Coach Lisa Webb talks with AFL legend and The West columnist Danielle Laidley about their flag quest, her goals, mentors, and more ahead of Fremantle’s finals campaign, which begins this weekend.
DL: Did you anticipate being your club’s senior coach five years after you retired from football in 2018?
LW: No, absolutely not. I wanted to continue playing, but I had my first son, who is now nine years old, who was born virtually deaf. Since my husband and I both carry the same gene, IVF was more difficult and required ensuring that we had the same type of gene, so I knew it would take a little longer when I wanted to have another kid. I always knew we wanted a family.
I enjoyed playing football after having Ollie, and I remember thinking that I wanted to continue playing but that family was more important. I thought, “I think I’m just. I was 33, so obviously late to do it.” The physicians told me that it might take a little longer than usual to have a family, which is what I wanted.
I added, “Look, I told the football team that if they wanted to stay on as coaches, I could handle being a parent too.” I immediately started teaching Fremantle in opposition, tactics, and backs for a few years. After my husband received a job in Melbourne, I decided we should do it since the family was young.
I followed him over there and eventually joined Marc as a midfield coach at the Bulldogs.
DL: When did you believe you were ready while you were a member of the Bulldogs?
LW: I believe I was overflowing with ideas and wanted to help with a lot of things. I was juggling relief teaching because I had been a teacher for 12 years before I started studying and wanted to help a lot of people.
One of them was Gabby Newton, who was at the Bulldogs when I was. She wasn’t in my queue, but she had so much energy that I wanted to give her feedback. It might be difficult to balance a full-time work with a few hours of afternoon assistant coaching in the AFLW. In addition to managing my two-year-old kid, I was working as a part-time teacher.
“I had a little extra time to help others, so let me know if you want it,” I told Nathan Burke, the coach at the time. Every time I showed up, I was ecstatic because Gabby is a great example of a player who would approach me and ask for more assistance. I reasoned that perhaps I should pursue a full-time coaching position since I want to continue improving and leading my own squad.
Fremantle’s willingness to believe in me and say, “We think you’re ready,” was what convinced me that I was ready. The more I progressed through the interview process, the more I realised that I had more experience than I likely realised.
It wasn’t just football; I also had a lot of responsibilities managing people and other things, as well as teaching and athletics. I’m extremely glad I did it in the end, but every coach wonders if it’s the proper time when you kind of come through.
DL: How did you formulate your beliefs on people and club culture during your many years of teaching and your own sporting experience?
LW: For me, it’s a huge thing. Although I am aware that athletics is ultimately a team sport, I have always been drawn to people as individuals and improving them.
I’m sure I did that a lot when I was a teacher. I worked with Matt Connell at Newman College for a very long period, and he is currently one of my assistants at Fremantle. Together, we launched a women’s football program at Newman. Though it’s built on that connection and enjoyment, I’ve always had that urge.
Some may consider my sense of humour and banter weak, but I just put it out there despite the fact that I can be fairly darn cheeky. I simply like making connections with people and supporting the shared objective of the team.
I believe that humour and positivity are definitely some of my strongest traits, which I wish to keep improving. People can relate to it, which has really helped me grow.
We don’t want to sit about here without winning, so I’ve always been willing to learn from others around me at the club and build those really great connections with individuals, making them feel loved and cared for while also wanting to improve.
DL: You might find it challenging to respond to this question. I’ve seen AFL and AFLW games, and I find your coaching style and ability to rotate players fascinating. You’re among the competition’s best strategists, in my opinion. How did you get at that?
LW: Player mentality undoubtedly plays a role in that. Our motto this year is “all in the mindset,” which means that while doing things like putting a tag on, you need a player who is prepared to put on the part and sacrifice their own game.
As long as you can perform your job, I genuinely don’t care if you acquire one or two belongings. It all comes down to accepting a position. One of those players who started out as a half-back before switching to defensive forward was Jae Flynn. We learnt a lot from Charlotte Thomas, who played for the Eagles, during preseason games.
It also comes down to player development; during the preseason, we advised players to focus on developing other positions if they weren’t chosen.
Apart from that, I enjoy watching a lot of football and researching topics like matchups, weights, and heights.
As a coach, I’m far from the final product. I believe that I have accumulated a great deal of information from my work in football and athletics, as well as from teaching and other sports that I still wish to learn more about. I also believe that I have been involved in the strategy side of things since the beginning.
I would observe the various game tendencies and previous opposition games. I’m in a unique position in the inner sanctum to see what these players are capable of, therefore I use other people to bounce ideas off. Even though I will listen to others and not always make the best decisions, I will ultimately sit with my choices.
DL: You can now use the F-word because you’re heading to the finals. How do you feel?
LW: After defeating the Bulldogs, I must admit that I’m ecstatic.
I returned to see the round one match against Essendon because we are playing them. I wouldn’t say we are a completely different team, but we are much closer than we were in the season’s first round.
We have three new players and players like Gabby Newton who had an interrupted preseason. I think we are a much better team now, but it’s vital to teach our girls that you don’t have to be off much—just a few percent off will affect us.
They will undoubtedly pull some surprises because Essendon is a fantastic squad and is coached by Natalie Wood, a brilliant game strategist.
This week, we must strike the correct balance between the things we can control. I get a little anxious, but not yet. For me, though, it’s about making sure our girls are as ready as possible.
We’ve put in a lot of effort to return to where we believe we belong, and I want them to appreciate it too. Players like Aisling McCarthy, who have played nine seasons and have never participated in a finals game, make me very happy.
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