AFLW Elimination Final vs Richmond @ Alberton, Sunday 10/11/24 2:35pm

[Janey]

Lol that's fantastic, Ebs sounds like a total maniac

I love Ebony, she's an absolute cracker, on and off the field.

 

[Gravel]

Our best player is Borg

She has been magnificent. Stepped up in the absence of Tahau and Cuthbertson

 

[Amarula]

She has been magnificent. Stepped up in the absence of Tahau and Cuthbertson

… and Dunn

 

[Amarula]

She has been magnificent. Stepped up in the absence of Tahau and Cuthbertson

Others like Brooksby & Germech have also stepped up, but Borg has been the lynchpin.

 

[RossFC]

 

[Marmozet]

Port's line-in-the-sand moment that kick-started winning streak

Port Adelaide has won six games in a row since losing to Richmond midway through the season

www.afl.com.au

 

[TeeKray]

IN: A Dowrick 5, J Teakle 15, A Brook 23, M Scholz 29

OUT: J Miller 31 (omitted)

Selection: Extended squad named for home final

Port Adelaide has named its extended squad for Sunday's Elimination Final against Richmond.

www.portadelaidefc.com.au

I suspect it'll be Levicki, Keryk and Brook cut from the extended squad tomorrow but we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Will we never learn -

Power defender fires first shot at 'scared' Tigers ahead of crunch final​

With Matilda Scholz and Abbey Dowrick returning from injury, Ange Foley believes Richmond is scared of facing Port in Sunday's final

"Finals are scary" - Richmond, probably

 

[Marmozet]

I hope Teakle's 100%.

 

[Oversight]

IN: A Dowrick 5, J Teakle 15, A Brook 23, M Scholz 29

OUT: J Miller 31 (omitted)

Selection: Extended squad named for home final

Port Adelaide has named its extended squad for Sunday's Elimination Final against Richmond.

www.portadelaidefc.com.au

I suspect it'll be Levicki, Keryk and Brook cut from the extended squad tomorrow but we'll have to wait and see.

I must have watched a different game. Levicki 39 hitouts 14 possessions clearly stays in, especially with Sholz under a cloud.
My outs would be Miller who had a lucky first up game but looked way off the pace. Kerrick did a couple of things but is too slow. Probably Pope or Stewart would be the other unlucky player.
Last week we were too short and too slow just got lucky playing a low ranked team.

 

[RossFC]

 

[raptalia]

Lauren Arnell calling for respect. Where have we heard that before?

Good luck girls - go for it.

 

[Power Plus]

Lauren Arnell calling for respect. Where have we heard that before?

Good luck girls - go for it.

ARNELL WANTS RESPECT​

By Simeon Thomas-Wilson

Port Adelaide AFLW coach Lauren Arnell says the Power is confident it has grown considerably since its loss to Richmond earlier this season ahead of the club’s first finals clash on Sunday.

And Arnell has suggested that her players haven’t received the respect they should for the Power’s impressive season to date, despite six Port players in the 22under22 squad.

On the back of a six-game winning streak, the Power will take part in its first AFLW final at Alberton Oval on Sunday against the Tigers.

The Power have only faced the Tigers once in the AFLW, which was in round 5 with Richmond winning by 21-points.
Arnell said it would be a different Power on Sunday.

“I think if you watch our round 5 game against Richmond it was a Tuesday in Melbourne, we played Friday in Melbourne in horrendous weather against North (Melbourne) and we lost that one pretty heavily,” she said.

“There were elements against Richmond that we are confident that we have grown from since round 5 and referencing again the fact that we look to be a better side each week that we play there are certain areas that we have definitely been better in.

“In particular in attacking our offence, Richmond play a similar style to us they are very good on turnover offence and we gave them the footy back far too much and it allowed them to play really quickly off turnover and score a lot early.
“That is something we can address.”

After two wins and a draw last year, the Power have won seven matches in 2024 in a huge turnaround by Arnell’s side.

But Arnell said she felt her players weren’t getting the recognition for this when it came to All-Australian discussions.

“For us, I have noticed that there have been some All-Australian team predictions and there aren’t a lot of Port Adelaide players in there and that disappoints me in a way because we have won seven games out of 11 and we have a young group performing to a high level,” she said.

“You can’t just purely base that on stats, we are a low possession team on purpose so I would love people to notice our performances that are consistent across the group and while there aren’t a heap of girls who are going to get 30 (disposals) there are a wide range of contributors across the team.

“That is something that also builds confidence across the group.”

However the Power’s young guns have been recognised with Abbey Dowrick, Matilda Scholz, Shineah Goody, Julia Teakle, Amelie Borg and Molly Brooksby named in the AFL Players’ Association 22under22 squad.

“It is super nice for the six that were named in the squad, really exciting for them and for us and I think there are some more to come,” Arnell said.

“Lauren Young is rehabbing an ACL at the moment, Piper Window has had a really strong season and again if you look at the stat sheet it is underestimated, I know a lot of people who pick those teams aren’t based here in Adelaide and I would like to think there’s a couple more in our group that are going well.”

The Power named Scholz and Dowrick and Teakle, who all missed last week’s game, in the side to face Richmond.

“Both (Scholz and Dowrick) were not fit to play last week, we expect them to train and put their hands up for Sunday,” Arnell said before the team was named last night.

“Julia is in the same boat, she has been really diligent with her knee..”

 

[PowerLil]

Respect is earned.

 

[raptalia]

Respect is earned.

So true, and we can start earning respect by beating a side in the top eight on Sunday. The seven victories in 2024 have all been against sides in the bottom half of the competition so a win against Richmond will give more credibility to what has been a good season. Lauren Arnell is probably doing what any Coach would do and focusing of the positives leading into this weekend's final but the girls really need to beat a top eight side to earn respect. This is clearly the biggest game in the Power AFLW's short history so we need to win it.

Go the Power.

 

[Amarula]

IN: A Dowrick 5, J Teakle 15, A Brook 23, M Scholz 29

OUT: J Miller 31 (omitted)

Selection: Extended squad named for home final

Port Adelaide has named its extended squad for Sunday's Elimination Final against Richmond.

www.portadelaidefc.com.au

I suspect it'll be Levicki, Keryk and Brook cut from the extended squad tomorrow but we'll have to wait and see.

I’m interested that they brought Alissa Brook into the squad for such an important game. Despite her inexperience, she is faster and more athletic, so she may be our best bet against Richmond’s zippy small forwards.

I also wonder who will take second ruck when Tilds needs a break. We have mainly used Ash Saint in the past few games, and she has done quite well. Or because winning clearances will be so important in this game, we could go with Olivia Levicki, although as good as she is with hitouts, she doesn’t give much around the ground. Another possibility, with more grunt, is Teagan Germech, who occasionally rucked with her former team, and would have more presence in general play. And when she does have to ruck, Brook takes her place in defence.

It’s not outside our capability to win this, but we will have to be at our very best. We can’t be as slow as we were last week. And no slow starts!

 

[Ford Fairlane]

In: Dowrick, Scholz, Teakle
Out: Keryk, Miller, Stewart

 

[TazD]

In: Dowrick, Scholz, Teakle
Out: Keryk, Miller, Stewart

Hmmm reckon we're too tall. Would've dropped Levicki instead of Stewart

 

[Janey]

Lauren Arnell calling for respect. Where have we heard that before?

Good luck girls - go for it.

I thought Lauren interviewed very well. When I listened to Ange Foley's presser my first thought was, that whoever wrote the article saying that Ange thought Richmond should be scared of us was putting words in her mouth. Then I listened to Lauren who said the exact same thing and explained what Ange had said. Lauren was respectful of Richmond without doing a Hinkley and making it sound as if we were intimidated by them.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

https://archive.md/HRO5a#selection-1237.0-1265.74

AFLW: Inside Port Adelaide’s rise from bottom four to finals footy in 2024​

Port looked a mile off their AFLW rivals when they slumped to a second consecutive bottom-four finish last year. The Power coach and one of their stars reveal how they’ve turned it all around.

Last season teams were racing past Port Adelaide on the field as games went on while off the field it looked like the Power were miles behind many of its AFLW rivals.

But in the space of one year the Power have gone from a side that won just the two games in 2023, also drawing one, to playing in its first finals series in its third year in the competition on the back of a six-game winning run.
Amid calls for the AFL to conduct a training audit of clubs amid big discrepancies between the league’s superpowers and the battlers following blowouts in season nine the Power have been able to not only bridge the gap to some sides who had a six-year headstart but also fly past them.

This is how the Power rose from two bottom four finishes in a row to a finals place.

‘WE JUST COULDN’T PLAY OUT FOUR QUARTERS’
Port finished its 2023 season on a high, sending legend Erin Phillips out with a win over GWS at Alberton Oval.
But the celebrations for that were short lived as the Power put the blowtorch on the playing list.
Now departed head of AFLW Juliet Haslam told this masthead that it had become clear to the Power that in terms of its fitness “we aren’t where we need to be”.
Leadership group member Ange Foley said it was stark just how much this was hurting the Power.
“We just couldn’t play out four quarters last year,” she said.
“Some of that comes from experience, we are a very young group who haven’t had many pre-seasons behind them.
“So once you are able to get that going and you can put four quarters together fitness wise, skills and game plan come from that.”

Power AFLW coach Lauren Arnell said this was something that was an issue for the first two seasons.
“We knew it in the first two seasons and I think a lot of people forget that in the first season we had a seven week pre-season,” she said.
“When I first moved to Adelaide I think I had three weeks before pre-season started and no coaches.
“So you look at factors like that, building a list, we had no players signed at the time outside of Erin Phillips and so you are in a rush and a seven week pre-season is nowhere near enough for a list that had largely not played any AFLW footy if none.
“So you are just playing catch-up for a couple of years to be fair, so credit to our players and staff for putting the condition into the group in such a short space of time.
.........

STRIKING GOLD
As part of being an expansion team, the Power were able to sign players from its academy as part of the under-18 talent pathway pre-signing period.
From this the Power selected Lauren Young, Molly Brooksby and Shineah Goody.
While Young, touted as one of the best young players to come out of South Australia having won the best and fairest in the SANFLW at just 15-years-old, suffered an ACL injury and was ruled out for the season Brooksby and Goody quickly became key players for the Power.
Piper Window and Alissa Brook were picked up in the draft, adding to the exciting young talent at Alberton.
“There has been a fair bit of talent that we have recruited, not just in the draft just gone but over the last couple of years,” Foley said.

But it wasn’t just stocking up on young guns.
Kristy Lamb, 30 and a premiership winner, joined from the Western Bulldogs.
“We added some really good talent and experience in Kristy Lamb,” Arnell said.
“Lamby had a couple of weeks out with concussion but she has really found her place on and off the field with the group in the last three weeks.
.......

But the Power struck gold with injury replacement signings Teagan Germech and Caitlin Wendland, who have played every game in 2024 and recently signed three-year contracts to remain at Alberton.
“They are in our best 21 each week and are outstanding players,” Grimm said.
“So next year when we bring Indy and Lauren back onto the list we are still going to have Caitlin and Teagan so even without the draft or trading we are bringing in two extremely good players and keeping the two players who replaced them this year. “So our list management led by Naomi Maidment in identifying those two players as injury replacement players, players who weren’t on a list in the first place, has been fantastic.”
AFLW: THE AFL has confirmed a first ever night Grand Final for this year's AFLW decider.

‘OH WE ARE GETTING CLOSER’
It became apparent quickly that the Power had improved in 2024.
After going down in the first Showdown by 70-points, the Power then lost to fierce rivals Adelaide by 30 points last year.
In Round 1 of 2024 under lights at Alberton Oval the Power went down by 14-points against the most successful side of the competition.
“And we felt that if the game goes for another 10 minutes we are challenging them even further,” Arnell said.
Grimm said quickly there was belief among the playing group.
“While the girls came off disappointed they had lost they were thinking oh we are getting closer,” he said.
“And then we went and beat the Bulldogs (in Round 2).
“The North Melbourne game (Round 4) was a real eye opener because they are a really good side but we finished strong against them, Richmond (Round 5) was the same, they started well and we finished well.
..........

‘WE AREN’T GOING TO MAKE UP A NUMBER’
On Sunday the Power will take on the Tigers in an elimination final at Alberton.
Richmond have won the one and only fixture between the two, earlier this season.
But following the rise that has taken place across 2024, Foley said the Power would fear no side.
“There was a six year gap and we had to get things together pretty quickly and in three years we have been able to do that if I’m honest, which is a pretty big achievement,” she said.
“The talent that we have, we have always known that we have the talent there we just needed to gel together and I’m pretty glad as to how we have done that in three seasons.
“Even two years ago finals was a goal for every team, Port Adelaide exists to win premierships so it was something that we knew that we could do and now that we are here we aren’t going to make up a number in the eight.
“We have huge belief that we are able to compete over the next two weeks.”

.........................

 

[Ford Fairlane]

I think it's great that Lauren has stood up and said Hey take a look at us and what we have achieved this year.

Instead of talking up the opposition she has backed her players and made them feel good about themselves and what they have done. Lauren is building that confidence and feeling of achievement and how good it feels in the team..

They should be proud of making finals and they should have the confidence to make this season last as long as they can. And to keep that good feeling by coming back and doing it again next year and in the years to come and pushing further and further.

 

[Amarula]

For this game we have something like half the team are 22 years or less, with about 6 teenagers (7 if emergencies are included). If that’s not the most young players in any AFLW finals team, it’s gotta be pretty close to it. Of course, our average age probably isn’t all that low, because of the “more experienced” other half of the side.

 

[TeeKray]

I think it's great that Lauren has stood up and said Hey take a look at us and what we have achieved this year.

Instead of talking up the opposition she has backed her players and made them feel good about themselves and what they have done. Lauren is building that confidence and feeling of achievement and how good it feels in the team..

They should be proud of making finals and they should have the confidence to make this season last as long as they can. And to keep that good feeling by coming back and doing it again next year and in the years to come and pushing further and further.

She has a self belief that you can't fake. Hinkley, Primus and even Williams have all lacked that particular quality. It's totally refreshing and gives you so much more belief in the trajectory of the team, win or lose tomorrow.

 

[PowerLil]

Does anyone know if the temporary stands will be back?

 

[EskimoPAFC]

Just win ****ing