Daisy Pearce's revelation about family after West Coast AFLW coaching move

Daisy Pearce says her family are 'all in' on a move to Perth after she was named as the new coach of the West Coast Eagles AFLW side. The position became available when Michael Prior stepped down from the role in October with the 35-year-old seen as his ideal replacement.

Pearce worked as an assistant coach with the Geelong Cats men's team in 2023 and will now turn her focus to resurrecting the Eagles after a difficult three years. Speaking following her appointment on Monday, Pearce said her partner Ben encouraged her to take the job even though it meant relocating from Melbourne to Western Australia with their four-year-old twins.

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"We're all in. Roy and Sylvie, they're four and up for any adventure, and Ben my partner has always backed me in and been super supportive, which I'm grateful for. He's excited for the move and the opportunity it presents us as a family as well," Pearce said.

"As is the case in footy clubs, they'll get me, but they'll get my family as well. We're looking forward to that. We haven't nailed down exact move dates, but we've got work to do and I want to get over here and get stuck into it as soon as possible, so it will happen pretty quickly."

"I see it as an incredible opportunity to come over here and work for one of the biggest clubs in the land. The talent that is on this list is probably what excited me first and foremost. I've watched this competition really closely and the Eagles are a team that hasn't performed as they would have liked ... but with the talent on the list, I think there's a really exciting future ahead. I was really keen to be a part of it."

West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett said of Pearce's appointment: "'Dais' was a priority for us and we thought she could bring something probably no-one else in Australia can bring to our club. Obviously we pursued it pretty heavily and forced her position.

"This was a no-brainer for us. It's just a vote of confidence for our program and the girls who are playing. We think it's a really important step forward."

Daisy Pearce pips Dani Laidley for West Coast AFLW job

Pearce's appointment came at the expense of Dani Laidly, who had expressed interest in the West Coast job. “We've been waiting until the documentary ('Danielle Laidley: Two Tribes') came out because I was contracted for that," Laidley said last month. "It's been a passion of mine and I've sort of been ready for about 12 months and even actually for this AFLW season, I was asked to do a coaching role at one of the Melbourne teams. But I couldn't because I was contracted for the doco. People have connected the dots, West Coast has a position available and yes, I want to coach again.

“But let's not put the cart before the horse. It's very easy to as I say, connect those dots. But it’s true (my ambition to return) it's been a few years now in the making.

“West Coast is the only club at the moment that doesn’t have a coach for their women's team. There may be some other clubs in Melbourne as well who make a decision not to go with their coach. It sounds like a good fit. But there could be some other things happening down the track. I'm just being prepared for any scenario.”

Laidley played 151 AFL matches across a career spanning 10 years with the Eagles and North Melbourne, winning a premiership with the latter in 1996. Following her playing career she spent seven years coaching the Kangaroos before later holding positions at Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Carlton as an assistant coach in 2015.

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