By Pathi Raj
THE number of women coaching in Sunraysia Women’s Football League (SWFL) has grown after Werrimull announced two player-coaches will join Matt Carter to lead the SWFL powerhouse in 2022.
Karli Mann, who was a player-coach at Yarraville-Seddon Eagles in Melbourne from 2019 to 2020, becomes a head coach after being an assistant to Carter this season.
Georgie Maher, who has played 61 games and kicked 107 goals for Werrimull in the SWFL, will coach for the first time.
Going into his fifth season as Werrimull coach, Carter said having Mann and Maher on board was part of a plan to develop coaching experience within the club and women’s football.
“The more people know around the club, the better it is,” Carter said.
“If the girls can take on a coaching role, whether it’s next year or in 10 years’ time, it’s for the better of women’s football.”
While he would lead a “structured setup” during the week, Carter said having Mann and Maher on board would share responsibilities on game day and help with communication as some players “relate better to a female voice”.
As both Mann and Maher had different personalities, he said, the pair would complement each other’s leadership style throughout the season.
“Karli’s super, super-enthusiastic. So her energy around the group is fantastic.
“Her knowledge of footy and enthusiasm is infectious.
“Georgie, she’s the captain of the side. She’s won the league medal. She’s got super respect from all the girls.
“When she says something, the girls listen. She (will) teach the less experienced girls and bring them along with her.”
After Werrimull finished the shortened 2021 SWFL season third on the ladder with seven wins and two losses, Carter, who has just completed level 2 coaching training with the AFL, said he was “pretty excited” about the club’s performance in 2021.
While not too much would change in 2022, he said the playing group would experience more “game sense” in training to better prepare for matches.
“The girls are going to experience a bit of pressure at training. (Some players) are going to run around defensively tackling.
“Instead of getting (panicked) they’re going to know what to do. (They’ll be able to say) ‘OK, I’ve done this a hundred times at training. I’ve got to slow down, handball, kick, whatever is needed.’”
