SWFL: Busselton star Beth Beckett appointed coach of club’s women’s side

Busselton football star Beth Beckett has been appointed as the new coach of the club’s women’s side.

The Magpies made the announcement on Tuesday, with Beckett to replace Rob Witten, who has stepped down from the role due to work commitments.

In his only season in charge, Witten coached the side to their third consecutive appearance in the grand final, where they suffered a 27-point loss to Bunbury.

Beckett has been starring in the WAFLW with East Fremantle in recent years, meaning she had only been able to link up with the Magpies at the conclusion of her State league commitments.

But she will be available for the club on a full-time basis this year after calling time on her WAFLW career — which saw her play 45 games across three years — at the end of last season.

Beckett won the Sharks’ best and fairest award in her first season at the club and was later appointed as their co-captain.

In 2023, she won a WAFLW premiership and came back to Busselton to play in the SWFL women’s grand final, which they lost to Bunbury by six points.

One of Beckett’s charges at the Magpies will be the side’s former coach Rennie Meadmore, who held a player-coach role for two seasons before returning to a sole playing focus in recent seasons.

Beckett is one of two new coaches in the competition with significant playing pedigree alongside Dunsborough’s Shelby Foster, a three-time club best and fairest winner appointed as coach of the Sharks earlier this year.

The Magpies will start their 2025 season at Bovell Park against Dunsborough on March 30.