Daisy Pearce says belief one of her biggest priorities ahead of first season as West Coast Eagles coach

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Daisy Pearce says belief one of her biggest priorities ahead of first season as West Coast Eagles coach

Daisy Pearce says instilling belief in her players has been one of the biggest priorities ahead of her first season as West Coast’s AFLW coach.

The Eagles are yet to win more than two games in a single campaign with just eight victories across their history, which Pearce admits is “a fair bit of losing so far.”

But with a new coach at the helm, one the most significant appointments in the club’s history, there is renewed optimism in the group ahead of the 2024 season.

“It’s going to be a season of learning. I hope we’re always saying that every season,” Pearce said.

“I’m definitely seeing growth in the group and their belief and their connection with each other, which were big priorities for me coming in.

“And then their fundamentals and competitiveness around the contest, it’s just something – as we saw in the practice matches – it might not immediately translate to wins.

“But we’ve got to look deeper than that and we’ve got to be disciplined to keep doing that and keep seeing the signs where we’re growing because we are seeing them and noticing them.

Camera IconDebutant Jess Rentsch watches on as her coach speaks. Credit: Jackson Flindell/The West ***********

“It’s just about stringing them together over the course of four quarters and continue to layer them on top as we go.”

Pearce was appointed in December following the controversial three-year tenure of Michael Prior, who had argued the Eagles shouldn’t have faced then-reigning AFLW premiers Melbourne, given their poor history.

He stood down two weeks later.

With an inexperienced but talented side at her disposal, Pearce said she was optimistic the Eagles could be a genuine threat in the near future.

“There are so many good examples that it can come quickly, when you get the right people in the right places, on and off the field and in the right environment,” she said.

“I don’t sit there and put a timeline on it but I do take notice of stories in the AFLW competition and also AFL men’s and other sporting stories where it can happen quickly. “And that gives me great enthusiasm that we’re a team that would be capable of doing that.”

The 36-year-old pointed to examples like the swift improvement of Sydney’s women’s side, as well as Collingwood’s rapid rise to claim the premiership last year, that it can happen.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconWest Coast coach Daisy Pearce. Credit: Jackson Flindell/The West ***********

Pearce also noted the trajectory of Hawthorn, who are in the midst of a flag pursuit under third-year coach Sam Mitchell.

“They are developing an exciting team that stuck to their guns through a bit of early pain when Sam Mitchell took over,” she said.

“He’s obviously instilled belief in his group and now they’re starting to get results that have the rest of us sitting up and noticing.

“But it’s probably things that they’ve been working on and seeing all the way along.

“That doesn’t mean we have to go out there and try to be Sydney or Hawthorn’s men’s team but it gives us confidence that if we’re really clear about who we want to be as West Coast Eagles’ women’s team, and stick to that – we’ll end up where we aspire to be.”

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