Lisa Webb has revealed her plans for the new-look Fremantle AFLW side after being announced as the club’s new head coach. They’re set to be highly influenced by her profession, writes ELIZA REILLY.
Lisa Webb will use more than a decade’s experience as a teacher to accelerate the development of the Dockers’ next generation after being appointed Fremantle’s new AFLW coach.
As revealed by CODE Sports on Friday morning, the former Dockers player and assistant won the hotly contested race to become the club’s third coach after Trent Cooper was sacked in November.
Webb becomes just the second former AFLW player to graduate to the role of coach, following in the footsteps of Port Adelaide’s Lauren Arnell, but she is the first senior mentor to take the reins of her former club.
It’s also the first senior coaching role the 38-year-old has held but Webb believes her teaching background at Newman College and experience as an assistant, at Fremantle and most recently the Western Bulldogs, has prepared her for the hot seat.
“I’ve been a teacher for more than 12 years. I’ve led programs at school level and held roles as head of sport and acting head of sport. I’ve had a lot of leadership positions which gives me good practice for this moving forward,” Webb said.
As part of the second round of interviews, Webb was asked to present her vision for Fremantle’s future to the coaching selection panel.
In the wake of a disappointing three-win season, Webb believes the Dockers’ younger stars can help bridge the gap back to contention by stepping up alongside the likes of certified stars Kiara Bowers, Hayley Miller and Ebony Antonio.
“There’s some great leaders here but also their core group of young players are fantastic. That’s something that as a teacher I’ll best prepare myself to get growth out of the younger players,” she said.
“There are a lot of great things Trent has done over the years. In terms of what I see, we’ve got great inside players. (It’s) how we can get the ball outside, how we can have a greater connection piece and our ball movement will be something I’m focusing on especially with the younger players.”
Webb was targeted by Fremantle to take part in their interview process, admitting her connection with the players convinced her to pursue the position.
“The playing group … to work with them again was something I never thought would happen but I’m really blessed,” she said.
“I think that’s one of my strengths, being able to galvanise these girls. That’s going to be one of my strengths, working with these girls and making sure we all go in the same direction together.”
Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick noted the club had found the “best available AFLW coach”, a necessity given the Dockers have three seasons left to win their inaugural AFLW premiership as per the club’s 2025 strategic plan.
“We won’t put a ceiling on this year but we’re confident we’ll be able to achieve some special things in the next few years,” he said.
Garlick added the club’s process was “thorough” from the outset despite Fremantle making an unsuccessful play for Collingwood assistant Jordan Roughead before advertising the job on the open market.
“Processes like this, if you’re going to run them properly, can’t have external influences from stakeholders. You can’t go in with a preferred candidate in mind for instance,” he said.