The West Coast Eagles have made three new appointments to the AFLW coaching contingent ahead of the 2026 season.

Darren Harris has been named as the part-time forwards coach, Chad Morrison moves into the full-time backline coaching role and Kane Mitchell joins the nest as the midfield coach. He will also work with the Eagles’ WAFL team.

Harris came on board with the AFLW team ahead of the 2024 season in a broad role including Culture and Leadership development and as a Coaching Mentor and has already had a big impact on the AFLW program.

Harris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience after winning premierships as both a player and coach with West Perth in the WAFL and having had a strong background in coaching both at West Coast and Carlton at AFL level.

Former Eagles player Morrison has played an important role at West Coast for a number of years as the Academies Coordinator in the Community Department, with an impressive men’s and women’s coaching resume spanning over 15 years, and a strong ability to connect with and develop players.

Sandover Medallist Mitchell joins the team with both AFL and WAFL experience, having played 35 games through the Port Adelaide midfield, and notching up 141 games, two premierships and three best and fairest awards with Claremont.

As well as his extensive experience at the elite level as a player, Mitchell has a strong background in Education and Leadership having worked at Scotch College in Perth and Saint Peter’s College in Adelaide, both as a classroom teacher and as a coach within their strong football programs.

Eagles Head of Women’s Football Michelle Cowan welcomed the three new appointments and is excited for what the 2026 season will bring.

“We’ve all had a great break and are really excited about the upcoming AFLW season,” Cowan said.

“We look forward to announcing our full coaching lineup and changes as they’re finalised, but in the meantime, the appointments of Darren, Chad and Kane represent the ongoing enhancement of our program.

“We’re thrilled to add their experience and skillsets to our coaching ranks in 2026.”

Baker Denneman (former midfield coach), Martene Pearman (former backline coach), Andrew Di Loreto (development coach) and Rob Wiley (Academies) will continue in the program as specialist coaches, while Brett King will remain as ruck coach.

Rohan McHugh has moved on from the program after coaching the forwards and backs – plus a stint as interim senior coach – over the past four years.

“As we move forward with the program and see new people join the team, unfortunately we also need to say farewell and thank you to others,” Cowan said.

“Rohan has been a long-term member of the team, and we thank him for his contribution over the last four seasons.”