Melbourne to seek the advice of the AFL Coaches Association when selecting its women’s coach

MELBOURNE will seek the advice of the AFL Coaches Association in its bid to lure an experienced hand to lead its women’s side.

Daisy Pearce. Picture Rebecca Michael.

MELBOURNE will seek the advice of the AFL Coaches Association in its bid to lure an experienced hand to lead its women’s side in the inaugural national league.

The Demons this month lost long-time women’s coach Michelle Cowan to Fremantle.

Newly appointed women’s football operations manager Debbie Lee said the loss of Cowan was a blow and it would take its time to find the right replacement.

With Demons’ head of football Josh Mahoney, Lee is compiling a position description for the role.

“We’re going to be patient and we’re going to be diligent and we’re going to follow the same process we would when we recruit our men’s coaches,” Lee said.

“We’ll also have discussions with the coaches association to ensure that we get the best candidate for the role.

“We want an experienced coach. The AFL Coaches Association ... have got their finger on the pulse in terms of where coaches are at and the level of experience we’re looking for.”

Lee was confident the Demons would secure superstar midfielder Daisy Peace as one of two marquee players, with official word on the most prized recruits for each of the eight clubs expected within a fortnight.

Melbourne is confident Daisy Pearce will sign with the club.

It’s believed the AFL is negotiating with some players who were nominated by multiple clubs, with the final choice to be the players’.

Marquee players are expected to earn about $25,000 in the debut season next February-March.

“I think there’s a fair case that we would get Daisy Pearce,” Lee said.

“We would hope she would stay with the Melbourne Football Club and I think at the end of the day Daisy would have that choice.

“I’m pretty comfortable that she’ll stay with the Dees if that’s presented to her.”

Cowan had been a fly-in coach from her Perth base and Lee said the club understood her decision to consolidate in her home state.

“Her leadership and her coaching skills I think are outstanding and to lose a person of that calibre is disappointing, but we completely understand the reason surrounding her departure and that primarily came down to family and I think she’s made the right decision,” Lee said.

Outgoing Melbourne coach Michelle Cowan may still lead the Demons women’s side in the final AFL exhibition match.

Cowan has relinquished her role as a development coach with the Melbourne men’s team but she may yet still lead the women’s side in the final AFL exhibition match of the year, against the Western Bulldogs on September 3.

The fixture on the weekend of the AFL pre-finals bye will be televised live on the Seven network. Pearce and likely Bulldogs marquee Katie Brennan will be on hand when details of the game are announced Wednesday.

Originally published as Melbourne to seek the advice of the AFL Coaches Association when selecting its women’s coach