ANDREW McQualter promised his team a clean slate when he arrived as West Coast coach last year, and he delivered during a pre-Christmas phase that saw him meet with every player.
The new coach wanted to hear their perspective on what their strengths were and where they felt best suited to play, with a raft of changes following that could prove influential in the Eagles’ rebuild.
Forwards Tyrell Dewar and Jack Hutchinson were moved to wings, where they have flourished, and fellow goalkicker Ryan Maric shifted to half-back where he has been a creative playmaker during pre-season.
Reuben Ginbey has been settled in defence after also playing various midfield roles in his first 40 games, with versatile draftee Jobe Shanahan and ruck Harry Barnett joining the key defensive ranks where they will likely have more opportunities.
McQualter said some of the moves were based on traits he had seen in players that he wanted to explore, while others were the result of those pre-season conversations about players’ preferences and where they felt they could best succeed.
“I sat down with every player and just spoke about where they think they’re most suited to play AFL and where their strengths are,” McQualter told AFL.com.au.
“We sat down as a coaching group as well and tried to work through it, but I think it’s really important for me to understand that we’re going to change and people are going to change positions.
“I’ve seen us play two games now, or seven quarters versus opposition, so we’re going to be trying to find our best mix.
“It might take a little bit of time, and we need players to complement each other and suit each other’s styles.
“So as much as that’s where they’ve trained now, where they end up during this season and at the end of this season, I’m not really sure yet.”
Andrew McQualter during the West Coast Official Team Photo Day at Mineral Resources Park, January 30, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
The move to settle Ginbey in defence, where he was a star in a late-season clash against Gold Coast last year, may prove the most influential in 2025, with McQualter confident the athletic 20-year-old can play multiple backline roles.
“He’s got the flexibility in his game being the athlete that he is to be able to play tall or small or deep or high, and players like that are incredible assets,” the coach said.
“With Brady Hough we’ve got the flexibility between those two to play them in different areas, so it might be match-up dependent. But he’s got a skill set that hopefully can play multiple roles for us.”
The small forward roles are another area of intrigue for West Coast after the arrival of Matt Owies from Carlton to complement talented youngster Noah Long, premiership players Liam Ryan and Jamie Cripps, and the much-improved Tyler Brockman.
Whatever the final mix, McQualter said the group would be pivotal to how the Eagles play in 2025.
“I love competition for spots and I think those guys have been a really important part of what we’re doing,” he said.
“Part of the style we’re going to play is we’re going to rely on forward pressure, which every team does.
“It’s not a secret, but that’ll be part of their job description and they’ve been competing really hard.
“There’s some guys there that haven’t played much footy in the last couple of years and Matt Owies comes in and he really lifts the bar in terms of his professionalism and work rate.”
Matthew Owies in action during the practice match between West Coast and Richmond at Mineral Resources Park on February 17, 2025. Picture: Getty Images
McQualter was reluctant to commit to a preferred forward structure before round one, with Archer Reid, Jack Williams and Bailey Williams all competing for a third tall spot in attack. The latter Williams is also pushing Matt Flynn for the No.1 ruck role.
On Reid, who was one of the track stars over summer, McQualter said the 203cm teenager, who extended his initial contract through to the end of 2027, was set up for a strong second season.
“I didn’t know much about Archer before I got here and didn’t know a lot about his history, but from day one of pre-season he’s been ultra impressive,” he said.
“He’s massive, he’s over 200cm, but his athleticism really stands out. He works incredibly hard on his game and he’s a humble kid.
“He’s had the type of pre-season that will set him up for a good year. Whether that’s all year in the AFL or the WAFL, time will tell, but he’s given himself an opportunity.”
