Port Adelaide senior coach Glenn Strachan says his side is focused on building its game ahead of Saturday’s clash with Brisbane, with the Power looking to carry their confidence into a third consecutive win.
Speaking to the media at Alberton on Thursday, Strachan also discussed Abbey Dowrick’s impressive season, the emergence of Port Adelaide’s younger players and the strength of the backline.
Strachan on preparing for Brisbane
“I feel like we've had a really strong week on the track. It feels like we've put some preparations in place to go up to Brisbane and have a strong hit-out against them. They're a really great contest team and a very proud team, so we expect a tough contest. From a wins and losses point, I can see why people are saying that (the Lion’s a challenging season) about them. But they've been competitive in their games this year, and I think we saw it against the Hawks on the weekend at Dingley. Conditions played a part for sure, but they're still a really strong team that we're not taking lightly. So, it should be a good chance for us to go and play our best up there.”
Strachan on the side’s finals hopes
“We'd love to make a late run at it, but at the same time, and I know that this is the same line, our journey has very much just been taking the good lessons from the game before and building on those. So hopefully, we have a strong performance against Brisbane, and I don't think in the W you ever really know where it's going to land at the end of the year. I think we saw that last year, not only with us at Port, but with some other teams too. If we get a chance, we'd love to be there, and hopefully our best will stack up.”
Strachan on Port Adelaide historically leaving their run to finals late
“I have no idea why, but I do enjoy it. I like how they play their best footy at the right time of the year. I think if anything, what I've seen from this group is once they're real sure on the direction they're going and what they're trying to achieve, they're all in. They're great learners, and once they feel like they know where we want to head, then I think they really jump on board. The late-season runs are exciting. So, if we can go on one more run, I'll be happy.”
Strachan on his review of the season if his side wasn’t to play finals
“Yeah, it will be (a pass mark) because of the learnings that have come out of it. I've always spoken about how we're now nine games into our journey, and I see it very much more as a long-term plan than just a one-year plan. I know wins and losses are a part of the caper, but at the same time, for us, it's about what we can get right, and if that means we take it into the pre-season, then that's what we'll do.”
Strachan on what they’ve learned so far this season
“I have learned that Abbey's having a great year, and we can tackle. We doubled West Coast’s tackle numbers, which was great. I think off the back of the week before in the Showdown, our contest pressure has been really strong, and we will keep leaning on that heavily. But equally, I think we're starting to get some other looks in and around the contest that are going to help us take the ball forward and hopefully score off the back of it. Eleven scoring shots, and no, not as many goals as we'd like, but I think we're starting to see some of the fruits of all the work that we've done in and around our offence.”
Strachan on Abbey Dowrick’s impressive season
“She’s having a great year. What I've seen from her this year is she's really astute in her craft, so what she looks back on the game, what she's trying to improve on, and then what she gets to work on out on the track. I think she puts all of those pieces together like the best players in the competition do. The way that she analyses the game, she's a deep thinker of football, which I've said before is funny because she is quite relaxed and very chill, but I think she thinks about her game really well, and I like the improvement that she's made this year.
“Abbey allows everybody else to do better around her too. She had nine clearances on the weekend, and that just means that everybody else are getting opportunities to move the ball. But then equally, she laid eight tackles, so she's doing the defensive stuff well and she loves tipping into that side. What Abbey can do just for herself and her game is great, but it's what she does for everybody else around her that’s as impressive. Some of the games she's played this year, in terms of her better games, I think we've seen other mids or forwards get the lick of the ice cream, so to speak, because of her. That's the part that I enjoy the most.”
Strachan on the team’s confidence following two wins
“It's high. We've spoken about competence and confidence. We're still working on our competence and what we're trying to achieve and get right, and things like our disposal efficiency is still something we're chasing. We have confidence in what we can do, and that's been building throughout the year. But I think it's building because of our confidence, so that's still what we're going after.”
Strachan on the form of key defender Teagan Germech
“It’s amazing. Teags again had a really strong intercept game, but I said to her the other day, when I sat with her on Monday, it's a rare place to be as a player when you know what really works for you. And I feel like she's in that vein right now, where she knows what she needs to do to set herself up to play really well. Sometimes you can play well and not really put the pieces together, but I feel like she's got her formula now. That doesn't mean that she's always going to play amazingly, but I do enjoy that what she's doing in her preparations is leading to her success.”
Strachan on the impressive performance of the backline
“We obviously reviewed the Showdown and not allowing Adelaide to score till the fourth quarter, and then also felt like we took a lot of West Coast looks away in the game on the weekend. If we can keep defending that way, and we're shooting to be a top-four defensive team, and if that's the way that we can do it, then that's great. But what I love about the defenders is they're all doing it together. They’re such a close unit and they complement each other really strongly.”
Strachan on the performance of some of the younger players
“Sophie Eaton has been building the whole year, and I put Olivia Crane in that basket too. I know Liv hasn't been in the team as much, but I feel like the way that both of those players have developed since coming into the W is something to be really excited about. Lucy Boyd's the other one. She didn't play on the weekend, but what she's doing is getting better every week. It’s really exciting signs from the youngsters.”
Strachan on the challenge of not having a reserves competition in the AFLW
“It can be challenging, but I feel like we get plenty of opportunity at training to get after those things. I know that a lot of the commentary is around the scrimmage, which we haven't really jumped into this year. But I feel like we get plenty of opportunities through our training form. I think if our girls are training really well and pushing each other along, then that's just going to help us more and more. I'm sure every player would like to play a game. But I mean, you'd have to go and ask them, to be honest, because I think that whilst playing in the W game is amazing, it's probably up to them whether they feel like the scrimmage would help them more. All my conversations have been really positive around the training standards.”
Strachan on playing more games, both for non-selected players and during the regular season
“I mean, that's up to the AFL to decide. I'd love more games, I think lots of people would, but equally, I think what we're still trying to achieve is the most important thing. I hear commentary around the product of AFLW, and we need the product to be really strong, so that's what we're chasing as coaches, is to be playing the best footy that we can play, and then the AFL can decide whether that's 12 or more games. It was nice this year playing four pre-season games, because we got to play all of our players through there. I like that from a starting point.”
Strachan on the importance of integration of football programs
“I think it's vital. I think you need to have it, and everything that I've seen this year at Port Adelaide has been exemplary. It was nice that Josh (Carr) and I took over first-year coaches at the same time because it felt like we were able to be on the same page. And he's been great for us, which I've spoken about before. I think it's amazing here, and it comes from the top down. When you look at our games, you'll see the CEO, board members, they'll be here and around. We've got so many people that support our program, which we feel and love.”
Strachan on the availability of Sachi Syme ahead of Round 10
“She’s available this week. We felt like we just needed one more week of training from her, and then we'll see how she goes today. I think she's got to do a bit of a test today, just to make sure that everything's fine, but we're expecting her to be available this week.”
