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Jordan McArdle
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6 May 2026
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Peel Thunder premiership coach Adam Read is locked in as Kia WAFL State Team mentor for a second year after leading WA to a drought-breaking victory against South Australia at Adelaide Oval last season.
Read coached the Black Swans to a drought-breaking 30-point victory over the Croweaters at Adelaide Oval to earn the Haydn Bunton Jr Cup for the first time in six years.
The third-year Thunder coach will have a strong panel of assistant coaches around him including reigning premiership coach – South Fremantle’s Craig White – and Ross McQueen who has led East Perth to back-to-back grand final appearances in the past two seasons.
Thunder head of development Brad Oldfield and West Coast premiership forward – now West Perth’s head of strategy – Steven Armstrong are also part of the coaching panel.
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The Kia WAFL State Team are back home for this year’s clash, hosting South Australia at Sullivan Logistics Stadium on Saturday, May 16.
“It’s an incredible privilege to be named state coach again. To be part of 122 years of history is something I don’t take lightly and is incredibly meaningful to me,” Read said.
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“What makes it truly special, though, is the connection you build with everyone involved — from working with the best players in the WAFL to coaching alongside men who are usually rivals.
“Bringing everyone together to represent our state and our league creates bonds that last well beyond the final siren, and that’s something I value enormously.”
Read said they would use the opportunity to play at home to further strengthen their team and performance.
“The main change this year is that there’s no travel, so we’ll look to do something together here in Perth to further strengthen that connection as a group,” he said.
The coaching panel for the Kia WAFLW State Team, who also take on South Australia next month, will be announced next week.
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