Seniors Football Department Update

by Football Manager, Warren Parker

The off-season is in full swing at the Royals and although football is still some way off, all areas of the club are working hard to ensure that the 2023 season is a good one both on and off the field.

Senior Preseason Training will begin on 30th November with all players currently completing off-season training programs in an effort to return to the club fit, healthy and ready to go.

There has been a number of changes in the Coaching and Player ranks so far this off-season with a number of people moving on from various roles and some fresh faces both in the form of Recruits and our Graduating Colts.

Some of the recent notable off-season player outs include Jack Cooley and Damon Greaves who join retiring skipper Jackson Ramsay as confirmed outs for the 2023 season.

Jack Cooley moved to East Perth from Claremont during the 2020 WAFL Season, playing in the Reserves Premiership side that year. The 21-yr-old midfielder tallied 28 games since debuting in 2021 and informed the club the he will be taking up an opportunity to join Williamstown in the VFL for the 2023 Season. We wish Jack all the best.

Damon Greaves who hails from Busselton, made his way through the East Perth Talent Pathway before being drafted to Hawthorn in 2019. He returned to the club after being delisted at the end of the 2021 season and tallied 10 matches before going down with an ankle injury. He has informed the club that he plans on taking up an opportunity to switch sporting codes and train to become an NFL/College Football Punter in the USA. Damon is currently training with ProKick Australia in Melbourne with the aim of being recruited to one of the major colleges in the USA. Greavesy was a really important part of our group both on and off the field and he will be greatly missed, but we wish him all the best in his endeavours and will track his progress very closely.

We’ve also been lucky enough to obtain a number of quality recruits and will continue to work on strengthening the squad before the off-season comes to an end.

Mitchell Crowden this week committed to the club for the 2023 season after being delisted by Fremantle last month. Mitch is a top level midfielder who will add instant on-field impact to our League side and is a very high quality character. Mitch had an existing friendship with ruckman Scott Jones having played at Fremantle together and it was this friendship which ultimately brought Mitch to the club. We certainly look forward to seeing that chemistry on-field, adding to the fire power of Angus Schumacher, Hamish Brayshaw, Christian Ameduri, Angus Scott, Nick Robertson and co.

Crowden (23) joins Harrison Macreadie (24) as the second ex-AFL recruit to the club in this off-season and we look forward to seeing what they can bring to the club in 2023.

Stay tuned for further recruiting information and see the Preseason HUB on the East Perth Website for all confirmed player movements and updates.

There have also been a number of changes in the Coaching Department with Ross McQueen officially taking the reins as Senior Coach in mid-October. Daniel Curtis has been elevated as a Senior Assistant Coach, having coached the Colts for the last 3 seasons while former Wanneroo Head Coach Stephen Healy, has also jumped onboard as a Senior Assistant after winning the 2022 PFL B-Grade Premiership just a few months back.

Peter Miller will also join the group in a Development Coaching role which is a huge IN for the club. Peter comes with a wealth of football knowledge and more accolades than I care to mention in this update! We certainly look forward to having him work with the playing group.

Allan Ferguson (Kingsway Colts) has been appointed as the Reserves Head Coach while Kim Beasland will return to the club as a Reserves Assistant for the 2023 season after a year at Mt Lawley in the PFL. Michael Gladwell will also make the move up to the Senior Program as a Reserves Assistant Coach and Player Development Coach after coaching the Colts Midfield and East Perth’s Futures Squads for the last 3 seasons.

Michael Pratt has also been appointed as the Colts Head Coach and brings with him a wealth of experience in Development Coaching roles while Clint Degebrodt has taken on the Futures Head Coaching role after previous stints at the club as a coach and administrator. Both are great additions to the club and will continue the great work that our Talent Department has been doing over a number of years.

Reserves Head Coach Jayden Heuer has moved on after a year in the role and will return to East Fremantle in a development role while Reserves Assistant Coach Sam Parker will also move on to coach SNESA in the PFL. Jy King stepped down at the end of the season from his role as the Backs Coach with the League side after 4 years in that role and S&C Coaches Simba Makotsa and Selina Turner are also moving on, having been involved for the last 2-3 seasons. All of these people have put in a mountain of work at the club and we wish them and their families all the best in the future.

There is also plenty happening off-field with the players looking to put down the weights and footballs for a weekend and pick up the bins, gloves and paint brushes as we complete a busy-bee at the club on Saturday 19th November.

Finally, the AFL Draft is just around the corner and we wish all of the players in the conversation all the best for 28^th-29^th November. I’m sure all Royals people will join me in wishing the boys all the best.

From the Football Department, we hope all Loyal Royals are enjoying the off-season and gearing up for a big 2023 Season. We’ll keep you up to date as we roll into Preseason Training and look forward to seeing you at the footy again soon!