DAN LOWTHER hasn't had to go far for his new job, taking the step up from AFLW assistant to senior coach at Geelong.
Lowther, who played 34 games for the club between 1996-2001, took over at Kardinia Park following Paul Hood's resignation after three seasons.
The Cats finished second-last in 2021, winning just one game over wooden spooners Gold Coast in the final round of the season.
"Already having relationships with the group before taking on the coach's role has helped fast-track things," Lowther told womens.afl.
"We've been working on things I'd like to implement, tweaking our style and some of our methods, and building on momentum from last year.
"It's been pretty smooth. Everyone wants five minutes of your time, which I'm happy to give, but you multiply that by 55 people (staff included) and it becomes quite a big task at times.
"When you're juggling two jobs (Lowther is a primary school teacher), and want to make people feel appreciated, it's important because everyone's doing such a great job behind the scenes."
Lowther has been working to revamp the gameplan and will have a different midfield combination driving proceedings. Liv Purcell (Melbourne) and Renee Garing (pregnancy) are out, with Nina Morrison (ACL) returning and top draftee Georgie Prespakis also slotting in.
In all, nine changes have been made to the squad of 30, with recruits Chantel Emonson (defence), Chloe Scheer, Rachel Kearns (both forwards) and ruck Liv Fuller all having an impact this summer.
The Cats have also focused heavily on running this off-season, employing running coaches Anula Costa (Olympic-level sprinting coach) and Dom Trimboli (who has worked with Richmond, Collingwood and the Opals and Boomers' national basketball teams).
Not only have general fitness levels improved, but the data has shown the players are getting faster, too.
"Without giving too much away – and it's not rocket science – we just needed to be consistent. I didn't think our fundamentals were up to scratch, so we've had a really high focus on our kicking in particular. That cost us dearly at times, last year," Lowther said.
"We’ve been simplifying a few things too. It's very easy for AFL clubs who have an AFLW team to follow the pathway of the AFL men, and it's not quite the right fit for the group. So we've been changing a few of the areas of the style of play to make sure it fits.
"It's tough to replace ball-winners in Liv and Renee, but Nina coming back is such a bonus. I just want her to enjoy playing footy again, there's no real expectations on her, she has high expectations on herself, but I just want to see her smile again and have fun out on the park. She'll add value wherever she plays.
"Georgie Prespakis has fitted into the group beautifully, she's showing the attributes she was drafted with. She's dragged along some of our younger group who lacked a little belief in their own skills, and has made a real impact on that young group too. Her inside work is going to be really valuable for us."
Geelong will face North Melbourne in Round 1 and is desperately hoping for redemption after losing 71-9 in last year's season-opener against the Roos.
"I think a few players have had their sights set on that game for 12 months," Lowther said with a laugh.
"It's just going to go back to consistency, we aren't going to be changing the world and winning every single game, but we just want our group to improve and show the changes we've made are working.
"If we get a win, that's what we're after, but I think the group just want to see some change, effort and improvement."
