The AFLW continues to be, for better or worse, a hotbed of trials and tribulations. The compressed fixture is the latest experiment to be scrapped after one season, while a first night grand final is a bold addition to come next weekend. Yet on the field, familiarity walks a fine line with predictability.
That was until this seasonâs surprise packet Port Adelaide showed that strong winds of change are finally blowing, as the brash upstarts surged past a battle-hardened Hawthorn to snatch a thrilling one-point semi-final victory. After booting 4.6 to 1.1 in the final term to overcome the biggest three-quarter time deficit in AFLW history, the Power now meet the ruthless and undefeated Kangaroos in stifling conditions on Saturday afternoon. The winner will then have the opportunity to dethrone an AFLW heavyweight on the grandest stage.
North and Port are all that remain from the challengers out to break the stranglehold that traditional powerhouses Brisbane or Adelaide have had on the competition. It is hardly a shock that the Kangaroos are on the brink of a grand final return after a steady build to become the first expansion club to smash through the glass ceiling and reach a decider. It was harder to foresee last yearâs runner-up putting together such a commanding season that is now two wins away from being one for the ages.
The Power arrive at the same pointy end after only three victories and a pair of draws across their first two campaigns, then with few signs of what was to come in a 1-4 start to this season. An eight-match winning streak since then has been propelled by a strength at stoppages and youthful exuberance as the Power ride a wave of momentum to within touching distance of a shock grand final appearance.
âIt would have been pretty lofty expectations [at the start of the season] to be going for this,â Power coach Lauren Arnell said the day before the preliminary final. âBut I do think our group hasnât put a ceiling on what weâre doing here, itâs allowed us to to be in this position, so weâll keep rolling.â
While Arnellâs focus turns to finding ways to take down the rampant Roos, a preliminary final berth is already a healthy dose of validation for the Powerâs trust in youth. Twelve of the 21 to face the Kangaroos are aged 22 or under, as Port back a group that were able to play football all the way through the junior pathways rather than relying on multi-sport athletes and trailblazing veterans.
The Powerâs budding talents were critical to overrunning the Hawks and have been just as instrumental to their sideâs rapid rise across the past two months. Three of their young guns â Matilda Scholz, Shineah Goody and Amelie Borg â have been named in the All-Australian squad, while Molly Brooksby, Abbey Dowrick and Julie Teakle joined the trio in the AFL Playersâ Associationâs 22 Under 22 squad.
Scholz has emerged as one of the most mobile and damaging rucks in the competition in just her second season and put her athleticism on display when launching for a mark of the year contender earlier this year. The 19-year-old saved perhaps her greatest impact for a crunch goal as the Power chased down the Hawks but will have her work cut out on Saturday taking on the Roosâ triple threat of Kim Rennie, Emma King and Tahlia Randall.
Goody already looms as the jewel in the crown after the silky-skilled and hard-running midfielder was picked up, alongside highly-touted prodigy Lauren Young, as one last free hit for the expansion club ahead of their third season. The first-year winger plays with class and composure well beyond her 19 years and will be critical to the Powerâs hopes of matching the Kangaroosâ speed and ball movement.
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âI thought Matilda Scholz went to a whole new level in that last quarter. Weâve got a few players who, in different moments in this season, have had an attitude of ânot today, Iâm going to do something about thisâ,â Arnell said after Portâs win last week. âThatâs a little bit of confidence and maturity, but itâs exciting.â
Piper Window, Ella Boag and Sachi Syme are others aged 20 or under who have flourished throughout the year as the Power build for long-term success as much as an assault on this yearâs flag. The best might still be to come when 19-year-old forward Young returns from an ACL injury to make her debut, while season seven AFLW rising star winner Hannah Ewing is also waiting in the wings.
The Crows and Lions have all but dominated the competition after meeting in the inaugural decider in 2017, filling at least one of the grand final spots each year since then (with another to come next Saturday night), and combining for five of the seven premierships awarded. But the Power and their new wave of talent are proving that the more competitive and electrifying league that fans long for is coming much faster than had been anticipated.
