Launceston Football Club coach Sam Lonergan knows his newest assistant has what it takes.
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Lonergan has spent the past year helping two-time East Launceston youth girls premiership mentor Deb Reynolds, 34, through her level 2 AFL coaching course.
The mother-of-two is now his trusted deputy and the State League’s first female assistant coach.
The 2016 AFL Tasmania coach of the year said it was the opportunities that made the offer from Lonergan so attractive.
“Just being around the club this year has opened up my eyes to the level of professionalism that’s available,” Reynolds said.
“For Sam to give me the opportunity to come on board, to learn from that, to gain experience and to be able to take that one day to a new level is amazing.
“It’s exciting at the moment with North Melbourne coming into the AFLW and them sharing a licence with Tasmania in 2019, so I think it would be ignorant of me to stand here and say that I don’t have a passion and a goal for that.”
The former student of Murray High School in Queenstown said her love for the game started growing up on the North-West Coast with three brothers.
“Back then, football was huge so you either went to watch it or you played it,” she said.
“Being female back then you watched a lot but I grew up with a lot of good friends that accepted me and allowed me to play football in the backyard, on the streets and occasionally I snuck up for a game without my parents knowing.”
Reynolds, an experienced squash and basketball player, worked with the state’s under-18s girls program and academy this year.
Next season, she will take over the Blues' midfield group from Lonergan.
“To say that I don’t have nerves, of course I do, but I think that’s healthy and it means you’re keen and want to learn,” she said.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be around this year on the odd occasion and the guys were very accepting and I can’t wait – there will be plenty of questions and probably some mistakes along the way but it is important to learn from them.”
Lonergan said Reynolds has what it takes to help take Launceston from preliminary finalists and on to the next stage.
“If people are passionate about what they do then they invest themselves to a level that other people don’t and they are willing to learn, understand and develop as an individual,” he said.
“From my perspective she is ready to go. I wouldn’t have offered Deb this role without the belief she couldn’t actually implement things in the male space.
“Deb comes from a basketball background, which from my experience and the way we play, is certainly relevant in the modern game of AFL football with understanding presses, zones and different manoeuvres like that.
“She is going to be a great asset for us sitting up in the coaches box.”
Launceston took out the inaugural TSLW competition this season and Lonergan hopes that, combined with Reynolds’ appointment, shows that the Blues are engaged and willing to invest in the female space.