WAFLW Football Department February Preseason Update

by Craig Matthews, Football Operations Manager - Women's

It has been a busy period for our East Perth Women’s program over the preseason as we prepare for our 2024 Rogers Cup and WAFLW campaigns.     

We have been working tirelessly behind the scenes identifying further playing and coaching talent. New Senior Coach Jenna Allomes has hit the ground running and made several structural changes to both the playing squad and coaching group. 

Training has been three nights per week and engagement has been strong. All new players to the group have been welcomed and all made to feel comfortable.  

It has been a brilliant start to our 2024 campaign and the players have been focussed and wanting to get better in 2024. For most of the senior squad, it has been a preseason of change in terms of player and coaching personnel, but to their credit they have been professional, and improvement has been seen week on week.

Our Female development squad and regional recruitment focus has seen an injection of pathway East Perth talent into our Rogers Cup squad. Our WAFLW Senior Squad has seen several promotions from Rogers Cup, which has improved the players knowledge of the female football pathway in our zone and injected top end talent into our WAFLW side.   

Our AFLW Engagement through Fremantle Dockers and West Coach Eagles is ongoing. After much communication, we have seen the first release of one of our pathway AFLW players into our program, Dana East, from the Fremantle Dockers. We welcome Dana into the Black and Blue for selected games in 2024! Dana is from a farm in Manjimup and played with Warren Blackwood Bombers as a junior. Dana’s father, Heath East, played 42 games for East Perth. Dana will not only improve our WAFLW side on the field but will provide invaluable leadership and experience to all our East Perth players.  Dana is very excited to play for the club she grew up supporting.  

From a support perspective, Patrick Diamond (Head S & C), Aria Almassi (Head Trainer), Mac Maslen (Head Physio WAFLW), Boston Cavanagh (Physio) and Caroline Tingay (Head of Wellbeing) and all other support are doing an amazing job keeping our players supported off the field. Professionalism standards are high and lifting the bar in these aspects is so important for our athletes.  

Our first preseason fixture is 11 February v South Fremantle at South Fremantle Oval.   
 
We look forward to a great first month of preseason games before we launch our season on 29 February with our Jumper presentation, followed by our first games for WAFLW and Rogers Cup against Subiaco on Saturday 2 March at Sullivan Logisitics Stadium.   

Go the Royals!