a really nice back end of the year. We signed her as an inactive replacement player. So, it's been thick and fast, and it feels like a bit of a journey for her already. She’s a former triathlete and someone who I think will add some really nice run to our midfield on a big ground at Carrara.”
Arnell on Matilda Scholz
“Yeah, Matilda is all good. She obviously had a little bit of a scare late in the game there (with her knee), but she's been playing some pretty big minutes and some very impressive footy. So now she's good to go. I think if any of your players go down and need to be seen by the medical team, you always have a little bit of a scare and want to know pretty quickly what's going on. But she's all good.
“I think obviously Matilda's talent’s enormous. And you know, one thing we try, and I try and work with our young players on, is to not be defined by talent, be defined by hard work. And that's something Matilda's been working away at, and will continue to work away at. And yeah, if anything, to be fair, probably a bit surprised a couple of weeks ago (she didn’t win the mark of the year) vote. So think all the all the rhetoric in the media has been that it has to be mark of the year, and certainly that's the chat amongst us. So I'd be hopeful it's a Courtney Hodder situation from last year, where the mark of the year is recognised for what happens out on the field.”
Arnell on playing at larger stadiums
“I love any ground we get to play at. And obviously the stadium at Carrara (People First Stadium) is really, really nice. So I think the nature of it being big is similar to Alberton and obviously the stadium infrastructure means we should be protected by the weather, where in other grounds, for AFLW in particular, we're not. So we’re very much looking forward to getting to the Gold Coast. I’ve got some family up there too. So it'll be nice to get up there, and also for our group to play on one of the premier grounds in the country.”
Arnell on what to expect from Gold Coast
“I think the Suns are a good team, and they'd be disappointed with their results this year. But if you look at particularly the last two weeks, which is the form that you need to track in an 11 game season. They've actually been playing some really good footy. And they got the win last week and the week before, they played Brisbane. And speaking to Craig Starcevich from Brisbane a couple weeks ago, he actually said they played some really good footy. So there's plenty for us to prepare for. And yeah, no doubt they're a strong side. And yeah, as I said, I think they'd be disappointed with the wins and losses ratio this year, but they've certainly got the ability to win all the games that they come up against.”
Arnell on player milestones
“It's interesting, particularly with Ebony (O’Dea’s 50th game) last week. There's a fair bit to celebrate in there for her. You know she was delisted by the Giants after season one, I think, and then went to Collingwood, and we were stoked to be able to bring her back to South Australia and have her play at Port Adelaide. And Cheyenne Hammond, similar things, 50 games for Cheyenne this week and for Lamby, who has been a Port Adelaide supporter since she was very young, she’s Paul Rizonico’s niece. So I think for both of those, there’s some really special stuff around providing opportunity for Lamby to play for Port Adelaide, which is the team she's always supported and has a massive family connection to, and then for Hammo to come back to South Australia after starting her career at the Suns, and to now be home with her family, which means so much to her. She's also someone who's such a big part of our culture off field and on field. So it is really special. And I think, as a coach, I just try and take the special parts of those people, what they bring to the group, and remind the group it’s a celebration of those people. It's a really nice opportunity.”
Arnell on the experience Lamb and Hammond bring
“Certainly with Hammo, I think her experience, she hasn't always had things go her own way in her career. You know, she's been in and out of teams, and even here at Port, there's been moments where I've had to have harder conversations with her, and she's been left out of the team. And you know, she's also had surgery in each off-season that she's been here and been so diligent and always ahead of where her rehab needs to be in the off-season. And so to have someone like that who truly cares about her teammates and just turns up as a complete team-first player, there's enormous lessons in that for our young crew.
“And for Lamby, I think what we're starting to see, particularly the last couple of weeks, is her real smarts on field, her support of her teammates, both during the week and on game day, but the smarts and the communication she's able to get done in key moments, her teammates are really starting to recognise that, so it's been pleasing, particularly late in the year.”
Arnell on AFLW Indigenous Round
“Yeah, certainly for our First Nations people here, it's really special. And particularly for Jaz Stewart, it's been a tough year for her. Had a really, really limited off-season and pre-season (due to injury and surgery). And so to be playing and wearing the jumper that she's designed in honour of her grandfather is something again that we get to celebrate this week, and I know our group will be exceptionally proud to wear it. It's an amazing jumper that she's put together. And I think, knowing we've got three First Nations players on our list this year, and I did have a little look today, and I think that's the most of any club in the AFL W. So to be a team that's in their third season, and we've always had strong representation across the footy club and particularly our AFLW side as well, it's something that we're really proud of, and hope to do the jumper proud and Jaz proud this weekend.”
