Officially official from the club
Essendon Football Club is proud to reveal its AFLW coaching panel to support senior coach Natalie Wood in the clubâs inaugural AFLW season.
Natasha Hardy, Kirby Bentley and Brett Gourley will join as assistant coaches, while Jacara Egan and Gavin Urquhart will support as development coaches.
Returning to the club to fulfil the role of backline coach, Hardy will bring with her experience as both a player and coach.
Hardy was the 2018 Essendon inaugural Essendon VFLW vice-captain before moving into coaching as a stoppage coach within the VFLW program.
Most recently, Hardy has worked as an AFLW development coach at North Melbourne and a line coach at the NAB League club Calder Cannons.
Joining Hardy is Bentley, a proud Noongar woman who was the first Indigenous woman to coach at VFLW level when she took the reins of the Western Bulldogsâ VFLW side this year.
Bentley also worked as a development coach for the Bulldogsâ AFLW team and will take charge of the Bombersâ forward line.
Essendonâs newest AFLW assistant coach, Kirby Bentley. (Photo: AFL Photos)
Utilising her experience as a coach and professional athlete to guide Essendonâs newest team, the former dual-sport athlete played professional netball for Perth Orioles for five years before switching to football.
Bentley went on to play 10 AFLW games for Carlton and Fremantle across the first three seasons of the competition before retiring and taking up coaching.
Gourley joins the Bombers with a strong teaching and education background, as well as extensive coaching experience across Vic Metro and Calder Cannons and most recently with North Melbourneâs AFLW team.
Urquhart, a 41-game player for North Melbourne, has been a respected member of the Bombersâ VFLW coaching panel and will support the AFLW coaching panel in a development role.
Essendonâs newest AFLW development coach, Gavin Urquhart. (Photo: AFL Photos)
Essendonâs Indigenous player manager Egan will step up as AFLW development coach, bringing a range of coaching experiences with her.
Egan was the assistant coach for the 2022 NAB AFLW Academy and NAB Leagueâs Calder Cannonsâ boysâ side as well as head coach of the Vic Metro under-18s girlsâ side.
A proud Muthi Muthi/Gunditjmara woman, Egan was the first Indigenous woman to coach NAB League programs across both boys and girls.
Essendonâs newest AFLW development coach, Jacara Egan. (Photo: AFL Photos)
Executive general manager of football Josh Mahoney said it was talented line up of assistant coaches to support Wood.
âWe are thrilled to welcome Natasha, Kirby and formally to a coaching position, Jacara, to the Essendon Football Club,â Mahoney said.
âThis is another historic step in the formation of our AFLW program, and we are pleased with the calibre of personnel to best support Natalie Wood as they collectively lead the womenâs program through their inaugural AFLW season.â
Alongside this significant step, the Bombers are also thrilled to announce Palo Alto Networks will be coming on board as the AFLW Coaches Partner and Polo Partner.
Palo Alto Networks is the global cybersecurity leader, helping address the worldâs greatest security challenges with continuous innovation that seizes the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, analytics, automation, and orchestration. Its vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before.
AFLW senior coach Natalie Wood with President of JAPAC Palo Alto Network Simon Green (Photo: Essendon FC)
President of JAPAC Palo Alto Networks Simon Green said the shared vision for a more inclusive world was a key driver in partnering with the Bombers.
âThis collaboration is based on a shared belief that our communities flourish when we invest in the full potential of all people,â Green said.
âEssendonâs commitment to the AFLW aligns with our commitment to inclusion and diversity, where we strive to provide an equitable playing field for all.
âThere has never been a greater focus on mental, digital, and physical well-being and weâre delighted to bring the value of cybersecurity awareness and best practices to the forefront."
2 Likes
<< merged all (?) coaching and staff posts⌠apologies for consequent order of posts >>
1 Like
I played footy with Foordy years back. Great fella, and extremely dedicated about what he does.
1 Like
Really good interview. First time Iâve got a feel for Nat(alie) and her approach.
BOOM.
By Celie Hay
The Essendon Football Club are pleased to appoint Peta Searle as Coach Development Manager in their AFLW program.
Searle joins the club part-time to support and mentor the coaching staff, including head coach Natalie Wood and will work closely with the player leadership group.
Bringing with her a wealth of experience, Searle was the inaugural AFLW senior coach at St Kilda and, in 2014, became the first female to work as a full-time assistant in the St Kildaâs menâs AFL program.
Having coached football at various levels, including VFLW, VFL, NAB, AFL and AFLW, Searleâs influence on football and the wider community has been immense.
Searle has been awarded the 2010 Victorian Australian Football Coaches Associationâs Female Coach of the Year award, with the honour now known as the Peta Searle Female Coach of the Year Award.
In 2019, Searle received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her contribution to the AFL and was named in The Australian Financial Reviewâs 100 Women of Influence in the Arts, Culture and Sport category.
Searle said she has been impressed with the program the Bombers have developed and looks forward to working alongside Wood and the other coaching staff.
âIâm very excited to join the Bombers. Theyâve been preparing for a long time and have been very thoughtful and considered in developing the program with lots of depth and layers, which will build a great foundation,â Searle said.
âI look forward to working alongside Natalie and the other coaches with the key focus on development and learning.
âIâm also excited to be working with the player leadership group to provide mentoring for coaches and players, ensuring a seamless connection between the two.â
Essendon general manager of football Josh Mahoney said Searleâs focus on leadership and connection would make her a fantastic addition to Essendonâs AFLW program.
âWe are delighted to have Peta come on board as the Coach Development Manager for our AFLW program,â Mahoney said.
âPeta will work closely with Natalie and our coaching group in a mentor and support role to ensure they continue developing their coaching knowledge and learning the training fundamentals.
âPetaâs coaching experience across VFLW, VFL, AFL, AFLW will be invaluable for our inaugural AFLW program.â
Searle will continue to work at Victoria Police as a senior facilitator and program developer in addition to her new role at Essendon.
4 Likes
wow, great get!
Interview with Natalie Wood (cued up). Includes lots of comments about individual players.
P.S. I always blamed that narrow loss to Geelong in 2018 on Kate Darby (kicked 3 goals in the first 7 minutes). Now I know who else to blame!
âHow âbout get stuffed?â
1 Like
Falls into various areas, butâŚ
1 Like
Saw him on Fri at the game. He was in the outer with us plebs, makes sense now.
1 Like
Stripped down to EFC-relevant.
The 2023 BHP Womenâs Coaching Academy commenced today, with eight women selected to participate in the 12-month program.
The 2023 BHP Womenâs Coaching Academy participants are:
- Kirby Bentley â Essendon AFLW Assistant Coach
⌠- Tanya Hetherington â AFL National Talent Development Coach
âŚ
Now in its fifth year, the BHP Womenâs Coaching Academy sees participants take part in a 12-month program to expedite their development as coaches.
All participants will complete the National AFL Level 3 Coaching Accreditation Course.
âŚ
Coaches attend mental fitness and leadership workshops which are delivered by psychologist, Anna Box.
They also attend leadership development sessions to better understand their leadership style and more effectively communicate.
âŚ
BHP WOMENâS COACHING ACADEMY GRADUATES
- Jacara Egan
⌠- Natalie Wood
⌠- Natasha Hardy
⌠- Lauren Morecroft
2 Likes
So you donât have to read all the way down to the bottom:
OUT: Kirby Bentley, Jacara Egan and Brett Gourley
By Celie Hay â yay! Welcome back.
The Bombers are thrilled to announce a new-look 2023 AFLW coaching panel supporting Senior Coach Natalie Wood.
Natasha Hardy will return as an assistant coach, Peta Searle will move into an assistant coach role in addition to her coach development role, while VFLW coach Travis Cloke and Bernard Shepherd will join the group.
Hardy will take the reigns of the backline, Searle will oversee the forwards, and Cloke will coach the midfield group.
Working alongside Shepheard as a development coach is former North Melbourne player Gavin Urquhart, who returns to the program for a second year.
After an excellent first year as VFLW coach, where he led them to a preliminary final, former Collingwood player Cloke will step up to AFLW as an assistant coach.
Cloke played 256 games across Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs, retiring in 2017 with a Premiership, two All-Australian selections, a Copeland Trophy and four Collingwood leading goal kicker awards.
Travis Cloke is a big addition to Essendonâs AFLW coaching ranks. (Photo: Essendon FC)
Before joining the Bombers, Cloke held coaching roles at Collingwood and Eastern Ranges, working across both under-17 and under-19 female and male programs.
Joining Cloke as an assistant is Hardy, whoâs connection to the Bombers goes further than her coaching career.
She was Essendonâs VFLW vice-captain in their inaugural VFLW season before moving into a coaching role at the club.
During her hiatus from the club, Hardy worked as an AFLW development coach at North Melbourne and a line coach at the NAB League club Calder Cannons before returning to the NEC Hangar for the Bombersâ inaugural AFLW season.
Rounding out the assistant coaches is Searle, who will work as the forwards coach while continuing her role as the Coach Development Manager.
Searle has a wealth of coaching experience, including as the inaugural AFLW senior coach at St Kilda and, in 2014, became the first female to work as a full-time assistant in the St Kildaâs menâs AFL program.
Having coached football at various levels, including VFLW, VFL, NAB, AFL and AFLW, Searleâs influence on football and the wider community has been immense and will continue to be extremely beneficial for the Bombersâ womenâs program.
Peta Searle at Essendonâs 2023 AFLW team photo day. (Photo: AFL Photos)
Stepping into the Development Coach role is Shepheard, who has worked at the club for over 13 years in various roles, including in the community team, talent pathways, VFL and coaching.
Shepheardâs connection to the womenâs program goes back to 2019, where he held the role of VFLW Assistant Coach for two seasons.
Urquhart will work in development alongside Shepheard, who has a pivotal part of Essendonâs VFLW and AFLW program.
The former North Melbourne forward is well-respected throughout the club and will be influential in developing the AFLW Bombers.
Head of AFLW Aysha Ward said the club was thrilled to have such experienced coaches to support Wood.
âWe are very fortunate to have a group of passionate and dedicated coaches who all have diverse skill sets leading us for the 2023 season,â Ward said.
"As we head to our second season, we want to build on our foundations and embed our culture. This coaching group will provide our playing list with the support and knowledge needed to improve as individuals and as a team.
"As a club, we want to compete with the best and to do this, we need continual improvement. Our coaching group are a key driver of this.â
The Bombers would like to thank Kirby Bentley, Jacara Egan and Brett Gourley for their contribution to the coaching group and wider program throughout the 2022 season.
1 Like
Searle is a good get, letâs hope it improves our match day coaching.
Need to be a bit more consistent with how they spell Shepâs name.
Hopefully Kirby comes back next year for the VFLW program. Sheâs a very good operator.
Only a one year extension?
InterestingâŚ
1 Like
Well, the previous appointment appears to have been a bust, and lost us Laura Bashford (and others?) to Footscray.
Well, Iâm surprised⌠Essendon as a club has such a good record when it comes to fitness staffâŚ