The West Coast Eagles are one week into their pre-season campaign, and senior coach Daisy Pearce is impressed with what she’s seen from the players in the lead up.
“I think what’s impressed me the most is just their appetite to want to get better,” Pearce said.
“I think there’s an acknowledgment that there’s a bit of a gap to close between where we are and where we want to get to.
“I couldn’t ask for much more given that we’ve just come through this optional training phase, with just the intensity and appetite to want to get in and get to work, spend time together and improve our footy.
“I haven’t had to question that at all so it’s a good starting point as a group.”
The team has welcomed some exciting new talent in the off-season, a mix of youth and experience, and Pearce said a number of players have stood out to her since her arrival.
“Lots of players have impressed me, one that comes to mind is Jess Rentsch,” Pearce said.
“She’s been able to come over, move states as an 18-year-old kid, and just come in and hit the ground running and has attacked every challenge.
“She played some WAFLW footy, she’s really endeared herself to the group with the character she is, she has heaps of scope to improve but she just dives into every challenge head first, which we love.
“Some of the more experienced players as well, Jess Hosking and Ali Drennan who we’ve been able to bring over, Kellie Gibson, Belinda Smith, they’re more experienced players but they just keep finding a way to try and improve their own footy.
“And they look for ways that they can continue to influence the group and help others get better as well.”
Before Pearce’s appointment as senior coach, she had previously crossed paths with Head of Women’s Football Michelle Cowan along their AFLW journeys, and said it’s been helpful to have a familiar face around the club for guidance.
“Michelle and I didn’t know each other really, really well, but we’ve known each other for a long time and have some shared history,” Pearce said.
“But to come over and have someone that I knew, just to bounce ideas off and have a conversation and throw things up and not be worried about what the other one is thinking was a bit of a blessing.
“She’s been great, even the fact that she’s had a coaching background herself, she overlays a lot of the work that we do as footy manager and coach, and she’s a good mentor as well given her experience.
“It’s been a good balance of her inviting my ideas, challenging me and supporting me along the way.”
Making the move from Melbourne to the two-team town of Perth, Pearce said the dynamic and culture of football in WA has been an adjustment.
“It’s such a different dynamic over here, you hear about it from afar and can kind of conceptualise what it will be like, but it is so different,” Pearce said.
“Even with the dynamic with the state leagues, it was sort of a crash course in how the WAFL is run and how we get players out playing with the teams and all those kinds of things was all new and different.
“It’s exciting, it’s a town that loves it’s footy, and I know both supporter bases are so passionate about their teams.”
