GEELONG captain Patrick Dangerfield has backed Melbourne's AFLW champion Daisy Pearce to become a successful coach of elite men's football – and he'd love her to do it at the Cattery.
Cats CEO Steve Hocking confirmed on Tuesday night that the club had inquired about Pearce's plans after this year's AFLW season, after reports that Geelong wanted her to join senior coach Chris Scott's team as an assistant.
"Daisy's committed to Melbourne Football Club, they're clearly going to have a big say in the finals, they'd love to win a premiership and Daisy's still committed, our understanding at this point in time in talking to her manager," Hocking told 3AW on Tuesday.
"They're committed to Daisy continuing there and she hasn't made a decision as to what her future looks like at all. So I'm sure there's many clubs along with us that would like to secure her services but Daisy's a committed footballer at Melbourne."
Dangerfield said on Wednesday that Pearce's achievements as a footballer and her knowledge of the game made her an ideal candidate to move into coaching after she ended her playing career.
"Given their season is still unfolding and it's probably inappropriate to comment but I will anyway, because she's the face of the female game, let's be frank... that's just been her journey throughout the industry, she's just been such a figurehead throughout it," he told SEN on Wednesday morning.
"Whether it's the Geelong footy club she comes to – and I'm bloody hopeful that it is – I've got no doubt that she'll make a terrific coach when she decides to hang up the boots, whenever that may be," he said.
Dangerfield said he saw no issue with Pearce making the transition from an AFL Women's player to a coach of an AFL men's team.
"She'd do it easily, to be honest. She has so much respect in the industry... often, footy clubs for so long have been - the women and the girls, they set up the canteen and that's it," he said.
"The great thing is, certainly over the past five years but even before then, the balance of women in footy and how integral they are and how intelligent they are with their views on where the game can head, we're a stronger industry because of female involvement.
"And we'll be stronger again with greater female involvement, whether it's coaching, high-level administration, CEO, however you like it. [Pearce] has been a huge leader of that."
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Pearce, now 33, is in her fifth NAB AFLW season with the Demons after missing the 2019 campaign following the birth of her children, Sylvie and Roy.
She has combined her playing duties with an expanding media profile throughout her AFLW career, including as a boundary rider and special comments analyst with Seven's AFL coverage.
The AFL last year announced its women's coaching acceleration program, in which up to six successful candidates will be employed by an AFL club for at least two years in a coaching role at either the AFL or AFLW programs.
Each participant will have a formal mentorship role with the club's senior AFL coach and will be directly involved in the elite coaching programs, including the match-day coaches' box, match committee and planning sessions. The program also offers soft cap relief to the club as part of the position.
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