A gale force is sweeping through the AFLW, and its epicenter lies in the precocious talent assembled by Port Adelaide. The Power, in just their third season, have shaken off the shackles of expansion team mediocrity to surge into a preliminary final showdown with the undefeated North Melbourne Kangaroos.
Youth Powers Port’s Rise
Port Adelaide’s meteoric rise has been fueled by a wave of young stars who have hit the ground running at the elite level. A dozen members of the Power’s preliminary final squad are aged 22 or under, representing a new generation who have benefited from access to elite pathways their predecessors could only dream of.
Leading the charge are the likes of ruck prodigy Matilda Scholz, silky-skilled midfielder Shineah Goody, and the ultra-composed defender Amelie Borg, all of whom have earned All-Australian squad selection in this breakout campaign. They are supported by an exciting crop of first and second-year phenoms like Molly Brooksby, Abbey Dowrick, and Julie Teakle.
“I thought Matilda Scholz went to a whole new level in that last quarter,” Power coach Lauren Arnell noted after her side’s thrilling comeback win over Hawthorn. “We’ve got a few players who, in different moments in this season, have had an attitude of ‘not today, I’m going to do something about this’. That’s a little bit of confidence and maturity, but it’s exciting.”
Breaking the Establishment Stranglehold
Port Adelaide’s youthful exuberance has not only captivated fans, but has them daring to dream of the ultimate glory. Standing in their way are the indomitable Kangaroos, and beyond them, the specter of an AFLW establishment that has ruled with an iron fist.
The Brisbane Lions and Adelaide Crows have appeared in every grand final since the league’s inception in 2017, claiming five premiership flags between them. No expansion side has managed to infiltrate this duopoly – until now.
The Sleeping Giant Awakens
While Port Adelaide’s rapid rise may have caught many off guard, astute observers sensed a sleeping giant was stirring. The Power’s 2022 draft haul was ranked among the best in the league by experts, headlined by the prized signature of local sensation Lauren Young.
Young, the AFLW Academy’s captain in her draft year, is yet to make her long-anticipated debut as she recovers from a torn ACL. But her impending injection of class, along with the 2023 Rising Star Hannah Ewing waiting in the wings, suggests Port’s upward trajectory is only just beginning.
“I do think our group hasn’t put a ceiling on what we’re doing here,” Arnell remarked on the eve of the preliminary final. “It’s allowed us to be in this position, so we’ll keep rolling.”
An Irresistible, Inevitable Force
Port Adelaide is not only winning, but doing so with a bold, captivating style that has made them the neutral’s favorite. Their fearless ball movement, swarming forward pressure and sheer belief have proven an irresistible force over the past two months.
Eight consecutive wins, each more impressive than the last, have built an air of destiny around this precocious Power outfit. From plucky upstarts to bona fide contenders, they suddenly find themselves on the cusp of rewriting the AFLW script in emphatic fashion.
Should they upset the Kangaroos and then dethrone one of the Lions or Crows on the grandest stage, it would mark a seminal changing of the guard. But regardless of how this season ends, one thing is abundantly clear – the future of the AFLW is young, exciting, and wearing teal and black.
These winds of change have been brewing for some time, as the league’s young guns break free of their shackles. Now, in Port Adelaide, they have found their most stirring vessel yet. And they threaten to blow the doors off an establishment that, not long ago, appeared impenetrable.
