FREMANTLE has appointed a new AFLW coach, with Western Australia under-18 women's coach Trent Cooper to take the reins.
Cooper replaces Michelle Cowan, who chose not to re-sign with the club after two seasons in charge.
He has coached the under-18 side since early 2017 and has also been involved in the West Australian Football Commission's female high-performance area.
Updated AFLW lists for 2019 revealed
Cooper was previously an assistant coach for WAFL side Swan Districts and coached the club's colts team to a premiership.
He played WAFL himself for Swan Districts and Peel Thunder from 1997 to 1999 and is a school teacher away from the field.
"I knew a little bit about women’s football just from watching it, but from when I got more involved I fell in love with it immediately," Cooper told fremantlefc.com.au."
"The enthusiasm of the girls, how willing they are to learn and how quickly they learn, that’s what’s driven my passion as a coach.
"You love to be able to see that you’re making a difference."
Fremantle has struggled through two injury-decimated seasons, finishing second-last in both years.
The club has retained 20 of its list of 31 for next year, headlined by star midfielder Dana Hooker, who looked into a move to premiers Western Bulldogs but chose to stay in Perth.
Cooper forecasts a return to fundamentals in a bid to bring Fremantle up the ladder.
"It doesn’t matter what level you’re at, the basic skills can always be improved upon.
"I’ll aim to get in and work with the girls on their fundamental skills and get those basics right during the pre-season.
"The main thing will be to work on those skills, so we can make sure our girls are right up there with the top sides."
He also gave a hint to Fremantle's plans for the draft in October.
"The WAFC’s high performance program includes a lot of the mature-age players who Freo will be looking to draft for the 2019 season.
"And then specifically with the 18s, some of the talent coming through is quite exciting and no doubt some of those girls will be on the list for next year."
AFLW Under-18s championships: All the results
In other AFLW coaching news, North Melbourne has appointed former Carlton player Dennis Armfield as senior assistant coach.
Armfield was a skills coach for Carlton's AFLW side in 2017 and stepped up to an assistant coaching role this year.
He is currently working with North Melbourne's VFLW-aligned side Melbourne Uni.
Armfield played 145 games for Carlton before retiring at the end of 2017.
