Q&A with Jack Cooley

Jack Cooley

Age: 24

Height: 192cm

Club From: Perth (WAFL)

Experience: Has played 104 games across League, Reserves and Colts for Claremont, East Perth and Perth since 2018.

Firstly, how is pre-season treating you so far?

The preseason so far has been unreal. I’ve been impressed with how hard all the boys are pushing themselves to improve and the quality of training is extremely high. I’m also super impressed with how professional the club is with its training. Dan Hiscock and Stuart Chesher have done an outstanding job with the strength and fitness side of things. The amount of effort that goes into each session feels like AFL standard. The coaching staff implement drills that target specific areas of our game plan and it’s easy to see why this club has been so successful for so long and I’m stoked to be a part of it for many years to come.

You and fellow Subi-newbie Jedd Edwards were both at East Perth from 2021 to 2022. Is there a camaraderie there already?

I know Jedd well from my time at East Perth, even though we didn’t play too much together on Saturdays. We spent a lot of time training as one group and socialising outside of footy. It was good to see Jedd come across to Subi as I know what he can bring on the field and it will be nice to get some A-grade service from him and our other ruckman around stoppages.

With League experience at both Perth and East Perth (as well as Reserves and Colts at Claremont), moving into new clubs and environments isn’t exactly new for you. What are your top tips you can share for anyone joining a new club?

I think throughout my years at league level I’ve learnt a few tips and tricks for moving into a new club environment. The first one would be to put your head down and work hard early on to gain the respect of the boys and coaches. That’s one of the most important things. Once you have that then relationships are much easier to build and without you even realising you start bonding with everyone around you.

The other tip is don’t look at moving as a bad thing. I think you need to find what’s comfortable for you in order to play your best footy and that may take some time to find the right fit. I truly believe I’ve found the right people at Subiaco. Everyone not only wants to improve every session but they also focus heavily on relationships and already I’ve developed some life-long friendships that I can’t wait to have on field success with.

What inspired the switch to Subiaco?

The switch to Subiaco was a pretty easy one for me. First; watching them have so much success on-field. It’s really appealing to me to not only get into a winning culture and become the best footballer I can be but to also experience the professional environment that everyone knows Subiaco has created.

I had a really good relationship with Beau Wardman, Mick Ablett and a lot of the boys here already, so once I had conversations with them and where the club was headed it was a no-brainer. Lastly, my Dad played some football back here when he was younger [Ernest Cooley, #9 for Subiaco in the 1963 season], so it was definitely appealing to come back here and experience the same culture he was a part of.

I’d also like to thank Beau, Mick, Kristian Dicton and Nigel Hamilton for all they did for me to make the move over as easy as possible. The amount of effort and care they put into the process showed why this club is so highly thought of and made the transition extremely smooth.

Have you had a look at this year’s fixture yet? Are there any specific games you’re looking forward to?

To be honest, I’ve only looked at the first few rounds and the thing that stands out the most is the night games under the new lights at Sullivan Logistics Stadium. That’s a really exciting prospect; to play on a great oval, in front of some great fans and hopefully repay the support that they’ve given us. In terms of teams, there’s none I’m looking forward to more than the other. I think I’m just excited to come up against everyone with this talented group and showcase what we’ve been working hard on all pre-season.

And lastly, what are your personal goals for the season?

My personal goals for 2025 are broken into on-field and off-field. Off-field, I want to develop great friendships with the people at this club. I want to learn about the rich culture of the past players and staff that have given up so much here and hopefully give as much back to this great football club as I personally can.

On-field, I think the obvious one is to reach the ultimate goal of a premiership… Hopefully more than once! I want to play my best football and continue to work on my craft with the great coaches we have in Beau and Nigel. Also, getting to pick the brain of Matt Priddis is something that I’m really looking forward to. His wealth of knowledge on midfield craft and what it takes to be elite is something I’m very lucky to have access to.

I think each year I’ve really improved my craft and this year I’ll continue to become one of the elite inside midfielders in this competition that can contribute significantly to our team success. With the talent and drive in our midfield group, I’m confident we can push each other to new heights and help put this great club back on top where it belongs.

A word from Men’s Senior Coach Beau Wardman.

The new recruits haven’t missed a trick throughout pre-season. They have all come to our club with a great attitude and bought into our culture which has been pleasing to see. Prior to their recruitment, I knew each of them had a drive for success and understood how our program would make them better players and people. The boys have increased the professionalism and preparation across the board which has been driven by our leaders and a change in dynamic over the summer months.

Jack is experienced at WAFL level. He has great running power and good ability by foot which we needed to add through our midfield. His height will make him a tough match-up through the middle of the ground and will complement Greg Clark and our in and under mids.