Fremantle's new AFLW senior coach Trent Cooper, in his own words, "accidentally fell" into coaching women's football.

The West Australian played at WAFL level for three years, primarily as a full-back. He had two seasons with Peel Thunder and a third at Swan Districts during the late 1990s. 

He continued playing in the amateurs, becoming player-coach with Wesley Curtin. 

A high-school maths teacher by trade, Cooper also headed the football program at Wesley College in Perth. Graduates during his time include Lance Franklin (Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans), Michael Gardiner (West Coast and St Kilda), Mark Coughlan (Richmond) and Scott Stevens (Sydney Swans and Adelaide).

Coaching in the WAFL, he took the Swan Districts colts (under-18s) from last to a premiership in his first year in 2013, before becoming the high-performance coach of female football for the West Australian Football Commission.

His duties in this role also include coaching the state's under-18 girls' side at national carnivals. 

"With boys' footy, there's improvement, but it's hard to see. It takes a while," Cooper said.

"With girls, because they're coming from so far back and they're really keen to learn, it happens really quickly. You can talk to them, explain one thing and you can see them improve that skill straight away. 

"As a coach, you get validation that you're on the right path by doing that. That's probably the main reason I love it so much."

Cooper was a keen observer of the first two seasons of the NAB AFLW competition, in which an injury-decimated Fremantle finished second-last both years. 

Marquee player Kiara Bowers has missed both seasons as she struggles to recover from a right knee reconstruction, Kirby Bentley didn't play in 2018 due to a meniscus injury (right knee), while Brianna Green has played just three games in two years due to a broken collarbone and a torn right ACL.

Fremantle recently appointed Kate Starre as the AFLW team's high-performance manager. 

Starre, a former Australian Hockeyroo and two-time Olympic gold medallist, has developed an ACL prevention program in conjunction with Swan Districts' strength and conditioning coach Gillian Weir, who completed a PhD in the topic.

The Hockeyroos went from five ACL tears in one year to none for the next six.

"Injuries were so tough in both years, and it wasn't just in the games," Cooper said.

"Given the number of players available for training, it would have been really hard for (previous coach) Michelle (Cowan) to improve the team in-season, because she just didn't have the players to work with at training, let alone in the games."

Although Cooper is expecting Fremantle's draft intake to be a mix of young and more experienced state-league players, a key forward is on the shopping list.

"The more successful teams in AFLW have had that forward target but it hasn't necessarily been that target who has scored all the goals," Cooper said. 

"Tayla Harris' stats in her first year weren't amazing, but Brisbane had the confidence to kick it to her, and then you've got goals coming through others like Kate McCarthy and Jess Wuetschner.

"That's one area where we will definitely try to improve. But those players are not easy to find." 

One key forward target who was tried was 18-year-old Emily McGuire, whom Cooper previously worked with at junior level. McGuire, who kicked two goals on debut, was delisted at the end of the season.

"It's really hard when you've only got 27 players on your list (as well as three rookies) and you're only able to give one-year contracts.

With boys, you'd invest in these 18-year-olds, give them three-year contracts, don't expect them to play the first year, and instead develop and improve them," he said.

"We've just started our Fremantle Academy. It's a 10-week program, just one night a week, with a fairly light load because most of the girls are currently playing their WAWFL season.

"We're doing fundamental skills and education, a strength program … different things like that.

"We've got 20 players signed, then (the choice of) another 23 of the best over-age talent in Western Australia, and that includes Emily, Tiah Haynes and others who were on our list and who we're still definitely interested in for next year."