Local coaches Dwayne Grace and George Scott will take up the respective head coaching roles for the upcoming North vs South Women’s Series with all appointments confirmed today.
The coaching appointments, including assistant coaches, support coaches and staff, maintain strong links between the Force, Premier Grade clubs, RugbyWA pathways and the local rugby community.
Training commences next week at Perth Bayswater Rugby Union Club for the three-game women’s pathway series with the playing squads to be confirmed publicly on Monday. The series starts with Game 1 at Southern Lions RUFC on Sunday 19 October.
The women’s pathway series is geared towards identifying and developing the top female talent across Western Australia, providing meaningful and high-quality match opportunities with a view to transitioning into the Force’s 2026 Super Rugby Women’s side.
The seven Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade clubs have been split into two regions, with Wests Scarborough, Wanneroo and UWA representing the North and Palmyra, Southern Lions, Kalamunda and Cottesloe representing the South.
Grace, who has been the Force Super Rugby Women’s assistant coach since 2023, will head up the North side. He is the long-time head of rugby at Aranmore College and previously held various roles at Fortescue Premier Grade club Wests Scarborough including director of rugby (2018), assistant coach (2023) and head coach (2011-2016).
Force club legend Matt Hodgson will support him as assistant coach. Hodgson led the Force Super W side as head coach in 2023 and this year was assistant coach at Wests Scarborough who made the Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade Grand Final last week.
Anneka Stephens and Marcus Cutler will work as North support coaches. Stephens, 36, is a current Force player who was part of the side’s leadership group in 2025 and won the Force Woman Award this year too. Cutler was UWA’s women’s head coach this year, having previously been a prop for Perth Gold and UWA.
Scott will work as head coach of the South squad, having led the Cottesloe Shegulls in the Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade for the past few years.
He previously helped establish the Cottesloe performance academy and worked with the Junior Boys’ Regionals in 2023. Scott recently got a taste of an elite high performance environment when he worked as the team liaison for the British & Irish Lions during their week in Perth in late June.
Scott will be supported by back-to-back Fortescue Women’s Premier Grade premiership-winning coach Des Taurima as assistant coach. Taurima led the Divaz to the 2024 and 2025 WA titles as head coach.
He is currently RugbyWA’s pathway manager and has plenty of experience in women’s pathways, working as the head coach of the WA U18s girls’ rugby team and Perth Gold women in 2024.
The South side will have three support coaches in Apoua Stewart, Sape Misa and Adam Munro.
Misa was the Fortescue Premier Grade title-winning head coach with Associates in 2024. He’s also previously worked as the RugbyWA U18s girls assistant coach and been involved with the Force U19s and Perth Gold in assistant roles in the past.
Ex-NPC and Samoa player Apoua Stewart has held the role as Palmyra’s Premier Grade assistant coach.
Munro has been the long-time Joondalup Brothers head coach, while he’s also been involved with the RugbyWA girls and Perth Gold womens’ sides in the past.
The three games will be hosted by Southern Lions (Sunday 19 October 3pm), Cottesloe (Saturday 25 October, kick-off time TBC) and Wanneroo (Saturday 1 November, kick-off time TBC).
Read more about the North vs South Women's Series
Coaching appointments
North
Head coach: Dwayne Grace
Assistant coach: Matthew Hodgson
Support coaches: Anneka Stephens, Marcus Cutler
Physiotherapist: Megan McGloin
Manager: Lise Seve
South
Head coach: George Scott
Assistant coach: Des Taurima
Support coaches: Apoua Stewart, Sape Misa, Adam Munro
Physiotherapist: Jordan Wilson
Manager: Ele Mahaki
