Just a day after losing prized assistant coach Chris Scott to Geelong, Fremantle have secured highly-rated development coach Jason McCartney for the next three AFL seasons.

McCartney has quit his role as the AIS/AFL high performance coach to join the Dockers' development academy.

The AFL hope to find a replacement for McCartney in the coming months.

McCartney played 182 games in stints at Collingwood, North Melbourne and Adelaide during his 13-year playing career but is best remembered for recovering from life-threatening injuries suffered in the 2002 Bali bombings to return to the AFL.

In 2004, McCartney was appointed the AFL's youth and high performance coordinator, a position he held until he took on his current role with the AIS/AFL in 2009.

"Given Jason's playing background and expertise in player development, we are delighted to have secured his services as a development coach," Fremantle football operations manager Chris Bond said.

"We believe Jason will significantly enhance our development academy, which is headed by senior development coach Simon Lloyd."

Along with Lloyd, McCartney will join recently appointed development coach Ashley Prescott and part-time development coach Shaun McManus in Fremantle's development academy.

The academy has unearthed and developed an exciting crop of youngsters in recent seasons, with the likes of Stephen Hill, Michael Barlow, Nick Suban, Matt de Boer, Nat Fyfe, Anthony Morabito and Alex Silvagni helping the club reach the semi-finals this season.

Fremantle are on the lookout for a new assistant coach after Scott left the club to become the head coach of Geelong.

AFL general manager of international and national development David Matthews praised McCartney's contribution to the sport.

"Jason's work in the talent pathway with Kevin Sheehan and until recently Alan McConnell has involved mentoring some of the future stars of the game including players such as Daniel Rich, Nic Naitanui and Tom Scully," Matthews said.

"He has always gone above and beyond and also played a role in the testing and recruitment of both Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau.

"His role as leader and mentor of young talent created the template upon which we have since engaged former players including Michael Voss, Nathan Buckley, Luke Darcy, Tom Harley, Matthew Lloyd and Michael O'Loughlin."

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