WAFL 2026: Peel Thunder premiership coach Adam Read to coach WA again after drought-breaking win

Adam Read has been rewarded for leading the WAFL State team to its drought-breaking victory against South Australia by being named coach for a second-consecutive year. Read drove the Black Swans to an upset 30-point victory over the Croweaters at Adelaide Oval to earn the Haydn Bunton Jr Cup for the first time in six years. The Peel Thunder premiership coach will lead an all-star coaching panel that includes last year’s grand final-winning coach in South Fremantle’s Craig White, East Perth leader Ross McQueen. Thunder head of development Brad Oldfield and West Coast premiership forward Steven Armstrong. It can be revealed that Western Australia will host 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. “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. “It (last year) was more condensed than in previous years and involved a smaller squad, which we felt helped build a strong connection within the group without taking players away from their WAFL commitments too much,” he said. “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.” Read said it was “quite personal” to be the man who led WA to a big win against South Australia last year. “Coming from South Australia, where I was just an amateur league player, no one would have thought it was possible for me to be part of something like that — so to go back there and win was incredibly satisfying,” he said. “WA has become home for me, and WA football and the broader football community have played a huge role in my personal and professional growth over the past 18 years. The investment that’s gone both ways — from the game and from myself — is a big part of why last year meant so much. “And then there’s the family side. We’ve been football people for generations, but always on the other side of the fence. To be able to represent them and share that moment is something I take enormous pride in, and it’s a real driver for me.”