Allansford sign Jess Rohan as A grade coach for 2024 season

Rohan returns to her former Warrnambool and District league club to lead its A grade squad, where she links up with sister Stacy Mills, who will take on the assistant coaching role.

The move comes after the defender spent four years at Panmure, with the 2023 season offering Rohan the chance to play alongside her other sister Rebecca Mitchell, who joined the club as A grade coach.

Rohan, who last played at Allansford in 2016 as a 16-year-old, said a strong family connection to the club was the catalyst for her return.

"Stacy rang me and we had a chat and we decided to do it (coaching) together," she said.

"I've got lots of family and family friends (at Allansford)... I'm excited to get back there and just enjoy that time.

"We all love our family, but especially me, I just thought 'I need to be with my family'.

"(Allansford's) a family club and that's what I enjoy and love and they've been very welcoming for myself."

Rohan, who works in childcare, is excited to get the chance to coach alongside and learn from Mills, who will offer an off-court "point of view" on game day.

"She's been at the club for nearly, I'm going to say over 10 years, she knows all the ins-and-outs of the club, she's an absolute star of a netballer and someone I've always looked up to as a little sister," Rohan said of Mills, who is an A grade league best and fairest winner.

"Being able to coach beside her will be something I'll never forget.

"Even when I was at other clubs and she was coaching and playing at Allansford, I was always messaging her and asking her for advice and she was always happy to help."

Rohan, who has previously coached A grade at South Rovers and Panmure, is excited to get back into the caper after focusing on her individual game in 2023.

"It was nice playing under Bec (this year), I really enjoyed that experience of her coaching but I'm definitely excited to get back in and start coaching and get a team together and hopefully have a really good season," she said.

Rohan sees the potential at Allansford to build a strong team around.

"They're so lucky, they've got absolutely so much talent in their juniors," Rohan said. "We'll be definitely going out and recruiting, using their core group from last season, plus their juniors - there is so much potential and so much to look at coming through."

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