After a notable AFL playing career at Hawthorn and Carlton, Daniel Harford decided to try his hand at coaching.
His success with the Balwyn and St Kevins Football Clubs spurred him onto greater things, including coaching Carlton in the AFLW competition.
He recently had a chat with the team from Vision Sports to discuss all things AFLW, including his experiences coaching Carlton and what the future holds for the AFLW.
Coaching Carlton in the 2019 AFLW Grand Final
While the team were ultimately unsuccessful in their loss to Adelaide, Daniel is focusing on the positives. The crowd and atmosphere at Adelaide Oval, for instance, were something he says he’ll never forget.
“Fifty-three thousand people there to see our girls play for the AFLW Grand Final was beyond anyone’s expectations or wildest dreams,” Daniel said.
“The girls wouldn’t have played in front of anywhere near a crowd like that, so it was a pretty awesome experience for them,” he added.
Daniel’s coaching philosophy
Daniel went on to mention how proud he was of the progression Carlton had made to climb from last to second in one season and how the same coaching principles apply at every level of the sport.
“One of the things you want as a coach is to have an audience, or a group of players, that are willing to listen and want to learn, and that’s what these girls have shown me,” Daniel said.
The growth of the competition
Daniel is excited to see what the future holds for the AFLW competition, as it provides a pathway for players play AFL at the highest level.
“Once you get that element of player where they’ve grown up with the game, they’ve played it all their life, and now they just get a chance to showcase their talents and skills, you get a really premium product,” he said.
Find out more
This was just a small portion of what Daniel had to tell the Vision Sports team. To hear more from Daniel about his experiences in AFLW and his thoughts on this year’s AFL season, be sure to check out the full interview with the Vision Sports team.
If you’re interested in sports more generally, be sure to tune into Vision Sports on Vision Australia Radio every Saturday at 10:30am.
