ON SUNDAY afternoon when Port Adelaide and Essendon take to Alberton Oval, two former premiership teammates will face off against one another from the coaches' box.

Power coach Lauren Arnell and Bombers coach Natalie Wood played as teammates at the Darebin Falcons for five years, with several years of state footy together before that.

But footy isn't the only thing the two stalwarts of women's footy have in common either; both Arnell and Wood have backgrounds in teaching.

The duo's competitiveness and camaraderie will go head-to-head on the biggest stage as both will aim to close out their inaugural seasons as head coach with a win.

"When you're on one side of the fence, there's great camaraderie and respect for each other," Wood told womens.afl.

"Seeing people that you know excel is terrific, but come game day, we don't literally step over the white line, but I'd like to think I'm competitive. But I reckon (Arnell) might even take the cake."

For Arnell, the chance to take on her mates, particularly those from her Darebin days, is a highlight on the calendar.

"One thing I loved as a player was coming up against my mates, running into them were some of the more enjoyable moments of my AFLW career," Arnell said.

With World Teachers Day celebrated on Friday, Arnell and Wood both reflected on their experience in teaching which they have are now transferred to the coaching sphere.

An AFLW list of 30 players is the equivalent of a classroom of students, the head coach role that of the teacher at the front of that classroom.

"It's largely a massive skill transfer," Arnell explained.

"It's the same thing, but you get to do it in a sports environment with incredibly highly driven people who are required to perform at the highest level. Rather than assessing them on their report, which might go home to their parents, they're actually being assessed on the biggest stage by not just myself, but the club, the media. It's a different environment in that aspect, but it's the same skills."

Wood also pointed to experience crafting curriculum and the lesson of patience as vital in bringing together an inaugural AFLW program, both skills gained in her time in education.

"From a curriculum perspective, understanding learning, understanding teaching, I think that really directly correlates to coaching, understanding progressions and outcomes and being able to map out a sequence. And I think that's been really important as an expansion coach, because when you're coming into the inaugural season, you can see what some of the experienced teams are doing and to understand, I guess, that progression and sequence of things are really important," Wood said.

"You have to be patient; you have to know what the next steps for your group are. And even though you know the big picture of what you want, there's stepping stones that you have to take in order to achieve that."

Now, as both coaches manage selection around several of their players who are still in high school and undertaking year twelve exams, understanding relationships with people has never been more important.

"A lot of the ones that haven't actually been in the side at different points, or they've been dropped or come in and out, then the hardest bit for them is when they turn up to school," Arnell said.

"I've had girls say, 'the year 10 boys are asking me every single time I see them why I'm not playing', and I just thought, bloody hell."

Supporting their players through high school exams, the reality of rocking up to school after a round of footy on the weekend and managing a contingent of players who are all in different stages of life, Arnell and Wood are equipped to make that happen thanks to years of parallel experiences and a true love for footy. And they will both close out their first season as head coaches this weekend as direct competitors.