Port Adelaide AFLW senior coach Glenn Strachan is feeling settled at Alberton, four months on from his appointment in the top job. 

Putting his stamp on the squad’s game style already, Strachan has begun to see the hard work come to fruition over the past fortnight of pre-season match simulations. 

Speaking with the Adelaide media on Monday at the team’s content day, Strachan discussed his priorities since coming in, the early signs from the group, and how he sees Ash Woodland’s role evolving in 2026. 

Strachan on settling in at Port Adelaide 
“It's been amazing. The club's been fantastic ever since I moved over. I think it was four months ago. It’s been a great place to come into, and obviously the program, we're right in the throes of preseason, which is nice. Getting excited now with our trial games and looking forward to round one. I couldn't have asked for much more from the club, from the players and the staff. They've all been fantastic, so it's been good.” 

Strachan on additional pre-season games this year 
“We've already played a couple, which at this point of the year is nice to get a couple away. We’ve come up against two really good opponents in West Coast and Fremantle, and we’ve been able to put some of the stuff that we're working on behind the scenes into play. So it's been nice to have a competitive hit out and not only just play our experienced players, but also blood our younger players. That’s been really exciting as well, and hopefully some of it's going to come together in the next two (pre-season games).” 

Strachan on the way the group is playing 
“We feel like we've got some really good ball users in all of our lines, so we want to access that as much as possible. We're still really happy to go to our talls, and we feel like again we've got some really strong players from that perspective. But if we can possess the ball and obviously try and help us score, then then that's what we'll do. But I feel really confident that we can switch our modes up at different times and basically try and score from all of them. It was a good showing on the weekend, and I'm glad we got a look at it.” 

Strachan on whether his time at Carlton is impacting game style 
“Yeah, a little bit. I think it's just the natural evolution of the game in the AFLW at the moment, where we're seeing really talented players either develop and people that have been in the program for a while, or new players coming in, they're supremely talented too. I think overall it's just a league-wide thing where a lot of teams are looking to use the ball through the corridor and obviously try and score off the back of either turnover or stoppage. So we're no different to the other teams out there.” 

Strachan on players being rested through pre-season 
“We've obviously managed all of our players across our two games and will continue to across the other two games. We had some experienced players not play on the weekend, but at the same time, it was great to see our younger players get a run and play some pretty solid minutes. So, there'll be a few that will come back in this week, no doubt. I feel like we're pretty good on the injury front, which is nice. We’ll look to change things up a little bit, which we did from West Coast to Fremantle as well, so this week's no different.” 

Strachan on his priorities when coming into the role 
“The first thing I did when I came in, obviously apart from connecting with the staff, was to meet all the players one on one and just garner their thoughts on their time at the club or if they'd been somewhere else. I think that was a big part of it early, was trying to build those relationships and connections, and I feel like that's a really important thing for the for the senior coach to do. Now as we get into games and obviously get closer to the season, I can keep building on that and give and receive feedback all the time. So it was a big focus for me coming in for sure.” 

Strachan on Shineah Goody’s contract extension 
“It’s fantastic, (she’s contracted) through to the end of 2029, I think, which is great for her and her family. So it’s really exciting. She's a great player, but just a fantastic person. Lots of energy and very bubbly, which we love. It’s great for her and great for the club to commit longer term and we'll be excited to see when she gets out there what she can do for us. 

“The great thing about Shineah is she's so versatile. We love her wherever she plays, to be honest. She's a great ball user. She wins it herself, but she can also be a receiver. And I think something that's underrated on her is her defensive game too. She tackles really hard, she runs hard back, which is something that I love watching. I think she'll spend some time through there as well. But I wouldn't be surprised if she spends time out on the wing or half forward, half back, she's pretty versatile for us.” 

Strachan on the new AFLW facilities at Alberton 
“I couldn't be more excited, to be honest. It's getting unveiled tomorrow, which is cool. But I know the girls have spent a little bit of time in there, and they're loving it. I think it's great to have everybody under the one roof. Not that we didn't love our facility on the other side, but I think it's nice now just to be able to access and use all parts of the club. And the one thing that I love is just the connections that the girls have to the club itself. So whether that's with the men's players or the staff, I think that's just really important. It's great to see and something that we're excited about for sure.” 

Strachan on Ash Woodland’s role this season 
“Probably a bit of both (midfield and forward), to be honest. I feel like her strengths lend to both playing as a midfielder, where she's contested and can win her own ball, but she can use it really well. It's a great luxury to have somebody like that, that can still swing forward and hopefully hit the scoreboard, which she did on the weekend again. She’s got an uncanny knack for hitting the scoreboard, which is great for our midfielders to do. And I know the other mids are jealous of that and want to do that as well, which is great. Hopefully, a few more of them can play a similar role. I think she'll spend time doing both this year. I know that she enjoys doing both, so that's a great place to start.”