Jess Duffin - Dual-Sport Star Makes Move In AFLW Coaching Career

Jess Duffin’s resume is as impressive as it is long – Women’s World Cup Champion (Player of the Final), three-time Women’s World Twenty20 Champion (Player of the Final 2012) and Belinda Clark Award Winner.

That’s just cricket.

Throw in a VFLW Best & Fairest (Lambert-Pearce Medal), selection in the 2019 AFLW All-Australian team, as well as being Vice-Captain and the leading goalkicker for Hawthorn’s AFLW in 2022.

An undeniably great dual-sport athlete, Jess has added yet another string to her bow, recently being appointed to Collingwood’s AFLW Assistant coaching ranks – the team that she began her playing career with in 2017.

She’ll be joining Sam Wright, former Player Development Manager with the Victorian Women’s Cricket Program, who is Collingwood’s Senior AFLW coach.

Their relationship started when Jess was training with the Renegades, and continued through each other’s AFLW journeys.

The two have always kept in touch, and when Wright got the role at Collingwood, Jess reached out to congratulate him. From there conversations flowed, bumping into each other at a game of footy turned in to a coffee catch-up, and soon Jess was back in black and white.

Not so long out of the game, Jess was candid when talking about the transition from player to coach.

“It’s hard for me still at the moment, it’s only been a year and a bit since I’ve come out of footy, and last season was my last season with the Renegades, so I’m still seeing a lot of things as a player,” says Jess.

“I think it’s more around that connection piece towards players, and getting connection with them first, and then being a coach. If you don’t have that, the girls won’t respond to that and you won’t be able to coach them, so it’s more around having a really good connection, and wanting to get to know them as much as they want to get to know you”.

Balancing life with sport can be challenging, even before you throw in multiple sports, and on top of that, being a parent.

“I wouldn’t be able to do anything without my husband Chris, and my mum and dad,” says Jess.

“There’s no way I’d be anywhere near where I am now if I didn’t have that support, so I’ve got a really good tight support network around my family, were all quite close, and mum and dad have been unbelievable, that’s how I’ve been doing it all, and each club that I’ve been at knows I have children and are really supportive of that, they know if something pops up and I need to be at home, there’s no question about it and no fear of not coming in to the club, it’s just the kids come first and that’s it”.

Parenting as an athlete, in particular a female athlete, has no shortage of challenges. Jess has two children of her own, Georgie and Archie.

“When I found out about Georgie, I don’t think there was a pregnancy policy in place for footy at the time, I think they were only just going through one, so the pregnancy policy was better with cricket. The ACA did a really good job of supporting me through that, and making sure I was getting everything I needed.”

COVID-19 and the concept of the hub for the WBBL season meant that Jess had to sit out that year, as it would have too difficult in that environment for Jess and her (at the time) four-month-old Georgie.

“With the pregnancy policies for me, I’ve had really good support around me and I haven’t ever felt like it was hard going, which is probably why I was able to play a bit longer, just due to having that support”

Playing Career

Jess’s professional cricket career began with Victoria in 2006 as a 17-year-old, and her first taste of International cricket came with her ODI Debut at the start of February 2009, and her T20I Debut two weeks later. Her Test debut came in 2011, but she was much more prominent in the short-form, playing an integral part in Australia’s back-to-back-to-back World T20 titles.

It was late 2015 when Jess put cricket on hold, with this leading to getting involved with footy, and eventually getting drafted to and being part of the AFLW’s inaugural season with Collingwood. Jess finished with 42 games for Collingwood, North Melbourne and Hawthorn.

Among all this there was still time to get 51 WBBL games in with the Stars and the Renegades from 2016-2024, averaging 32.33 with the bat with a high score of 81.

The AFLW’s inaugural season involved plenty of code-crossers, but also many first-time athletes that didn’t know what was required of them, says Jess.

“There were girls there that hadn’t even gone to a gym yet. Now you look at girls in the under 18’s coming through, they’ve got a whole pre-season in them through the gym and doing physical conditioning. I felt very much advanced in terms of knowing what it’s like to be an athlete due to the high standards that cricket set when I was playing.”

A tough question for most, but even tougher when you consider the resume, the achievements, and the dual-sport career that Jess Duffin has had:

Is it possible to pick a favourite moment from your career?

“Probably not.

“It wasn’t even really the moments, it wasn’t the world cups or anything like that, but the strong relationships I have now with people, I’ve got some really good mates through cricket that I still see today, and I still talk to. I’ve been really lucky with the people I’ve met along the way.

”It’s more about the connections you get, the people you meet and the friendships you make. The cups and stuff you win are just a reward for the effort you put in, but its more the friendships you get.”

If Jess had to pick a moment in her career?

“Beating the poms is always a nice thing to do. But winning the 2013 World Cup in India against the West Indies was one of my favourite things as well.”

An incredible career as an athlete, and ever improving in the coaching landscape. Above all, a family-first, fantastic person away from the field.

An amazing career so far with a lot more still left to give, it will be a pleasure to follow along.