Now,a year-and-a-half after the couple’s first miscarriage,Arnell is in the third trimester of her pregnancy – a baby girl – all while coaching Power’s second season in the competition.
Arnell,Carlton’s inaugural women’s captain,leads the team off the field after beating Collingwood in the first ever AFLW match.Credit:Michael Dodge
It’s a big adjustment,but Arnell is accustomed to breaking new ground. She was the inaugural Carlton captain and led the side out for the very first AFLW game in 2017 against Collingwood. She then became the first player to be appointed as a head coach in the system,and is now the first to coach while pregnant.
“It does require a huge investment from myself and my family,and my partner in particular ... It requires a lot of understanding and commitment from the footy club as well,which I’m really grateful to have,” she said,adding that the club always made sure there’s a chair nearby at training,and gets new kits in to accommodate her growing belly.
“At this point in the pregnancy,that means I’m feeling a few kicks in some pretty important moments in meetings ...[But] I feel really fortunate to share it with the group.”
Has the pregnancy impacted her coaching at all?
“Some of my players have told me I’m showing more empathy,which is nice,” she laughed.
“I think the physicality of what I’m going through allows me to be more human,to be honest. And sometimes in the role you set as a senior coach,you want to be as human as you can,and then you try to drive standard at the same time.
“It’s forced me to step back and share the load a bit better … It’s probably just allowed me to soften a bit and step back a little bit on some things and then be able to open up on others.”
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She wants to share as much of the pregnancy as possible with her players and still becomes emotional when she reflects about telling them about the baby for the first time after the 20-week scan.
Arnell and Lexi had a surprise wedding at the registry office in Adelaide on Monday,with just their two best friends as their witnesses.
She has learnt through her IVF journey with Lexi that “you don’t necessarily have all the things you want when you want them,and so you never really know what’s going to happen”.
But with that in mind,it’s her every intention to coach next year.
“I’m still figuring out what that’s going to look like … There’s going to be a bit of learning along the way for me too. I guess,if anything,similar to my players,they’re learning in a new environment,and I’m about to learn a lot about my life and how much about to change.”
But for the moment,she’s taking it all in her stride while in the throes of her last trimester,sleep deprivation,discomfort and all.
“Honestly,I just feel really grateful to be where we’re at,and for Lex and I to be at this point. Our nursery is set up and ready to go.”
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