Sydney Swans AFLW head coach Scott Gowans has stepped away temporarily after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, but is expected to make a full recovery.
The Swans said in a statement on Thursday that Gowans would undergo surgery and spend about six weeks away from the club.
Medical tests for a separate issue uncovered an abnormality last year, before further investigation detected a tumour, which has not spread.
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Gowans had an important message after overcoming the shock of the diagnosis.
“If there’s one positive to take from this it’s that the tumour can be removed and hasn’t spread, which may not have been the case if it wasn’t discovered so early,” Gowans said in a club statement.
“I’m extremely lucky that my doctor pushed for further investigation into something that wasn’t quite right.
“I didn’t have any symptoms and I was otherwise feeling OK.
“What I hadn’t done was have a check-up for prostate cancer, so if there’s one message to come from this experience it’s to get checked, and urge your loved ones to get checked, because it could save their life.”
Assistant coach Nick Davis, a member of the club’s 2005 premiership-winning side, will fill in for Gowans during his time away from the club.
“The Sydney Swans ask that Scott Gowans’ privacy and that of his family be respected at this time,” the club said.
The Swans entered the AFLW in 2022.
The 2023 AFLW season will run between December and March so an overlap with the men’s competition is avoided.
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