Tom Morrison returns home to WA to take up AFL development coach role with West Coast Eagles

After more than a decade honing his skills as a coach, Denmark’s Tom Morrison is ready to make his mark at AFL level. Morrison this week started as a development coach with the West Coast Eagles, returning to his beloved WA and the club he supported growing up as an aspiring footballer in the Great Southern. He has links to four-time All Australian and Albany star Jeremy McGovern and is also close mates with Eagles captain Luke Shuey, but the journey to become an AFL development coach has been long and full of hard work. The 35-year-old comes to the Eagles having served as an assistant coach with the Sydney Swans’ VFL side this year, rounding out a detailed coaching apprenticeship. Once he moved to Perth and his playing career was riddled by persistent groin injuries, he took the opportunity to try coaching. Morrison was a development coach with Claremont in the WAFL and part of the WA State Academy before he moved to Sydney in 2013 and took on a role as development coach with Sydney University in the NEAFL. He spent almost a decade in NSW and in 2017 coached Sydney University to their first league premiership in 32 years. “I’ve spent the last decade in Sydney, mostly at Sydney Uni where I went over as a development coach,” Morrison said. “I played three seasons in the NEAFL and then when I retired I took over as head coach. “Last year I was part of the Sydney Swans coaching department and worked as a senior assistant to Jeremy Laidler in the VFL. “Each of those different experiences and working with different coaches has been great. “It’s a different opportunity to learn coaching your own State league team and then in at the Swans a few days a week, which is arguably one of the best programs in the country. “Then I reflect back on my time with Claremont when I started out … a lot of things have shaped my journey and given me a diverse and unique set of skills. “I’m hoping that will hold me in good stead this year and I’m very grateful the Eagles have given me an opportunity at AFL level.” Morrison said his young family left Sydney to be closer to family in WA a few months ago and it felt like home already after landing in the Eagles nest. “It’s a special place and everyone is really motivated,” he said. “I’m looking forward to playing my part and help push the AFL team up the ladder in the coming years. “I’ll be looking after the development of a group of young talented players and it will be holistic development both on and off the field. I’ll also be working as a development coach in the backline with Daniel Pratt.” McGovern, the Eagles vice-captain and premier defender, spent time as a budding young WAFL player living with Morrison. “I’ve got links to different people here through different periods of my life,” Morrison said. “I know people in recruiting, I know Jez McGovern from when I was coaching at Claremont, he actually lived with me before he got drafted. “I’m also good mates with Luke Shuey and I know Mark Nicoski, he’s mentoring me here. “Growing up in the Great Southern it’s an area that is really passionate about footy and there have been some really good footballers come from that area. “I’ve been putting every bit of my time that I have towards developing my craft as a coach, it’s taken a while to get here but I’m really grateful for this opportunity.”