WEST Coast has poached strength and conditioning coach Paul Turk from Collingwood as it continues to refresh its off-field team following two years of unprecedented injury struggles.
Turk, who was the Magpies' athletic performance coach for the past two seasons, including this year's premiership campaign, will join the Eagles under new high performance manager Mathew Innes, who was recruited from the Western Bulldogs.
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Turk has 17 years of experience in the AFL system and has held senior positions with Essendon and North Melbourne, also working at the Western Australian Institute of Sport as a physical preparation specialist.
Correcting the injury issues that contributed to disastrous back-to-back seasons will be crucial to West Coast successfully establishing its young list and making progress on a draft-led rebuild in 2024.
"There is a group of young players coming through at the Eagles who I’m looking forward to helping achieve their performance peaks, while also building resilience across the entire playing group," Turk said.
"I loved my time in Perth previously and can't wait to head back west for a new challenge."
Turk, who held a dual role across the Magpies' AFL and AFLW programs, thanked the Magpies and said it was important to return to WA to be closer to family.
"This was not an easy decision to make but it’s important to me to return home and raise my young son," Turk said.
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"I would like to thank Collingwood for giving me this opportunity back in 2022 and wish the club all the best for the future."
Turk will join the Eagles at the completion of the Magpies' AFLW season with West Coast's first-to-fourth-year players due to return for pre-season training on November 6.
