A narrow five-point defeat to Carlton at Ikon Park sees the Sydney Swans AFLW side hold a 2-3 record at the halfway point of the regular home and away season.

As the side prepares to face Port Adelaide in South Australia, assistant coach Tanya Hetherington has provided insight into team preparations. Catch up on all the latest news in Tanya's Take, presented by Bird in Hand.

A close loss against Carlton on Friday. What pleased you about the girls performance?

I think we saw some real improvement on how we wanted to move the ball against Carlton. It didn’t always equate to shots on goal but the girls ability to implement our game plan was clear to see.

What will the team focus on in training this week?

We are just looking at tidying up a few areas with our connection between the lines, whether that be backs and midfielders or midfielders and forwards, just trying to put it all together to make the most of the time we have with ball in hand.

Ella Heads has earned a rising star nomination. What is it about her skills that stand out to you?

Ella is a promising young defender and I think what is great about Ella is she is someone who wants the ball in her hand.

She reads the game well and can intercept mark which was on show against the Blues and we can’t wait to see what she can do as the season progresses.

We face Port Adelaide this weekend. What have you made of their season so far?

Port Adelaide have shown some solid improvement this season. They’ve showcased their ball movement and the young talent that they have on display and they have quite a good supporter base over there.

What is the message to players in Round 6?

Take the learnings out of our close loss on the weekend combined with what we did well and look to build on that heading into Round 6. We can’t wait!

Sydney has won a tantalising contest against Port Adelaide to pull away in the final quarter and win by 15 points as it kept its finals hopes alive.

Leading by just two points at three-quarter time, the Swans snatched their first away win with a 6.9 (45) to 3.12 (30) victory at Alberton Oval on Saturday in a thrilling armwrestle.

It was a far cry from the teams' maiden clash last season, in which the Swans scored only two behinds to lose by 66 to the Power.

Box office match-ups lit up the crowd, with rising stars Ally Morphett and Matilda Scholz facing off in the ruck as Port powerhouse Erin Phillips played on Sydney co-captain Chloe Molloy.

"We haven't been able to do that on the road. That's the first win," Molloy told Fox Footy.

"To Port Adelaide's credit, their crowds are awesome. You hear the 'Never Tear Us Apart' and we just silenced that."

The Swans enjoyed an even team performance across the field, complemented by a standout display from Laura Gardiner (33 disposals, six clearances) in the midfield and Lucy McEvoy (11 intercept possessions), who was a brick wall in defence.

Cynthia Hamilton opened the scoring for the Swans but was upstaged by a terrific goal from Port's Gemma Houghton.

Scholz had sent a long bomb to an empty forward 50 as Houghton flaunted her speed to leave Alice Mitchell in the dust and kick truly.

With the Swans leading by one point at quarter-time, Bec Privitelli and Bella Smith kicked back-to-back goals in less than two minutes as their lead extended to 18.

Two goals by Ash Saint kept the Power alive, but inaccuracy cost them.

With just two points the difference going into the final term, Jaide Anthony kicked her first AFLW goal, while Molloy finally kicked her own major to grab a comfortable win for her side.

Sydney (3-3) returns to Henson Park to host Hawthorn next round while Port Adelaide (1-5) faces a formidable challenge against North Melbourne at Arden Street.

PORT ADELAIDE           1.4     2.7     3.11     3.12 (30)
SYDNEY                          1.5     3.5      4.7       6.9 (45)

GOALS
Port Adelaide: Saint 2, Houghton
Sydney: C.Hamilton 2, Smith, Privitelli, Molloy, Anthony 

BEST 
Port Adelaide: Dowrick, Phillips, Houghton, Saint, Scholz
Sydney: Gardiner, Molloy, McEvoy, Hurley, Smith, Morphett

INJURIES 
Port Adelaide: MacLachlan (ankle)
Sydney: Newman (concussion) 

Reports: Nil

Crowd: TBC at Alberton Oval