Kilmartin appointed NFNL women’s representative coach


Published on Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Caroline Kilmartin has been appointed coach of the NFNL’s senior women’s representative football team that will take on AFL Barwon on May 18.

The match will be played at Geelong’s Queens Park as part of the AFL Victoria Community Championships.

The women’s match will be played prior to the men’s match between the NFNL and Geelong Football Netball League, where the winner will claim the number 1 spot on the AFL Victoria Community Championships rankings.

Kilmartin served as an assistant to Chyloe Kurdas during last year’s inaugural representative campaign, where the NFNL went down in a one-point thriller in overtime to a combined South East Women’s line-up.

She brings a wealth of football experience to the role, having served as a senior coach with VU Western Spurs over the past five years following a playing career that spanned more than 10 years with Diamond Creek Women’s, Lalor and North Heidelberg.

Kilmartin said she was looking forward to the challenge of taking on the role as senior women’s representative coach.

“It’s daunting to be honest. To follow in someone like Chyloe’s footsteps is not easy,” she told NFNL.org.au.

“But I’ve got a couple of years up my sleeve coaching the biggest women’s club in the NFNL at the minute. I like to think I’ve got a good grasp of how to coach a team and how to coach women more specifically.

“I was mentored by Debbie Lee, so how do you get any more football than that? She took me under her wing when I came to Spurs.

“I’m looking forward to finding some talent and developing that talent. We’re not necessarily out there for the big win, we’re out there looking for talent and hopefully nurturing that talent to go on into the newly-developed AFL pathway.”

All members of the 2018 representative team still playing in the NFNL will be invited to be part of this year’s initial training squad, while all women’s clubs will be encouraged to nominate two players to be part of the squad.

Kilmartin said the opportunity to play representative football could lead to greater opportunities for players to progress to higher levels.

“The NFNL have been fantastic at facilitating the opportunity for women to play representative football,” she said.

“We’re one of the only leagues who do facilitate rep football for women.

“That talent from under-12s, under-14, under-18s – these girls now have a pathway through to the highest level that then men have, and beyond.

“Playing rep can get you recognised to go beyond the NFNL. The NFNL is very good at identifying talent and hopefully we can keep that tradition going this year.”

Carlton AFLW player Shae Audley, Diamond Creek Women’s under-18 coach Laura Frazer and Western Bulldogs VFLW list manager Steve Richards have been appointed assistant coaches.

Audley is a former Hurstbridge junior and has been part of Carlton’s AFLW team since the competition’s conception in 2017. She was this year added to the Blues’ leadership group.

“Aside from being a long-term friend of mine, Shae’s a very good leader.” Kilmartin said.

“She was a leader at Diamond Creek and is now a leader at Carlton.

“Laura Frazer works with youth girls and is very good at identifying young talent.

“She’ll be able to be able to help identify some of the younger girls coming through the program that we don’t necessarily know from a senior level.”

All NFNL women’s clubs will soon be asked to submit nominations for players to be part of the initial training squad, with trials to commence on Monday April 15.

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