Senior Womens QFAW - Coaching Appointments

Sherwood Football Club are pleased to confirm the appointment of the Senior Women Coaching Team for Season 2021.

Senior Coach - Mitchell Merritt

Assistant Coach - Cam Bulley

Assistant Coach - Kieran Canning

Development Coach - Luke Mitchell

Team Manager & Player Welfare - Lahnie Cooper

Mitchell Merritt

Mitch is a Forest Lake & Sherwood Junior having played at the Magpies since 2004. Injuries forced a break from the game from 2008-2011 before catching the football bug again while studying at Griffith University, joining the University aligned team, Griffith Moorooka Roosters and going onto play 102 games from 2011 to 2017, alongside being an active member of the committee in the capacity of Football Manager and Vice-President 2016-2017.

Mitch then decided to return to Sherwood in 2018 when he was elected to the board and has been instrumental in the strategic planning for the club, including the return of Senor Womens football after a 5 year hiatus, where in 2020 he took the reigns as Senior Coach, taking the team all the way to the Preliminary Final and more importantly, fostering a wonderful team culture and learning environment. Mitch still enjoys having a kick on a Friday night with the Woodsmen and we are delighted to have Mitch return as the Senior Coach for Season 2021.

Cameron Bulley

Also returning from the 2020 season is local footy legend Cam Bulley. Cam was an assistant coach in 2020 and brings with him an illustrious playing career in the local area. Cam played 175 games for Wests Juniors, and was a Queensland Representative in u15s, u16s (Captain) and u17s Teal Cup. He trained with the Brisbane Bears in the 1988 pre-season and played Senior QAFL footy for Western Districts from 1987 to 1997 where he was a Best & Fairest Winner, Queensland Representative player and Captained the 1996 QAFL Premiership. After Western Districts folded, he spent two seasons with the Northern Eagles and also had a stint in the SANFL in 1992 with Woodville West Torrens.

Alongside his obviously strong playing and leadership credentials, Cam has coached over 100 games at Wests Juniors including a Division 1 u14 Premiership in 2016. We are delighted to have Cam on board again as part of our Senior Womens program in 2021.

Kieran Canning

Kieran returns to Sherwood where he played most of his junior and youth football, prior to playing and coaching over the hill at the Kenmore Bears. Kieran is set to be a fantastic asset to the QFAW program this year and is keen to contribute on many fronts particularly in the area of skill and game sense development. Kieran has two young daughters - a big reason for him wanting to contribute specifically to the women's space as a coach to ensure that his girls to see that women's footy is important and a viable option for them.

Lahnie Cooper

Lahnie Cooper is a familiar face at Sherwood, with her effervescent personality and contagious love of the game making her a key member of 2020 playing squad.  

While Lahnie has not retired from playing, injuries have taken their toll so when deciding how best to contribute in 2021, it quickly became apparent that there were multiple ways that she could add value beyond just playing. Lahnie will be a go-to person for player welfare, especially with younger playing group as well as helping to make our game day run smoothly as team manager. 

Lahnie was born with a Sherrin in her hand playing with Sunshine Heights Football Club and a burning dream to play for the Collingwood Magpies, Lahnie played junior football with the boys all the way through until like so many women, she was told that there was no team available continue playing in so had to give the game away. At the time, being given the news that her ability to play the game that she loved so much had to be taken away was a very bitter pill to swallow, however thankfully she never lost her interest in the game staying connected through her support of the Magpies. While her playing focus has been with soccer mostly with Palm Beach and Southport and other sports Lahnie has always been a football tragic so when women’s football made a resurgence and AFLW was announced, Lahnie was quick to get involved. Making her debut for Sherwood in 2020 was symbolic of how far the game has come. Fast forward to 2021, women’s football is booming and Lahnie is playing an important role in helping the game continue to flourish and the Magpies are delighted to have her on board for 2021.

Luke Mitchell

Luke Mitchell is a current senior men's footballer at Sherwood where has played 92 Senior QAFL Games. Luke is also a club junior and second generation Magpie, with his father Steve a multiple Premiership winner in the 70’s and life member of the club. Luke now follows in the footsteps of both Steve and older brother Drew, by giving back to the club as a coach, with Steve having coached many junior teams, the Reserves and Drew now coming into his second season as the QAFL Colts coach. He is keen to share his knowledge of the game as much as possible and will be a great help to anyone keen to put in some extra work to take their game to the next level.