Fremantle has finalised their coaching group ahead of the upcoming AFLW season.
Senior coach Lisa Webb will take on a new role as head coach after being appointed earlier this year following a stint with the Western Bulldogs. In 2019 Webb was appointed as Fremantle's opposition and strategy coach and remained a valued assistant until June 2022.
The remaining coaches include forwards coach Matt Templeton, backline coach Matt Riggio, development coaches Alex Williams and Lauren Stammers and Cam Sheppard, who will continue as the Director of Coaching.
Former player Alex Williams enters her second season of experience in the coaching line-up after stints with both Fremantle and GWS.
Riggio also brings plenty of experience being a former North Melbourne and Swan Districts player. Riggio coached the Swan Districts WAFLW midfield when they made the grand final in 2021.
The team's defence and opposition coach is now Craig Thomas, while Jay Van Berlo, a former AFL player for Fremantle, comes back as the midfield line coach after serving as Webb's assistant at Fremantle in Season 6.
Josh Corbett, an AFL forward for Fremantle, becomes the only new addition and will serve as a specialised coach for Fremantle's key position players.
After serving in a similar capacity during his 36 games with the Gold Coast Suns, Corbett is expanding his skills as a coaching professional.
Webb expressed her delight with the return and new addition of footballing experience.
โAlex Williams and Lauren Stammers are our development coaches and I've played with both of them, they're great characters and I'm really looking forward to seeing them continue to develop as coaches because they're great at what they do,โ Webb told Fremantle Media.
โMatt Riggio comes back again as the backline coach, which we're really excited about.
โHe and Matthew Templeton have a wealth of experience. He's coming in as the fowardline coach which we're really pleased with.
โWe really pushed hard to get Jay back, he's a terrific person, an ex-AFL player. He's really passionate about developing AFLW and we're really pleased to see him as the midfield coach this year.
โCraig Thomas has been a part of our AFLW program since day one, he's a great sounding board and supporter for myself. He'll be working as the team defence and opposition coach, which I'm rapt with.
โThen we have director of coaching Cam Shepherd who has had a long association with Fremantle. We're lucky to have all of these people on board.โ
Webb welcomed Corbett to the coaching group, saying he had been quickly embraced by Fremantle's AFLW program.
โJosh worked with the Gold Coast AFLW team when he was over there and he's been brilliant,โ Webb said.
โHe's probably one of the nicest people you'll meet. He's in here most days, tapping on the door, asking about drills and giving his input.
โObviously Josh is balancing having a busy schedule with his AFL commitments, but he's always happy to put his hand up to help when possible.โ
