Fremantle AFLW players tour the Mid West to build community ties and develop talent

Elite Mid West football players were run through a special training session as Fremantle AFLW players Aine Tighe and Madeleine Scanlon made the trip north overseen by AFLW director of coaching Cam Shepherd.

On Wednesday night, the men’s and women’s elite Mid West squads met at the Little Athletics track with Tighe and Scanlon joining in on the drills and sharing their experience of top-level football.

The Fremantle contingent has been doing a road trip of the Mid West stopping off at a school in Morawa before heading to Mullewa.

Shepherd, a two-time premiership WAFL coach with Peel and coach of the State WAFL team, said it was an opportunity for Fremantle to show their support for the region both in football and the community.

“They’re here to help develop and fast-track players in the East Fremantle catchment and as a next-generation academy club to show our faces and show we’re not just a Perth club,” he said.

“We’re also here to build strong relationships with local police and help them build more relationships with 10-18 year-olds.”

“It’s more community than footy and if we can get an asset and get some young people to strive for the highest level, that’s a bonus.”

Shepherd said he was impressed with some of the talents he has seen in the region with the growth of the women’s game.

“There are some wonderful young people, there always has been a high degree of talent in the Mid West and we know the great history here,” he said.

“I think the game at a national and grassroots level is growing exponentially the ability for young girls to start earlier and be better skilled is starting to bear fruit.”

“We’re seeing the kicking really improve which allows for better ball movement rather than going from contest to contest and making for better games.”

Shepherd said he hoped to bring players out on a more regular basis.

“We’d like to do it more and more as we get the opportunity and we want to expose our players more to what is happening out in the regions and give back,” he said.

Mid West talent coach Nathan Johansen said having AFL-level players out of the region was a big boon for player development.

“It’s really good getting the AFLW girls here, they’re playing at the elite level and when they say something it probably sinks in more than when we tell them,” he said.

“It’s also good to get both the men’s and women’s squads together, it’s not something we get to do all that often as everyone’s got massive programs but this is a really good indicator we need to do it more often.

“Over the next two to four weeks we’ll be sending some girls down to play Rogers Cups game with a couple also in the mix to WAFLW selection which is really the pinnacle of what we’re trying to achieve it.”