FREMANTLE coach Michelle Cowan will have the assistance of five AFL players for next year’s NAB AFL Women’s season.
Brady Grey will once again provide his expertise, while former captain David Mundy, Lachie Neale, Michael Johnson and Lee Spurr will assist the squad for the first time.
The Dockers have also re-signed assistant coaches Martine Pearman, Tony Walters and Craig Thomas.
Former Fremantle midfielder Paul Hasleby will not continue in his assistant coaching role due to media commitments.
Pearman was a development coach last year and will take charge of the midfield next season.
Walters and Thomas will once again coach the forward and back lines respectively.
Fremantle has recruited Australian netballer Nat Medhurst as the AFLW team’s player development manager.
The 34-year-old plays for West Coast Fever in the Super Netball League, which runs from April to August, meaning she is able to be involved for the entire AFLW season.
Medhurst has played 86 matches for Australia as a goal shooter and goal attack, but was left out of the Diamonds squad for the 2017/18 season.
In other news, North Melbourne may not have an AFLW side until 2019, but has already appointed a senior coach.
Scott Gowans, who coached the Vic Country under-18s and Diamond Creek (VFLW) this year, will take the reins of the Kangaroos' AFLW team.
He was an assistant coach for Carlton in its first AFLW campaign.
Due to the Roos' current alignment with VFLW side Melbourne University, Gowans will move from Diamond Creek to coach University in 2018.
The Kangaroos are also hoping to field a standalone VFLW side in 2019, along with its AFLW team.
