AFLW Port Adelaide vs Sydney - Round 6 @ Alberton

[TeeKray]

Also, we are in a competition and frankly sport (women's football) that is in its embryonic stages. Every team is improving year on year. We could improve but still finish at the bottom because every other team has improved as well.

 

[Marmozet]

We are definitely better than last year, losing Saint and Tahau nobbled us for the Coast game, let alone the usual ratshit umpiring we get in the west (or anywhere really).

We were surprisingly competitive against Adelaide at least in the first half. Brisbane were just too good and Geelong we gave ourselves no chance.

The difference between the strata of the competition based on time in play is so clear. There have been some horribly unbalanced results this year. And it only gets worse as limited resources are spread too thin.

Geelong game might’ve been different if we turned up in the first half and kicked straight.

 

[RossFC]

I don’t see as much of the rabid dog tackling approach like last year, also the ball movement actually looks worse this year. We can barely string a few handballs or kicks together.

If we win 1 more game, then no worries. Keep chugging along.

But if we don’t, then we need to make further improvements to the coaching staff around Arnell.

 

[Marmozet]

I love Lauren Arnell, but it is worth remembering that she was still playing as recently as April 2021 before commencing the senior coaching job here just 14 months later.

Was she really ready to jump straight in?

She did have a very big task on her hands and I’m happy to cut her some slack and stick with her for a while longer.

 

[TeeKray]

I love Lauren Arnell, but it is worth remembering that she was still playing as recently as April 2021 before commencing the senior coaching job here just 14 months later.

Was she really ready to jump straight in?

She did have a very big task on her hands and I’m happy to cut her some slack and stick with her for a while longer.

I understand the hesitation but we're not talking about a recently retired AFL player here. When AFL players retire in their early to mid 30s they're essentially still young adults fresh out of school - they have no real world experience at all and have lived in an unrealistic bubble all of their adult life. They have a lot to learn. Lauren has worked in education for 15 years. She's got football experience (with women) and teaching experience. No doubt there are some finer aspects of coaching that she's learning on the job but she seems a good operator to me so I'm sure she's learning quickly.

 

[JakeNeadeFan]

I don’t see as much of the rabid dog tackling approach like last year, also the ball movement actually looks worse this year. We can barely string a few handballs or kicks together.

If we win 1 more game, then no worries. Keep chugging along.

But if we don’t, then we need to make further improvements to the coaching staff around Arnell.

If we don't win another game then that's a regression from last year. There's a good chance we will get the spoon.

In that case it seems pretty obvious to me. The coach must go, it's not meeting expectations.

Seems pretty irrelevant if you are a 'good operator' or have some 'real life experience. Win games of football. Thats the measure of performance.

 

[tribey]

and this year we have Cam Sutcliffe assisting Arnell.

Did Sutcliffe discover a treasure trove of Polaroids circa 2018? Goodness me.

 

[Marmozet]

West Coast are getting smashed by GWS who hadn’t won a game yet.

Loss last week looks worse now.

 

[raptalia]

Did Sutcliffe discover a treasure trove of Polaroids circa 2018? Goodness me.

Polaroids? Sorry, but I do not understand.

Sutcliffe may be turn out to be a good Coach who knows with these guys? On the PAFC website Hamish Hartlett is still listed as an AFLW Assistant Coach and also a Development Coach with the Power. Under the AFLW banner Lauren Arnell has five Assistants but Cam Sutcliffe is the only one I have ever heard of. Sam Virgo, Daniel Caire, Dave Reynolds and Braedon Talbot are all new faces to me.

 

[TeeKray]

If we don't win another game then that's a regression from last year. There's a good chance we will get the spoon.

In that case it seems pretty obvious to me. The coach must go, it's not meeting expectations.

Seems pretty irrelevant if you are a 'good operator' or have some 'real life experience. Win games of football. Thats the measure of performance.

You don't get it.

This team cannot be measured by wins because it is not playing on a level playing field with 14 of the other 17 teams.

By all means make an argument as to why we are not doing as well as we could but basing it purely on wins simply makes you look like you don't follow the league and have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[JakeNeadeFan]

You don't get it.

This team cannot be measured by wins because it is not playing on a level playing field with 14 of the other 17 teams.

By all means make an argument as to why we are not doing as well as we could but basing it purely on wins simply makes you look like you don't follow the league and have no idea what you're talking about.

So it is an acceptable outcome if we finish below all 3 other expansion teams from last year, which as it stands, is a possible outcome?

Given our advantageous position of being in a football state with only one other team (who historically have been strong), we should be aiming to be the best performing team of that lot. That should be the expectation.

I'm not expecting this team to win the flag. I am expecting improvement which thus far has not been evident.

In her defence, I think they have completely bungled the list. Awful list management. The list is probably more of a problem than the coach.

 

[TeeKray]

So it is an acceptable outcome if we finish below all 3 other expansion teams from last year, which as it stands, is a possible outcome?

Given our advantageous position of being in a football state with only one other team (who historically have been strong), we should be aiming to be the best performing team of that lot. That should be the expectation.

I'm not expecting this team to win the flag. I am expecting improvement which thus far has not been evident.

In her defence, I think they have completely bungled the list. Awful list management. The list is probably more of a problem than the coach.

In my opinion we actually aren't on a level playing field with Essendon and Hawthorn either as they were Victorian expansion teams which gives them greater access to opposition players to raid and a much larger and stronger draft pool.

We by comparison have one main opposition club to raid - that club being the most successful in the history of the league making it very difficult to shake players loose. We lucked out by getting Saint, Houghton and an ageing Phillips due to existing Port connections. We got Tahau back to SA which was a good get but even she was still young and unproven. All of our other experienced players are players other clubs have been happy to let go. And then we go to a draft where we can basically only choose players from our own state - and have only had the chance to participate in two such drafts.

In reality, we're most comparable to Sydney and our record is very similar.

Also, let's get a greater sample size against like types before casting sweeping judgments. We had no chance at beating Adelaide, Brisbane and Geelong. We did beat St Kilda. We lost to West Coast but there were a host of mitigating circumstances - away, poor umpiring, Saint out suspended, bad kicking for goal in a close game. It was disappointing but we hardly went there and got obliterated.

Let's see how we go today and against Hawthorn and GWS on the run home.

 

[PowerLil]

Did Sutcliffe discover a treasure trove of Polaroids circa 2018? Goodness me.

I have always had a issue with Cam being at Port in any capacity.

 

[TeeKray]

To highlight the gap in this league, we take Phillips and Saint off the Crows and they're still the best team in the league. It's an enormous gap we need to bridge and it's going to take a very, very long time to do it.

 

[JimmyBC]

God that's lame

 

[Marmozet]

Matilda Scholz was awesome at the opening bounce just then and was a huge reason why we won that clearance.

 

[Marmozet]

Ebony O'Dea just got straight back up!

That woman is built completely differently.

 

[TazD]

Fml

 

[Marmozet]

ACL for Janelle Cuthbertson?!?!

 

[RossFC]

Could be an ACL or a bad hyperextension.

 

[pastmyprimus]

A bigger crowd than a sanfl game

 

[Marmozet]

Sydney have already equalled their score against us from last year.

 

[Portmagpies36]

This has not started well

 

[JakeNeadeFan]

Currently don't look like moving the ball past centre

 

[Marmozet]

Matilda Scholz is such a presence!