The Bombers are thrilled to announce a new-look 2023 AFLW coaching panel supporting Senior Coach Natalie Wood.
Natasha Hardy will return as an assistant coach, Peta Searle will move into an assistant coach role in addition to her coach development role, while VFLW coach Travis Cloke and Bernard Shepherd will join the group.
Hardy will take the reigns of the backline, Searle will oversee the forwards, and Cloke will coach the midfield group.
Working alongside Shepheard as a development coach is former North Melbourne player Gavin Urquhart, who returns to the program for a second year.
After an excellent first year as VFLW coach, where he led them to a preliminary final, former Collingwood player Cloke will step up to AFLW as an assistant coach.
Cloke played 256 games across Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs, retiring in 2017 with a Premiership, two All-Australian selections, a Copeland Trophy and four Collingwood leading goal kicker awards.
Before joining the Bombers, Cloke held coaching roles at Collingwood and Eastern Ranges, working across both under-17 and under-19 female and male programs.
Joining Cloke as an assistant is Hardy, who's connection to the Bombers goes further than her coaching career.
She was Essendon's VFLW vice-captain in their inaugural VFLW season before moving into a coaching role at the club.
During her hiatus from the club, Hardy worked as an AFLW development coach at North Melbourne and a line coach at the NAB League club Calder Cannons before returning to the NEC Hangar for the Bombers' inaugural AFLW season.
Rounding out the assistant coaches is Searle, who will work as the forwards coach while continuing her role as the Coach Development Manager.
Searle has a wealth of coaching experience, including as the inaugural AFLW senior coach at St Kilda and, in 2014, became the first female to work as a full-time assistant in the St Kilda's men's AFL program.
Having coached football at various levels, including VFLW, VFL, NAB, AFL and AFLW, Searle's influence on football and the wider community has been immense and will continue to be extremely beneficial for the Bombers' women's program.
Stepping into the Development Coach role is Shepheard, who has worked at the club for over 13 years in various roles, including in the community team, talent pathways, VFL and coaching.
Shepheard's connection to the women's program goes back to 2019, where he held the role of VFLW Assistant Coach for two seasons.
Urquhart will work in development alongside Shepheard, who has a pivotal part of Essendon’s VFLW and AFLW program.
The former North Melbourne forward is well-respected throughout the club and will be influential in developing the AFLW Bombers.
Head of AFLW Aysha Ward said the club was thrilled to have such experienced coaches to support Wood.
"We are very fortunate to have a group of passionate and dedicated coaches who all have diverse skill sets leading us for the 2023 season," Ward said.
"As we head to our second season, we want to build on our foundations and embed our culture. This coaching group will provide our playing list with the support and knowledge needed to improve as individuals and as a team.
"As a club, we want to compete with the best and to do this, we need continual improvement. Our coaching group are a key driver of this."
The Bombers would like to thank Kirby Bentley, Jacara Egan and Brett Gourley for their contribution to the coaching group and wider program throughout the 2022 season.
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