AFLW Port Adelaide AFLW (Team to enter in 2022 season)

[TazD]

The fact is the two most successful AFLW clubs went with experienced AFL players as Coaches while we went with someone who played 39 games of AFLW football and had no senior coaching experience. Adelaide and Brisbane have shared 5 Premierships between them while we have won 3 of our first 20 AFL games. Lauren Arnell's appointment was a typical Koch PR stunt as he relished telling the world that Port were the first AFLW Club to appoint an ex AFLW player as Coach.

Lauren Arnell had a difficult road as all coaches of new teams have but we have players who still cannot perform the basics such as picking up a football on the run. Our lack of basic skill is down to the Coach, a Coach who Koch & Co reappointed before her contract was up. That last bit should sound familiar.

While we appointed Lauren Arnell, who had no previous coaching experience, Hawthorn, who came into the competition at the same time as us appointed Daniel Webster who had more than a decade of NEAFL and State League coaching experience as their AFLW coach. Hawthorn are currently 5th and a win this week against Geelong could see them leap into third spot on the table. We sit one win off the bottom of the ladder.

Is it pure coincidence that the two most successful clubs in the AFLW have experienced ex AFL players as coaches and that North Melbourne, who currently sit on top of the AFLW ladder, also has a 165 game ex AFL player as a coach? Maybe it is but the bottom line is we are not improving as our record in the first four games shows. Re appointing Lauren Arnell was the same error of jugement that Koch and Co made when they reappointed Ken Hinkley before the jury was in. Maybe what I find so frustrating and disappoiting is we keep making the same mistakes.

Is it wrong to compare us to Hawthorn (and Essendon) because they had a VFLW team they essentially picked up and plopped in the AFLW. Their players are vastly more experienced than ours.

If you're that desperate to compare Arnell to someone, do it with Sydney's Gowers.

 

[jonasshirtfront]

The fact is the two most successful AFLW clubs went with experienced AFL players as Coaches while we went with someone who played 39 games of AFLW football and had no senior coaching experience. Adelaide and Brisbane have shared 5 Premierships between them while we have won 3 of our first 20 AFL games. Lauren Arnell's appointment was a typical Koch PR stunt as he relished telling the world that Port were the first AFLW Club to appoint an ex AFLW player as Coach.

Lauren Arnell had a difficult road as all coaches of new teams have but we have players who still cannot perform the basics such as picking up a football on the run. Our lack of basic skill is down to the Coach, a Coach who Koch & Co reappointed before her contract was up. That last bit should sound familiar.

While we appointed Lauren Arnell, who had no previous coaching experience, Hawthorn, who came into the competition at the same time as us appointed Daniel Webster who had more than a decade of NEAFL and State League coaching experience as their AFLW coach. Hawthorn are currently 5th and a win this week against Geelong could see them leap into third spot on the table. We sit one win off the bottom of the ladder.

Is it pure coincidence that the two most successful clubs in the AFLW have experienced ex AFL players as coaches and that North Melbourne, who currently sit on top of the AFLW ladder, also has a 165 game ex AFL player as a coach? Maybe it is but the bottom line is we are not improving as our record in the first four games shows. Re appointing Lauren Arnell was the same error of jugement that Koch and Co made when they reappointed Ken Hinkley before the jury was in. Maybe what I find so frustrating and disappoiting is we keep making the same mistakes.

I don't think the number of games played or whether someone has a dick or not is a particularly good predictor of coaching ability, but I agree with you completely on the skills thing. We've come in as a very young and inexperienced team that will only become as good as our player development and game plan make us. I'm not convinced Arnell has either of those but we aren't going to know for a while. The big problem is I don't have any faith in the club to make a true assessment of what's going on and take any hard decisions that are required.

Is Arnell a shit coach? Maybe, maybe not, I'm not around the group and so couldn't tell you what she does or doesn't do. Do I trust our decision makers to care if she's a shit coach? No. Not even a little bit. I trust them to make the easy, arse covering decision every time and that's the problem.

 

[TeeKray]

It's all just too hard to gauge because it's such a young team and there's so much development that needs to be done. You look at the development in Julia Teakle and Sachi Syme since the first season, they're like completely different players. Teakle is 21 and Syme is 19. Scholz is a prime piece at 19. Borg holds down full back at 19. Others who played against Richmond include Window at 19, Brooksby at 19, Goody at 18, Boag at 20, Brook at 19, Wendland at 21. Dowrick is a veteran at 22. And a lot of these girls have only been playing at any level for a handful of years. It's going to take time. There's no way around that fact.

 

[Marmozet]

Western Bulldogs have won two on the trot now.

Our 40 point win over them at the MCG is looking better and better.

 

[TeeKray]

Western Bulldogs have won two on the trot now.

Our 40 point win over them at the MCG is looking better and better.

Unfortunately our 3 performances since then have been fairly uninspiring by comparison.

I had us as a 3-4 win type team this year but with so many key players out for the season I reckon we're in spoon contention.

 

[Duckimus Prime]

2024 Pride Round Guernsey
Designed by Hannah Ewings and Abbey Dowrick.

Introducing the Power of Pride

Port Adelaide has launched its 2024 AFLW Pride guernsey, designed by Abbey Dowrick and Hannah Ewings.

www.portadelaidefc.com.au

 

[Marmozet]

I love how our next Rising Star nomination is technically in this photo too, in the background

 

[TazD]

I love how our next Rising Star nomination is technically in this photo too, in the background



View attachment 2142267

Brittany Aircon is going to be a jet

 

[EskimoPAFC]

So, being realistic, we aren't going to finish below 8th or above 5th. Even 5th is extremely unlikely so we are almost certainly in the 6-8 range (mathematically 3rd and 9th are feasible, but would require scores never seen before in AFLW).

These are the relevant games to clubs in this range:
Richmond (6th) vs Hawthorn (2nd)
Port Adelaide (7th) vs GWS (16th)
Carlton (14th) vs Essendon (8th)
Melbourne (9th) vs Collingwood (18th)
Geelong (10th) vs Adelaide (4th)

The biggest match up in shaping the 8th is Carlton vs Essendon. If we can assume Essendon can hold their nerve, the Melbourne and Geelong games dont matter, and Essendon finish on 26 points.

If we assume that Hawthorn beat Richmond, and we beat GWS, then we are looking at:

5 Freo
6 Port
7 Tiges
8 Dons

We lost to Richmond in Melbourne Sep 24, just before our winning streak kicked off. I think we would start pretty close to 50-50 against them at Alberton on current form.

Here's a quick reason why we shouldn't be getting too far ahead of ourselves also:

Norf	LOSS
Hawthorn	DNP
Brisbane	DNP
Adelaide	LOSS
Fremantle	LOSS
Richmond	LOSS
Port	-
Essendon	DNP
Melbourne	DNP
Geelong	DNP
St Kilda	WIN
Wet Toast	WIN
Bulldogs	WIN
Carlton	WIN
Sydney	DNP
GWS	?
SUNS	WIN
Pies	WIN

Hoping we can do some damage, but the key next year is to get some scalps against those top of the table sides.

 

[Amarula]

So, being realistic, we aren't going to finish below 8th or above 5th. Even 5th is extremely unlikely so we are almost certainly in the 6-8 range (mathematically 3rd and 9th are feasible, but would require scores never seen before in AFLW).

These are the relevant games to clubs in this range:
Richmond (6th) vs Hawthorn (2nd)
Port Adelaide (7th) vs GWS (16th)
Carlton (14th) vs Essendon (8th)
Melbourne (9th) vs Collingwood (18th)
Geelong (10th) vs Adelaide (4th)

The biggest match up in shaping the 8th is Carlton vs Essendon. If we can assume Essendon can hold their nerve, the Melbourne and Geelong games dont matter, and Essendon finish on 26 points.

If we assume that Hawthorn beat Richmond, and we beat GWS, then we are looking at:

5 Freo
6 Port
7 Tiges
8 Dons

We lost to Richmond in Melbourne Sep 24, just before our winning streak kicked off. I think we would start pretty close to 50-50 against them at Alberton on current form.

Here's a quick reason why we shouldn't be getting too far ahead of ourselves also:

Norf	LOSS
Hawthorn	DNP
Brisbane	DNP
Adelaide	LOSS
Fremantle	LOSS
Richmond	LOSS
Port	-
Essendon	DNP
Melbourne	DNP
Geelong	DNP
St Kilda	WIN
Wet Toast	WIN
Bulldogs	WIN
Carlton	WIN
Sydney	DNP
GWS	?
SUNS	WIN
Pies	WIN

Hoping we can do some damage, but the key next year is to get some scalps against those top of the table sides.

True, but I think we’re not too far off Freo, Richmond, and maybe even Hawks considering they have had a dream draw and just about all their games have been against teams well down the ladder.

 

[EskimoPAFC]

True, but I think we’re not too far off Freo, Richmond, and maybe even Hawks considering they have had a dream draw and just about all their games have been against teams well down the ladder.

Yep honestly if our players develop and we can get in some of our injured stars like Tahau, Cuthbertson, Young, Ewings, etc I see us having the potential to compete next year.

 

[Amarula]

But we definitely need more consistency from our more experienced players. Gemma has actually been very good, and Ashley Saint has worked really hard. Kristy Lamb seems to get better every week.

You’d expect talented youngsters to have some good games but to be inconsistent. But we’re relying on them to be the ones to put in week after week, while it’s the experienced ones who are more up and down.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

So Port has beaten 6 sides currently below it, with current ladder position;

Rd 2 Bulldogs away - 46 v 6 - currently 13th
Rd 5* Carlton home - 58 v 23 - 14th
Rd 6 West Coast away 49 v 36 - 12th
Rd 7 Collingwood home 33 v 25 - 18th
Rd 8 St Kilda home 47 v 32 - 11th
Rd 9 Gold Coast away 58 v 24 - 17th

Edit Since this original post
Rd 10 GWS home 43 v 41 - 16th
Elimination Final home 72 v 48 - 7th

Home wins 3, away wins 3.
* = 2nd game in squeeze round.

And lost to 4 sides above it;
Rd 1 Adelaide home - 35 v 49 - currently 4th
Rd 3 Fremantle home - 29 v 37 - 5th
Rd 4 North Mel away - 6 v 42 - 1st
Rd 5 Richmond away - 27 v 48 - 6th

Home losses 2, away losses 2.

I think the trend will continue, and we beat GWS at home on the weekend, and come finals, will beat any side below us, but will lose to any team above us.

 

[Marmozet]

So Port has beaten 6 sides currently below it, with current ladder position;

Rd 2 Bulldogs away - 46 v 6 - currently 13th
Rd 5* Carlton home - 58 v 23 - 14th
Rd 6 West Coast away 49 v 36 - 12th
Rd 7 Collingwood home 33 v 25 - 18th
Rd 8 St Kilda home 47 v 32 - 11th
Rd 9 Gold Coast away 58 v 24 - 17th

Home wins 3, away wins 3.
* = 2nd game in squeeze round.

And lost to 4 sides above it;
Rd 1 Adelaide home - 35 v 49 - currently 4th
Rd 3 Fremantle home - 29 v 37 - 5th
Rd 4 North Mel away - 6 v 42 - 1st
Rd 5 Richmond away - 27 v 48 - 6th

Home losses 2, away losses 2.

I think the trend will continue, and we beat GWS at home on the weekend, and come finals, will beat any side below us, but will lose to any team above us.

If we finish 6-7 and win then I’d absolutely love a crack at Hawthorn in the Semi Final. Their ladder position flatters them as they’ve beaten up on lots of bottom teams this year.

What are the odds of that final being decided by 3 points either way?

 

[EskimoPAFC]

I probably shouldn't, but in many ways I see the Tiges game as our grand final (assuming that's how the ladder ends up).

We're absolutely capable of it, and a winning final would be a massive launching pad in to 2025. We can dream of more, but if can make it to a semi it would still be an incredible season.

 

[Marmozet]

I probably shouldn't, but in many ways I see the Tiges game as our grand final (assuming that's how the ladder ends up).

We're absolutely capable of it, and a winning final would be a massive launching pad in to 2025. We can dream of more, but if can make it to a semi it would still be an incredible season.

And then I'd love a crack at Hawthorn in the Semi-Final:

If we finish 6-7 and win then I’d absolutely love a crack at Hawthorn in the Semi Final. Their ladder position flatters them as they’ve beaten up on lots of bottom teams this year.

What are the odds of that final being decided by 3 points either way?

We've improved rapidly this season but we're not quite at the levels of the really good teams I.e North Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide etc. but hopefully we can keep improving more and more and bridge the gap and start contending shortly. We definitely have the young players on our list that are only going to get better to help get us there. Borg, Boag, Syme etc. are all only 19 and have improved massively this season and they're only our lesser/role players.

 

[Amarula]

… We've improved rapidly this season but we're not quite at the levels of the really good teams I.e North Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide etc. but hopefully we can keep improving more and more and bridge the gap and start contending shortly. We definitely have the young players on our list that are only going to get better to help get us there. Borg, Boag, Syme etc. are all only 19 and have improved massively this season and they're only our lesser/role players.

What I really like about our young players is that across this season, many of them have gone from bit players to prime movers. It’s the difference between “I’ve got to play my best so that our best players can win it for us” and “I’ve got to be part of the group that can win it for us”.

Individually and collectively, they’ve gone far beyond just improving their game. On a number of occasions, they’ve stepped up at crucial times in a game to get us up. The obvious one has been Matilda Scholz, but Abby Dowrick (who gets a hard tag every game now), Amelie Borg, Molly Brooksby and Teagan Germech have all imposed themselves on games at important times, and perform consistently and reliably every game. Caitlin Wendland and Piper Window have both repeatedly bobbed up with great goals at important times, and former “bit-part players” in Sachi Syme and Ella Boag have often been in the right place at the right time. Shineah Goody has had a few BOG games where she’s looked like a veteran of the game rather than a first-year teenager.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

 

[EskimoPAFC]

I felt like the odds against us in our game against Richmond were bizarre given we were at home, but somehow we're $4.85 against the Hoks? That feels crazy to me. I think they should start favs, but not by that much.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I felt like the odds against us in our game against Richmond were bizarre given we were at home, but somehow we're $4.85 against the Hoks? That feels crazy to me. I think they should start favs, but not by that much.

Load up then.

 

[Marmozet]

I felt like the odds against us in our game against Richmond were bizarre given we were at home, but somehow we're $4.85 against the Hoks? That feels crazy to me. I think they should start favs, but not by that much.

My post from before the Elimination Final:

Whenever they mention on the Hawthorn vs Brisbane game that the loser will host the winner of this, they always say "Richmond or Port Adelaide". Even though we're the higher ranked and home team, they're saying Richmond first.

They're not expecting us to win this at all.

We were not supposed to beat Richmond, and we most definitely aren't supposed to beat Hawthorn tomorrow night!

 

[Amarula]

My post from before the Elimination Final:




We were not supposed to beat Richmond, and we most definitely aren't supposed to beat Hawthorn tomorrow night!

Lauren Arnell seems to enjoy not doing what she’s supposed to do.