Daisy Pearce has begun her AFL Coaching journey.
The former Demon embarked on her first week at the Cats, with a development role in the AFL team put in place as part of the AFL”s Women’s Coach Acceleration Program, but it was Pearce’s long-time admiration of the Cats that saw her choose GMHBA Stadium as her new home.
“I’ve always admired Geelong footy club from afar,” she told Cats Media on Wednesday.
"They've been such a successful organisation for so long, and the way they go about it on the field was a big attraction, but also through working in the media and the people you meet, the Geelong people you would come across always would leave a mark.
”As I got talking to Lloydy (Simon Lloyd, GM Football) and a few different people, they felt like there was a good cultural alignment with how I went about my footy and what I think makes good teams tick so that was an appeal as well”.
Whilst the appointment of Pearce was by design through the WCAP, the Cats have already taken steps to secure Pearce’s knowledge and experience for the long term, signing her to a four year deal. Coaching isn’t a process she takes lightly, as various stints of playing and coaching in women’s local leagues over the years have fuelled her desire, and in her twilight years at the Demons there was more opportunity to contribute to the development of her teammates.
“The older I got and the less I could do on the field, especially after kids, I turned my attention away from how do I make myself 5% better, more powerful, how can I make 10 other people 1% better and it can be more powerful.”
In regards to the role, Daisy will occupy a development space, working with Geelong’s young brigade.
“To begin with I'll work mostly with Matt Egan in the development space and also Nige Lappin with the forwards on match day, two incredible people, two great teachers, and football brains," she said.
One of the great opportunities with the role I've got is that initially, I'll get a really broad experience, so Chris (Scott) is really keen to not get to laser-focused on one area, but to take a step back and almost be able to see all corners of what makes the team tick. I'll be guided by him a bit as well.”
Surrounded by a breadth of one of the most experienced coaching groups in the AFL, the journey will be one that takes time, twists, and turns as nuances and insights are unearthed with every training session and each game day. Pearce won’t bring ego into the club, preferring a “walk both ways attitude”.
“I’m sure I'll learn just as much, if not more, from them as what they're going to learn from me and I think that's what I loved about all the coaches that I worked with is that it wasn't this vertical relationship, it was more of a partnership.”
All in all, her transition down the highway mimics that of many of Geelong’s recent player and staff additions, moving the family down to enjoy the quieter and more easy-going coastal lifestyle with her husband Ben, and twins Sylvie and Roy.
“Even just the community feel to the town. Ben and I are country people so I've always admired and been a bit jealous, even way back when I was a supporter, that Geelong has its own town and it's like a community footy club that plays at the elite level in the AFL so that's pretty cool and something that I can't wait to be a part of.
“We've moved up here, so we look forward to embedding ourselves into that completely.”
