An update regarding newborn Marlie and Lauren Arnell.
Senior coach Lauren Arnell of PORT ADELAIDE has adapted to parenting like a duck to water.
Marlie, a three-month-old infant, is sleeping soundly, which helps, but Arnell is fully aware of how fleeting this phase may be.
She is currently relishing every tiny, wonderful aspect of being a new mother with her spouse, Lexi.
“Marlie is 12 weeks old now, she’s a little star and we feel very, very lucky to have her,” Arnell said.
“It’s a very different lifestyle to being an AFLW senior coach. But it’s been really nice to be able to take her out to skill sessions a couple of times and have our staff and our players interacting with her. It feels like a bigger element of our family.”
Not short of visitors since Marlie was born on January 4, almost every single AFLW player at Port Adelaide has stopped by for a cuddle.
“We’ve had the majority of the team come over to my house for a cuddle with Marlie, I don’t know how much they want to actually chat to me!” Arnell laughed.
“Everyone’s been really keen to spend time with her and get to know her, which has been just lovely. It’s one of the best parts of parenthood.
“I’m a pretty organised person and I’m a planner, and with a newborn, those plans can all go out the window. You have to be dictated to by a little person, and you’ve got to adjust to that. So, it’s teaching me a few lessons in adaptability and just going with the flow.”
Since Arnell has been on parental leave, Shane Grimm was appointed Head of AFLW, with Arnell voicing her support for Grimm’s new position.
“I’ve gotten to know Grimmy pretty well since I started at the club in May 2022,” she said.
“He’s a really professional operator who understands footy and the environment as well as anyone. I think his ability to drive professional standards in our environment and understand what’s required to go to that next level for our group, on and off field, will be invaluable.
“Working closely with him already has been fantastic and he’s been really supportive of me and the balance for me going forward.”
Sam Virgo, the assistant coach, has guided the team during the lengthy off-season, although Arnell has helped Virgo out whenever she can from a distance.
“It’s been fantastic to bounce ideas about parenthood off of Sam, as she and her wife are also parents of three children.
“She’s leading our football program in the off-season, and our coaches—especially Dan Merrett—are really behind her.” Even with my deep connection to Sam, I still feel like I’m able to help her when she needs it and that I’m across everything. All reports indicate that she is performing admirably.
Since he moved to Adelaide, Dan and I have spoken a few times. I know how great he is because he was my assistant coach at Brisbane, and it’s been wonderful to hear how well he’s already assimilated into every aspect of our football team.
Even though Arnell is aware of how unpredictable newborns can be, she hopes to return to the team during the preseason and then progressively increase her workload.
“When we get back in June, Marlie will be five months old, so I’ll have to balance that with being the senior coach and guiding this group. I’m eagerly anticipating that. Although it would be difficult, adding Marlie into our group and having her there with me will make the experience much more enjoyable.
Arnell is excited about the prospects for the upcoming season, which will be the club’s third in the league, now that new players have joined the team.
“We’re witnessing some really hard work getting done together, and we have a playing group that now understands what’s required in an off-season,” Arnell stated.
“There’s a natural maturity heading into the third season, and with the additional talent we added at the conclusion of the previous year, the competition for slots has only gotten stronger. It’s quite thrilling.
Pre-season training for Port Adelaide will start on June 3. The 2024 AFLW season will start over the pre-AFL finals bye weekend.