VFL Women's

Alicia Eva to retire.

She's been a pioneer of our game, playing well before AFLW's inception in VFL and VFLW days.

And Izzy Huntington also calling retirement as well today for the Giants.

Both been fantastic contributors for our game and for the female space.

Thanks, Peggy.

Peggy, what did the women's football teams, VFLW and AFLW, bring into Tigerland that wasn't there before?

A lot of women.

Yes, full stop.

Yeah, so she was in the

premiership side in the VFLW in 2022.

Okay, perfect example.

Why the fuck would we have done that? Because we could have just put her on the list.

So hopefully a lot of the baseball wearing brown and gold can be down there tomorrow afternoon cheering the team on, hopefully to victory.

Now we've got some VFLW news.

Yeah, so just this was announced during the week.

Michael Erickson, who's coached the team for the last few years, has stepped down.

Really good coach.

Really good person.

Been terrific to chat to about the VFLW, AFLW.

A massive advocate for the W being better as well.

that might be her future position because she does use the ball quite well back there.

So, yeah, it's good that we're able to find a girl that's come from our own VFLW team as well.

Not something with a top draft pick or someone that's like an Eilish Sheeran come from another club that's highly touted.

It's good that we've been able to develop someone like that through our VFLW system and now he's coming through our AFLW system.

So it's good to see, isn't it?

Oh, absolutely.

Yeah.

I'm a big, big believer in the VFLW.

Thanks for having me.

Now, just before we get stuck into having a look at some of the headlines that have made waves in the AFLW landscape this week, for those that haven't caught you on our AFL Nation AFLW coverage throughout the course of this season, can we just profile you a little bit? You started life way back in the day in the VWFL, the Victorian Women's Football League, before it went on to be the VFLW with Diamond Creek.

You played in the inaugural season with the Western Bulldogs before setting off down the coaching path.

Yeah, that's right.

It's been moved into the back part of the year, which we've now got.

If it moves or crept forward to this June phase, and there'd still be a grand final early to mid-November, I think is what is being reported.

There are associated benefits, not only in terms of those double headers and the increased exposure for fans in general at the major venues, but in terms of players themselves having more time to be around football clubs, there's more resourcing that hopefully would be attached to even the VFLW programs that exist, that there could be more interchanging players with there.

There's a whole lot of benefits if it just creeps forward ever so slightly.

And this week's guest for episode 205 of the podcast We're really lucky enough to have on Nick Devereaux out of the mighty AFLW program there at North Melbourne.

Coming off back-to-back flags in both the AFLW and VFLW, mind you, and shooting for the third this year as we record this in season 2027.

Now, just on the recording, we did record this one just after they beat Sydney in round eight.

and yeah onto their season so far has been another very strong one and as we record this intro um they're obviously sitting on top of the ladder still so uh this great episode we dive into heaps and really dive into what they're um doing over there at arden street how they're running their program um what's making them so strong so consistent and get some really great insights he's been there for the last four or five years spent time in both aflw vfl programs He's currently the head of player performance and senior assistant coach down there with Darren Crocker obviously running the show as the senior coach.

So I noticed, though, you're probably actually a little bit sort of similar to a lot of coaches, a bit similar to my, I guess – pathway i saw you with the jets um for a few years there coach the futures bit similar to me i coached these 16s as well here at geelong um obviously through the boys and program but then yeah vfl you progress to and then you move into the w space can you talk to me about the difference between sort of going from the the north uh vfl squad into more of the w afl w squad

sure um just trying to think back uh because i've always probably had a level of overlap um like you said um was it the jets i think 20 2018 um i was very fortunate actually i was coaching local footy with my partner and she got approached to um come and coach with the jets girls and then they needed another assistant coach so i rode on her coattails a little bit there um And then from there started working at North in a completely different role in the, in the huddle, in the education space, having studied teaching.

And then I think I might've done one year as an assistant with the VFLW team.

And then the following year continued that role and then added AFLW development.

Yeah.

So that is, um, for anyone that, you know, may not know the leagues, but I do the VFL competition, so couple of leagues below the, um, VFL and the VFLW, and then I do the Eastern Football Netball League for the commentary.

So definitely been busy with that over the, the winter and it's been...

It was such a thrilling final series and can't believe it's over, but that's okay.