GREATER Western Sydney has appointed Emma Zielke as a full-time AFLW assistant coach.

The team has not had a full-time resource in that role for the past two seasons, with Zielke adding some much-needed support to the program. 

The Brisbane premiership skipper will hold the position of forwards coach and head of development, leaning on her background as the Lions' head of female academy, where she was responsible for the under-16 and under-18 girls programs.

An inaugural AFLW player, she recorded 41 games at the top level and retired after the 2021 flag triumph, with the best and fairest QAFLW medal named after the Queenslander.

She was an assistant coach with Brisbane in her first season after retirement before taking on the academy job, and has also coached Queensland's under-18 side.

"I've been at Brisbane a long time now, and I wanted to just explore and get outside my comfort zone a little bit. So this opportunity sort of came along, and I just thought it was just too good to pass up," Zielke told AFL.com.au.

"I've been in Brisbane now for 20 years, personally, and I was thinking about moving to the Gold Coast (region) at the start of this year, just because I just wanted a little bit of a change of scenery.

"This job popped up just before Christmas, and I thought if I was going to move for coaching, I would love it to still be in a northern state. 

"It being a full-time AFLW role was pretty enticing as well, given that a lot of the roles at the moment are still crossed, like club academy/AFLW. So I just thought, why not? I'm ready for a change, and Sydney is a great place."

After just three wins and a draw over the last two seasons, the Giants are revamping their coaching panel under coach Cam Bernasconi and second-year footy boss Alison Zell.

Ex-player and Giants favourite Shane Mumford has signed on as an assistant coach, having held some unofficial roles with the side while he was still playing in the late 2010s, while retired Swan and Giant Bec Privitelli will be a development coach.

Zielke's background in development puts her in a strong position to help fast-track the Giants' young stars, having drafted Scarlett Johnson (pick No.2 last year), Kiera Yerbury (No.3), Sara Howley (No.4, 2024) Grace Martin (No.22, 2024) and Kaitlyn Srhoj (No.3, 2023) in recent years.

"It’s a great young and up-and-coming list, so I'm really keen to start getting involved with them early in their footy careers. Coming from a really successful program at the Lions, I know what high-standard expectations are, and the habits that help them and what that looks like," she said.

"I really want to observe and see how they go about it, then be able to bring my experience and knowledge around where what they're doing really well and keep getting that better, but also being able to contribute if I feel like there's areas that we can get better as from an individual or team point of view. 

"I think the future is super bright at the Giants, and they're putting the right resources around the program now. I just feel like everyone's really excited at this time of year, and they can see that things are getting put in place now. 

"I'm hopeful that it's a more successful year, but it's going to take a little bit of time, given how young the list is."

Zielke will begin her role at the start of May, given her commitments with Brisbane's under-18 and under-16 academy teams.

AFLW pre-season begins on May 11.