QAFL and QAFLW clubs across the competition have continued to announce coaching appointments for the 2024 season.
Palm Beach Currumbin landed David Armitage, signing the former St Kilda captain as the Senior Coach for 2024. Armitage spent 12 years with the Saints, playing 169 games for the club, including three as captain. Following his AFL career, he spent time at Bonbeach FC in Victoria, and played a handful of games for Palm Beach Currumbin in 2023.
Coorparoo is looking to build on their successful women’s program with the signing of Coorparoo champion Rory Lake as the QAFLW Seniors Coach for 2024. Coach of the Senior Men’s team from 2015 to 2019, Lake was also part of premiership winning teams in 2016 and 2022 as a player. He played more than 100 games with the Kings, and more than 150 state league games with Morningside and Mt Gravatt. He was also the South Queensland Coach in 2022 and spent time as St Laurence’s College 1st XVIII Coach.
After taking time away from the game to develop his coaching in a variety of roles across senior and youth female football, Stuart Mackay has returned to Yeronga South Brisbane as the QAFLW Senior Coach for 2024. He recently completed his Level 3 Coaching Accreditation and works closely with the Brisbane Lions Academy. His top priorities for the Yeronga South Brisbane QAFLW team are recruitment and player retention as the club looks to improve on its recent seasons.
Affectionately known as ‘Hammer’, Hamish Mitchell has joined Mt Gravatt Vultures as the Senior Men’s Coach for 2024. Joining the Vultures from Palm Beach Currumbin, Mitchell has extensive coaching experience at Surfers Paradise, Tweed Coast Tigers, the Gold Coast SUNS Academy and in country football in Victoria and South Australia in a coaching career that has spanned 30 years.
Maroochydore commenced their coach signings with the appointment of Paul Magher as QAFLW Senior Coach in October. As a player, coach and administrator, Paul’s experience extends from Cairns in the 1990’s, to the Queensland Masters in the mid 2000’s, to Redland Vicotria Point from 2020 to 2022, where he was the inaugural women’s coach, and across to the NTFL as coach of the St Mary’s WPL and Division 2 team in 2022 and 2023. In 2023 and 2024, Paul is also the Director of Coaching at AFLNT Umpires. With a Level Three AFL Community Coaching accreditation, Paul is looking to take the Maroochydore Roos QAFLW side to the next level.
