Pratt new Eagles AFLW coach

Former North Melbourne and Brisbane player Daniel Pratt will take the reins as the West Coast Eagles AFLW coach for season 2021, the club confirmed on Thursday.

Pratt takes over from Luke Dwyer, who coached the side in it's inaugural season in 2020, managing just one win from six matches.

Pratt played 3 games for Brisbane in 2004 before moving to North Melbourne to play 116 games from 2005 to 2011, a reliable defender for the Roos under Dean Laidley and later Brad Scott.

The 37 year old joined West Coast as an assistant coach under former Roos team mate Adam Simpson in 2015, initially as a development coach before taking control of team defence in 2017, part of the premiership coaching staff in 2018.

Pratt said he was excited to begin a new chapter in his coaching career.

“I’ve been an assistant for a long time now and this is a great opportunity, particularly on the back of the enthusiasm and effort the girls brought last year,” Pratt said.

“After all the coaching experience I’ve gathered over the past 12 years I now get to step into the women’s program as the senior coach, which is going to be another fantastic opportunity for me to not only develop as a coach but also to be part of a really important program for this football club.

“My first priority will be building relationships and getting to know everyone. I see the girls around the club all the time and the work they put in is really inspiring.

“I was fortunate enough to watch all of the team’s games last year as a supporter and I was really enthused by their energy, commitment to the contest and the way they worked for each other.

“We have several players with plenty of experience, but most of the girls are only six games into their AFLW career, so for me it’s about finding the next part of our game around finishing and kicking a winning score.

“We’ll work hard on how we convert, how we get more forward entries and how we defend behind our entries.

“But initially building relationships is going to be the number one priority.”

IMAGE: The West Australian.