Spending more time with her family made the decision to return to Perth full-time an easy decision, said new Fremantle women's coach Michelle Cowan.

Cowan confirmed as women's coach

Cowan has been the coach of Melbourne’s female team since 2013, commuting back and forth to Perth.

“I reflect really fondly on that engagement at Melbourne, but from a family perspective, really rapt to be back in WA and working for Fremantle,” Cowan said.

The mother of two said her children were excited by the decision.

“I’m excited to be home, more (time) with the family, a five and a seven year old, just the perfect fit being here at Fremantle and looking forward to the challenge,” she said.

Cowan is the third coach to be announced across the league, following Brisbane’s Craig Starcevich and Carlton’s Damien Keeping, with five clubs yet to appoint coaches.

Cowan says the securing WA talent was the priority ahead of the competition, which starts in 2017.

Playing list is priority: Cowan

“We’ve got a fair bit of work to do, there’s a lot of teams that are probably trying to pick up our WA talent and we want to make sure they stay here in WA,” Cowan said.

Players will nominate for either the WA or Victorian draft, with players from Tasmania and Canberra aligning with NSW, and those from the Northern Territory eligible for the South Australian team.