AFLW: Hawthorn’s Daniel Webster and Fremantle’s Lisa Webb to clash for first time as coaches after battling for Dockers’ top job

When the Dockers and Hawks clash on Sunday afternoon at Fremantle Oval, there will be more than four points on the line – with a grudge match in the coaches’ boxes.

When the Dockers and Hawks clash on Sunday afternoon at Fremantle Oval, there will be more than four points on the line.

While neither Lisa Webb nor Daniel Webster will admit it, this week six fixture between two of the AFLW’s most in-form teams looms as a grudge match in the coaches’ box.

It can be revealed that Webster was a fancied candidate when Fremantle was in the process of appointing its next senior coach in early 2023.

While Webb, a former Dockers player, was ultimately offered the job, Webster progressed to the second round of interviews after impressing at Brisbane as an assistant to premiership coach Craig Starcevich.

Highly regarded women’s football pioneer Martene Pearman also made the final three and has since been employed by West Coast as the club’s backline coach.

Sunday’s 2nd vs 4th clash will be the first time Webb and Webster test their game plans and structures as opposing senior coaches. But Webster says that he doesn’t resent the Dockers for not offering him the job.

Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster. Picture: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

Lisa Webb addressing her Fremantle charges. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images.

“God no,” Webster said. “Absolutely not.

“I’m very happy with where I’m at and how my career has played out until this point in time. It’s no grudge match.

“Everything you go through, you’re always learning. I think it helps refine what you’re doing and what you’re about as a coach. That’s the main thing.

“With any interviews over the journey, you’re always talking to different clubs about different things. They either happen or they don’t. I just move on. I don’t really think about it too much.”

Webster was however full of praise for Fremantle and what it’s been able to achieve so far this season. The Hawks and Dockers will both be playing the final leg of their compressed fixture block on Sunday but Webster is expecting Fremantle’s best.

“They’ve been fantastic this year,” he said. “I’ve been watching them closely the last few weeks.

“They’re a very good contested side. They defend incredibly well.

“Mim Strom has been very influential in the ruck this year, giving first use to players like (Aisling) McCarthy. (Hayley) Miller’s game against Geelong was one of the best I’ve seen her play and she’s a very dynamic player.

“We’ve got the utmost respect for Fremantle and the way they go about it is first-rate. It’s going to be a really good battle.”

Webster has an extensive 15-year coaching resume including winning back-to-back QAFL premierships with Aspley and an AFLW premiership with Brisbane as its midfield coach.

Hawthorn had won six-and-a-half of 20 games over its two-year history in the AFLW but Webster has already led the Hawks to five wins in six games.

“I had a pretty open mind of what we were capable of,” he said. “There’s a lot of new faces in the program in terms of not only staff but players as well.

“It’s been nice to get wins on the board early to get validation for the work we’ve put in but we understand that there’s work to be done and we’ve got a lot of improvement left in us.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time so I feel like I’ve got an understanding of how to layer it up the right way.

“I feel like we’ve got the biggest concepts in place and now it’s going to be refining them and that takes time. We look organised on-field and players are confident in their role and what they need to do for the team so that’s a good starting point.”

And as for Hok Ball, the philosophy that propelled Hawthorn’s AFL team into a semi-final this year?

“If you can tell me what Hok Ball is then I can answer the question but I’ve tried and I don’t understand that language,” Webster said.

Webb said that defence will be a focus for Fremantle after Hawthorn kicked 12 goals against Geelong last week.

“The beauty of them is that they’re great all over the ground,” she said. “They’re great runners.

“They’re sitting second on the ladder and that’s not by accident. They’re a strong team with great players inside and forward and their backs are holding up.

“They can score so we’ll need to have a really strong mindset as to how we defend them to limit their opportunities.”

Originally published as AFLW: Hawthorn’s Daniel Webster and Fremantle’s Lisa Webb to clash for first time as coaches after battling for Dockers’ top job