Juliet Haslam Q&A: Port Adelaide AFLW boss on the Power’s 2023 season, coach Lauren Arnell’s future and replacing Erin Phillips

Port Adelaide finished its 2023 AFLW season on a high – but in reality, it was just the Power’s third win in two seasons. So where are things really at? Find out in the exclusive Q&A.

Port Adelaide ended its AFLW season on a high, defeating GWS in Erin Phillips’ last game, but does that mask some of the problems the Power are facing?

Simeon Thomas-Wilson asks Port Adelaide’s head of AFLW Juliet Haslam about the club’s 2023 campaign, and how it can follow Essendon and Sydney in bridging the gap to the established teams in the competition and challenge for finals.

SIMEON THOMAS-WILSON: Juliet, it was a really nice way for the girls to end the season with the win over GWS wasn’t it?

JULIET HASLAM: Yeah it was a great win, a fantastic way to end the season and obviously a wonderful way to send Erin (Phillips) off into retirement.

Port Adelaide sent off Erin Phillips with a win over GWS Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos

STW: While it was such a great win, how do you then look upon the season as a whole?

JH: I think overall in terms of wins and losses it was very disappointing, but we also saw more growth in our group and we know we have plenty to work on in 2024.

There were a number of winnable games and we are really disappointed in our ability to close out games that we were in a position to win. We didn’t seize our opportunities and at times lost composure and struggled to execute under pressure and I think sometimes our decision making when tired needs to improve as well.

But we are a young group in terms of experience and connection and game style, it takes a while to develop. We were pretty disappointed to lose Indy Tahau, Janelle Cuthbertson and Julia Teakle to injury for big chunks of the year and unfortunately we didn’t have sufficient depth to cover that on the list at times.

STW: Working on closing out close games, is that the main area you feel the team needs to work on?

JH: I just feel that while we made significant strides in our fitness over the last off-season it became clear to us that we aren’t where we need to be. The competition doesn’t stop and wait for you to catch up. Us against those more established teams that have been in the competition for a long time, we still have some work to do in our fitness that is for sure.

And I think we also did just lack that consistency and we will look to build on that next season.

STW: You mentioned the established clubs but we also saw Sydney and Essendon make finals coming off the same time frame as you. In what areas do you feel like you are behind those teams and what do you have to do to catch up to those teams?

JH: I think in some ways the competition is starting to equalise and that is great for the competition. I think we were able to finish with the same or more wins than three of the established teams who have been in the competition for a lot longer than us and when you think about some of the games that we feel like we should have won, we either drew or we lost by small margins and I think about Rounds 4 to 9 there about three or four of them so West Coast, Sydney, Gold Coast and Hawthorn if those games went our way then we would have made finals.

It’s only a 10-game season so you have to take those chances and having a close win it gives you that momentum and confidence going into the next week, and we didn’t take those opportunities.

I think other teams, talking about Sydney and Essendon, were able to stand up in important moments and we acknowledge that we haven’t. We know that composure under pressure will be a big focus for us next year.

STW: Does Sydney and Essendon making finals put any more pressure on Port Adelaide going into next year?

JH: Look, for us it has always been about building a team to win our first premiership, which was something very important to us and building a sustainable program.

For us next year, we will again look at bringing in some more new young players, and I think this is something that has always been a focus for us, young South Australian talent. The young players coming through are getting stronger and stronger and we are really keen to build and utilise those young players coming through so ultimately we will have sustainable success over a period of time once these young players become more established.

Port Adelaide AFLW boss Juliet Haslam with Phillips and coach Lauren Arnell. Picture: MATT LOXTON

STW: Do you need to target any more mature players to improve though?

JH: Yes absolutely, we’ve just made the very challenging decision to delist five players; Jade De Melo, Jade Halfpenny, Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap, Maggie MacLachlan and Jacqui Yorston. And while it is a tough part of our job, it does give us the ability to bring in more talent through the sign and trade as well as the draft.

So there will be younger players and we will look at experienced players as well, we will find that mix. But long-term, we are building a program for sustainable success in the future.

I think our off-season, there is an expectation from us that players come back much fitter and stronger next year. It is everyone’s responsibility to continuously improve and that is not just the players, it is the coaches, the staff, all of us.

From November 13 to 17, we have the ability to pre-sign up to three NGA picks before this draft and we are looking at that pretty closely at the moment and I think overall with the new CBA and with 12-month contracts and increase in pay, there are higher expectations and we want them to rise to that level and they need to.

STW: Is Lauren Arnell contracted as coach for 2024?

JH: Yes she is absolutely.

STW: So she will be the coach in 2024?

JH: Yep absolutely she will be.

STW: She is due in January, what is the plan for that at the moment with her coaching and then leading up into pre-season and the season in 2024?

JH: We are still working through the details of that with Lauren and our coaching group. We have only just finished the season but it is something that we have been working on and talking about. Lauren will be taking some time off, she will be taking some maternity leave. How long that is we are still working through but Lauren will definitely be our head coach in 2024 and we will increase the support around her with our assistance coaches and we are looking forward to the season ahead with Lauren at the helm.

Haslam said Arnell will coach the Power in 2024. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos

STW: She is the first AFLW player to become a senior coach at AFLW level, how are you viewing her coaching journey at the moment? And when you said put some more support around her what does she need?

JH: I think she needs more support from her assistant coaches, as we know it is difficult because it is still not a full-time professional program at this stage so we do have coaches that are in part-time roles. That is what has happened again this year and we will look to increase the commitment from those assistant coaches going into next season to increase the support around Lauren.

STW: She has spent time with Ken (Hinkley) and the men’s program. How big has that been for her development as a coach?

JH: I think she has really enjoyed it and I think she has learnt a considerable amount to add to her skills and coaching areas. She was actually the forwards coach in the SANFL men’s program as well so I think that was really beneficial as was being around the men’s program and the support she received which been really beneficial to us as well.

STW: Have the emotions settled after Erin’s last game?

JH: Well the playing group certainly had a great time celebrating our last win and Erin’s retirement over the weekend but we have come back and had all of our player reviews this week so that certainly settles everyone back down.

We also had our season review this week as well and we have obviously set some pretty strong expectations of what we are looking from the group for next year. They all have been very much been on board and are looking forward to that.

If you look at the season there were some significant highlights for us as well, if you think about the consistency of players like Abbey Dowrick and Matilda Scholz who really shone for us this year and have both been named in the AFLPA 22under22 squad so we are really proud of them and the years they have had, particularly Matilda as an 18-year-old coming into the comp for the first time. There’s a lot more to come from her but she did have a great year.

Abbey Dowrick was named in the AFLPA 22under22 squad. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Matilda Scholz was, too, after sensational first year in the AFLW. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Adding Ash Saint to the forward line and the way she was able to combine with Gemma Houghton and score for us. Gemma had a career best year with 16 goals. Our offensive game and our ability to score once we were inside 50 we were definitely one of the better teams to have the ability to score. For us once we got the ball into our forward line more often than not we were able to score. We averaged 15 points and two goals per game year on year than last year so that was a significant improvement for us in terms of our offence.

STW: So does that say that it is the other parts of the ground where the work needs to be done?

JH: Yes defensively and also our midfield getting the ball into our forward line, we need to be stronger with contested footy in the midfield and all over the ground to be able to get the ball into our forward line and give us the opportunity to score.

STW: Can you tell us who might be in the mix to replace Erin as captain?

JH: Not really. We had a senior leadership group and an emerging leadership group this year. Our senior leadership group was Erin, Ange Foley, Janelle Cuthbertson, Hannah Dunn and Justine Mules. And we also had an emerging leadership group which was another four young players Maria Moloney, Julia Teakle, Sachi Syme and Alex Ballard. So there’s a whole lot to choose from, they are all great leaders and that has been a real focus for us this year in developing their leadership skills.

Phillips after her last AFLW game. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

STW: For some of those young girls especially, what impact will it have for them to have two years or one year with Erin Phillips?

JH: We talk about Erin, she is just so professional in everything she does on and off the field and for our young players to have a couple of seasons with her as such a great role model – for the whole playing group really – as an elite athlete it has been fantastic for our younger players to see that.

STW: What do you think her legacy might be in the AFLW?

JH: For starters for her to come to our football club, she was the first player to sign on and it created such a flow on effect – it gave others the confidence to sign on as well. So that was certainly something that was significant for our football club but overall she has been such a trailblazer for women’s sport overall, she has won so many accolades. But what love about her is that she is so passionate about Port Adelaide and we are really glad that she was able to finish off the last two years of her career her.

She now deserves a good break and hopefully her, Tracy and the kids can have some time to relax and enjoy that she will be in retirement.

STW: Have you spoken to her about what role she can have at the club when she does come back to Australia?

JH: No she is very keen to have this break and not decide anything at this stage. But obviously she will always be welcomed back at Port Adelaide.

Dowrick crowned Port’s best

Second-year midfielder Abbey Dowrick has taken home Port Adelaide’s best and fairest medal after a stellar 2023 campaign.

The 21-year-old convincingly took out the prize on Friday night, finishing 13 votes ahead of runner-up Gemma Houghton.

First year ruck Matilda Scholz was third, after a sensational first season at AFLW, with retiring skipper Erin Phillips in fourth.

Abbey Dowrick was crowned Port Adelaide’s AFLW best-and-fairest on Friday night. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos

Dowrick came away with the main prize after a campaign in which she averaged 19.6 disposals and 12.2 contested possessions from the Power’s 10 games in 2023.

She was third in the competition for average metres gained with 472 and her 6.3 clearances per game had her in the league’s top six.

The best and fairest win comes after Dowrick started the campaign in the Power’s bad books after the West Australian was reported by police for failing a breath test in July, which resulted in her licence being suspended.

At the time the Power’s head of AFLW Juliet Haslam said Dowrick had “let down her teammates, the club and its community”.

Last year Dowrick came third in the Power’s best and fairest and was the runner-up in the AFLW Rising Star award.

Scholz was named as the Power’s Best First Year Player, as voted by senior coach Lauren Arnell and her coaching panel – as well as Haslam.

Forward Julia Teakle received the Coaches’ Award for the most improved player, while midfielder Maria Moloney was named as the Players’ Player.

Originally published as Juliet Haslam Q&A: Port Adelaide AFLW boss on the Power’s 2023 season, coach Lauren Arnell’s future and replacing Erin Phillips