Port embrace 'test of maturity' in AFLW semi-final
Port Adelaide must defeat Hawthorn for the first time in the AFLW to go one step closer to an unlikely premiership.
After dominating Richmond from start to finish in an elimination final to clinch their first post-season win, the Power will travel to Ikon Park to take on Hawthorn in Saturday's semi-final.
The growing rivalry between the two sides is still fresh, having only met twice since both joined the competition in 2022.
But their shared history skews in favour of the Hawks, spelling trouble for Lauren Arnell's flag-chasing side.
Port have lost both past matches to Hawthorn, coughing up an early lead in 2022 to lose by 13 points before accepting an eight-point defeat in 2023.
The Hawks have become even more dangerous under new coach and former Brisbane assistant Daniel Webster, transforming from a team that had never won more than three games in a season to one that finished second on the ladder this year.
"We've lost to them in the last two years, in some games of footy that didn't necessarily look like Port Adelaide footy," Arnell said on Friday.
"The beauty of them this year is obviously Daniel Webster's come in and brought a much more aggressive style of offence.
"We played under high pressure and against a really good team in Richmond. The level that we got to on Sunday at Alberton is finals footy.
"The next level and test of maturity is, can we play to the same level we did against Richmond on Sunday at home? Can we bring that level again against Hawthorn at Ikon Park?"
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Arnell remains bullish about their chances.
Much like the Hawks, Port have also surprised the competition with their new-found success.
The Power had not won more than two games in a season before claiming seven this year to finish sixth, despite the absence of captain Janelle Cuthbertson.
Cuthbertson is among four Port players who have been sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury this year, making their sixth-placed finish even more impressive.
They walk into Saturday with a seven-game winning streak, while Hawthorn are smarting after Brisbane snapped their run of eight-straight victories in last week's qualifying final.
"There's some natural confidence in the group," Arnell said.
"It's interesting with such a short fixture in every year of AFLW ... One win always felt like three or four, and a loss always felt like three or four losses.
"To have seven wins now and the belief and confidence building with that, it is really meaningful for a young side.
"To see the group perform really well in the contest and also score heavily in our first-ever final is exactly what we could have hoped for."