Western Bulldogs name St Kilda legend Nathan Burke as new AFL Women’s coach
A St Kilda legend will lead Western Bulldogs’ AFL Women’s outfit, and says he’ll have his late mate Danny “Spud” Frawley right there with him as he embarks on his new gig.
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ST Kilda legend Nathan Burke will have close mate Danny Frawley with him in spirit as he embarks on the job he knows his late mate would have been loved — coaching an AFLW side.
Burke, who played 323 games for the Saints, has been named the new coach of the Western Bulldogs AFL Women’s outfit after a number of years coaching top-level girls football.
And he said Frawley — who led Old Haileybury women’s team to a premiership last season — would be front of mind as he takes the reins of an AFLW team for the first time.
“I spoke with Deb (Lee) and Chris (Grant, Bulldogs football bosses) earlier this week and the thing in my mind was ‘Danny would absolutely love this job’,” Burke told the Herald Sun.
“This’d be right up his alley — he would love nothing more than to get an AFLW coaching job.
“Knowing that and being awakened to the fragility of life, the opportunity that was presented … in my own heart, this’ll be a testimony to Danny.
“If I can do this job well, and for women’s football to continue to progress the way that it’s progressing, then the big fella would be happy with that.”
The Bulldogs parted ways with Paul Groves — who had led the outfit for three years, including to the 2018 premiership — at the end of last season, with Burke unveiled to the players on Thursday night.
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Burke said his coaching approach would be one of relative simplicity — except when it comes to the looming pre-season.
“They’ll be a little bit more of a youthful team (under my leadership),” he said.
“We’ve got some really high draft picks — four in the top 10 … It’ll be a real mix of experience, Hannah Scott and Brooke Lochland and these sorts of players as well as the young ones coming through.
“We won’t be overcomplicating things by any stretch of the imagination.
“They’ll know exactly what they need to do each time they run out.
“A little bit of a warning — we’re not going to lose a game because we won’t be fit enough. That’s one controllable, so we’ll be able to control that.
“In speaking to Deb and Chris, it’s about really cementing the culture within the club that’s going to serve us for the next 10, 15, 20 years.”
The former St Kilda captain coached the Vic Metro Under 18 girls to an undefeated national championships campaign this year and has worked closely with Southern Saints coach Peta Searle since the Saints’ female program was launched.
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He said to be leaving the club — which has been granted a licence for next season — as its first year of AFLW loomed had been a difficult call.
“They understand the bigger picture of the whole women’s game and I’m very much in line with where Peta sees it going and what we can do to build it up,” he said.
“If we can play a role in that in as many clubs as we can, then great. I think Peta’s happy.”