IN a weekly series on Rookie Me Central, we cast our eyes and ears around the league to gather thoughts from AFL Women’s coaches, and see what they had to say post their respective matches on the weekend.

This week’s edition is a little different. We hear from two coaches who lost their respective matches by under a kick – Sydney’s Scott Gowans and Hawthorn’s Bec Goddard.

Over at Ikon Park, Gowan’s Swans came the closest they have ever come to their first win, but narrowly could not get over the line against Essendon.

Post match, Gowans spoke a lot about game plan and noted how throwing players behind the ball late on was not part of it.

“Our shape behind the ball has been reasonable all year and it’s no secret we don’t throw numbers behind the ball, Gowans said. “It’s not our go, we want to learn to win.”

He also noted how some of the different rotations of players was all part of the side’s wider philosophy.

“It was the way we wanted to play the game,” he said. “We had a robust discussion in the coaches box about trying to win the game versus trying to get out what we are trying to get out of the game.

“That was always in the plan with those players, Sofia Hurley and Zoe Hurrell, being wing-forwards.”

Meanwhile up in Sydney, Hawks mentor Goddard was trying to find the positives out of a frustrating loss to GWS.

“I think that shows where we’re at with our young list and the progress that they’re learning each week of how to hang in there with those tight games,” Goddard said.

Reflecting on the match, Goddard does not think Nicola Barr’s point in the dying seconds of the match was ultimately the deciding factor in the result.

“It wasn’t that moment when that point was kicked, it was other moments of the game that we’ll go back and have a look at,” she said.

“I think GWS controlled large amounts of that game. Their midfield was really superior to ours today and our young players all got a lesson in what a good midfield looks like.”