JASMINE Fleming put the call out among the unofficial AFLW network.

The young Hawks star is running the junior girls program at Ashburton Redbacks, her old local club in Melbourne's inner east, and she was after some coaches.

Ex-Redback and developing Western Bulldogs key forward Emma McDonald was keen.

She brought along fellow second-year Dog Sarah Poustie.

Someone said Carlton livewire Lila Keck might be interested, having dabbled in some coaching back home in Bendigo.

The irrepressible Keck was in fact very eager, and with her came fellow Blues forward Poppy Scholz.

Suddenly, the under 13 girls are being coached by a combined McDonald-Poustie effort, the under 15s by Scholz, with Keck taking the under 16s, while Fleming provides support and fills in where needed.

"Courtney Jones (girls under 14s ones coach), who played for Richmond, Carlton and Gold Coast, has been coaching at the club for probably three years now, and she was the first to come on board, even before myself," Fleming told AFL.com.au.

"It was the two of us last year, and we had a few conversations with parents, other coaches and girls, and the opportunity to try and get more AFLW girls to coach was an idea that was thrown at me.

"I started reaching out to different players and teammates, and because of the way the W is structured in the traditional football season, it's actually a time where we can commit to things, especially younger AFLW players who are studying, it allows for flexibility.

"Our personalities – we just want to help the next generation, which is awesome. Yes, you can see and aspire to be an AFLW player like we are, but more importantly, having female and young female coaches offers a different side to development.

"It can also create a safer space for conversations, especially from the under 13 to youth league (under 18) age groups, a lot starts going on for young girls. Hopefully it's a way of keeping them engaged enough that they keep playing sport, even if it's just at a community level."

Ashburton has a fairly illustrious honour board when it comes to former players, including Jack Viney, Toby Greene, Jordan De Goey, Tom Mitchell, Josh Kennedy and Luke Ball, as well as AFLW players Eliza McNamara, Jemma Rigoni, McDonald and Fleming.

With the Yarra Junior Football League set to run until the end of August, there's going to be an overlap with the start of AFLW season (mid-August), with practice and scratch matches to come beforehand.

"It will get a bit hectic, but it will also provide a good outlet. Ashburton training is at night, and ours is mostly now during the day," Fleming said.

"Something I found really important last year was if I had an injury and was at the club all day, I'd go home quickly and then I'd end up going to training for a couple of hours and seeing the Auskick girls, the under 11s and under 12s and the impact I can have on them, and they were having on me. 

"It was a good way to get away from myself as a footballer, and be more of a coach and a person. It's been a great outlet in our off-season too. There's so many coaches, and in my role, I'm flexible, so I can help out if they can't coach or make training."

Fleming's role is quite expansive for a junior football club, and she's on the payroll for a couple of shifts a week, actively going out to primary schools to run clinics and recruit new players. 

Little sister Issy (14, also a bottom-age player for the under-16 Oakleigh Chargers side) plays for Ashburton, giving Fleming more time with her, with the Hawk also running additional skill development sessions alongside Michael Schwab (son of former Hawthorn player and coach, Peter).

"Michael is our head of development at Ashy, so we run sessions throughout the season, mostly focusing on kicking and tackling," Fleming said.

"It's stuff I love, especially working on my own kicking. I really enjoy being able to share that technique stuff with the younger girls."

Hawthorn made a straight sets exit from the finals for a second straight season at the end of 2025, with Fleming herself fighting a groin issue amid an injury crisis that hit the club at the worst-possible time.

"It was a really difficult time. We had such a good season, we made top four for the second year in a row, but unfortunately had some major injuries to some pretty important players in the program," she said.

"I was really proud of how we persevered as a group, but it was disappointing to go out again in straight sets. This year, we want to win a final, that's the next step for this group.

"By the end of the season you are normally pretty fatigued, mentally and physically. That was definitely me at the end of last year. I went to Queensland with my cousins, and cricket is a way I can get away from football – I can watch every single day of a test match and not move from the couch.

"The blackout (non-contact period with clubs) and off-season was great to get away, refresh and then get back around each other and get ready to work hard."