Yartapuulti senior coach Lauren Arnell has praised her side’s commitment to the process after securing a record-breaking victory over the Gold Coast SUNS on Saturday afternoon.
The win marked a significant milestone in the club’s AFLW journey, with Yartapuulti’s 108 points setting a new league record, surpassing Melbourne’s previous benchmark of 107, while the 68-point margin is the largest in the club’s history.
Speaking to the media post-game, Arnell said it was her players willingness to embrace their roles and execute the team’s game style that set them up for success, highlighting ruck Matilda Scholz’s dominant display and the positional shifts – including Indy Tahau’s move to the forward line – that added valuable versatility to the side.
And while she was pleased with the performance, Arnell remained level-headed reiterating that while the win provides an important confidence boost, the focus remains on consistency and building on what the group has shown it is capable of producing.
Arnell on the record-breaking win against the Gold Coast SUNS
“I'm really pleased. I've been saying for probably a month now how important the process is, and how we go about things. For as much of the game as we needed, the way we went about it and the way we executed our game style…I think that is the most pleasing part for me. The scoreboard is amazing, and breaking a little record is certainly something you don’t expect coming into games. But absolutely the most pleasing bit is the players’ ability and buy-in to playing their roles and our game style.”
Arnell on Matilda Scholz’s impressive performance
“We know Matilda (Scholz) is capable of that – so it was really pleasing to see her just starting to understand what she's capable of. I thought she played exceptionally well and committed to her role. The biggest growth for Matilda at the moment is just how she goes about each day, her processes, and staying consistent in what she does. It's beginning to pay off for her, and I’m really pleased.”
Arnell on positional changes
“We had to change a couple of things going into today. With Amelie Borg coming back, I think that's something you can't underestimate. She went down about eight or nine minutes into that first game here against Fremantle, and we lost a lot of versatility in our side with another tall going down. So, with Borg back in the team as a key defender, we could move Indy Tahau forward, and we tried Ella Heads on-ball last week. She saw a little bit of time on-ball again as well as on the wing today. Shineah Goody inside was important, as well as Maria Moloney coming out of that on-ball space, playing on the wing and playing her role there. I think it’s a really positive thing for our team that we have some versatility and, most importantly, players who want to play a role.”
Arnell on confidence and momentum
“You’d expect a fair bit of confidence comes from it. I think playing in a preliminary final last year, we earned the right to have a tougher fixture. It burns that Fremantle and North Melbourne are still teams we are yet to beat, but I think to get back to what we do well, and to put score on the board – which we hadn’t done in the first two weeks – is a really healthy and strong reminder for our group of what we’re capable of. But again, it’s only Round 3, so while it’s a healthy reminder, it’s also a nice little kick into gear to understand what we’re capable of.”
On Indy Tahau playing forward
“Indy is a very unique player in our competition – she could play anywhere. For her third game coming out of a very long ACL recovery, it’s really pleasing. I think she’s been exceptional as a defender, and what she was able to provide us with ahead of the ball is something we’ve missed in the first couple of weeks.”
Arnell on injury returns
“It’s good to see our injury list minimising week by week. Lauren Young won’t be far off, Jasmine Evans is very close to debuting, and Cheyenne Hammond will be pretty right within a week, too. We’ve still got Piper Window and our vice-captain Julia Teakle out, and a couple of others slogging away in rehab. It’s very positive that we’re starting to get some health back into our list at this point in time.”
