Defender Ange Foley knows what it takes to win finals and is confident her Port Adelaide side’s best football will be more than competitive as it plays finals for the first time.
Foley played in five finals and won two AFLW premierships during her time with the Crows and will go into Sunday’s Second Elimination Final against Richmond as one of the more experienced campaigners on either side.
The Tigers won by 21 points when the sides met in Melbourne in late September, but the Power has since won six straight games to take plenty of belief into the rematch.
Speaking at Alberton on Tuesday, Foley said Richmond was a “great team” and would pose a “big challenge”, but her side had improved since the last meeting.
She also discussed the weekend’s heart stopping win over Greater Western Sydney, the growth in the group during her time at the club, and the potential return of three key players for this week.
Ange Foley on Sunday’s nail biting one-point win over Greater Western Sydney:
“The weekend was just huge. I said after the game (it) was probably one of the better wins that I've been a part of. This club's been building towards success. Premierships is why we’ve existed so to be in a final, yeah, we're pretty pumped.”
Ange Foley on the side making finals for the first time in just its third season in the AFLW:
“Three years of a fair bit of hard work and that's not just on the field. We've got some amazing support at this club and we've been building. This group is just about improving every game, every week. We put a heap of work in in the off-season. We knew where we needed to get better and our best is going to compete with the best in this final series, no doubt.”
Ange Foley on whether the side let itself enjoy qualifying for the finals for the first time:
“Sunday was pretty electric in the change rooms. You have to enjoy those kinds of wins. You have to enjoy it for a moment about making finals. And we reflected yesterday as a group, but absolutely, you know, we need to focus on Richmond this weekend. They're a great team, and we've got a big challenge ahead of us, but I'm sure on the training track today, that's where we'll focus.”
Ange Foley on the side’s goals for the finals:
“We're not just making up numbers in this eight. We're absolutely going for the top prize. There's no point being in there if you're not. So we'll take one game at a time, absolutely, very cliche, I know, but if we beat Richmond, we'll see what's happening next week after that.”
Ange Foley on how far the group has come in her time at Alberton:
“We've been working on just getting better every week. That's been going for three years now, and we are getting better and better. And as I said, our best is going to mix it with the best in the comp. We're on a run, six-in-a-row. We've improved since last time we played Richmond. I think it's the last time we lost so six-in-a-row is huge momentum for us.
“It took us a few games (early in the season) to get into the swing of things, which is okay and that just happens. We've worked on things that maybe we weren't up to scratch with at the start of the season. But also there were things even this week just gone, that we need to get better at. We sit as a group and reflect it on each game, obviously, and this group is just about getting better individually, but definitely as a team. The last six games have definitely shown that, and we'll just keep going.”
Ange Foley on trusting that the group can win from any position:
“I think we can reflect and say that definitely four quarter performances probably weren't something that we brought last year, but this year, our starts haven't been great, but we've, we've kind of rectified that in our warm-up. I think we absolutely have got four quarters in us, and a never say die sort of attitude, just like we did on Sunday.”
Ange Foley on her role guiding the young players in the group:
“I think a big part of my role here at the club is leadership. I really pride myself on it. We've got a young group, and so for me, if I'm not playing my role physically, I can also help out in the leadership role as well. So that's probably where I pride myself and I hope that I can have a huge impact on the girls in that way.
“It's probably something that I do week in, week out, trying to empower these girls because, you know, they're our next generation coming through. And one day, I'm going to look back and probably sit in The Precinct myself and be pretty proud to watch those girls lead this club.”
Ange Foley on the potential availability of Matilda Scholz, Abbey Dowrick and Julia Teakle:
“I think you can expect (Matilda and Abbey) to play. They've got to get through training, obviously, like we all do, but (I’m) looking forward to having both of them back in the midfield. You notice their voice and their presence, absolutely, let alone the way that the two of them play, but I'm looking forward to just having them in at training again. I'm sure they're excited about it, too.
“(And Julia), she's going to have to jump a few hurdles this week, but she's a chance. I wouldn't want to be sitting on that selection table, I tell you, because we've got pretty much everyone healthy.”
