WEST Coast star Jeremy McGovern will front the AFL’s concussion panel in “a few weeks” as the Eagles await clarity on his playing future more than a month after he copped a head knock against Melbourne.
McGovern has been sidelined since early May after entering concussion protocols, with club doctors and the League’s chief medical officer recommending his referral to the specialist panel given he had suffered multiple concussions through his 197-game career.
“He’s got the panel in a few weeks’ time, so it’s a confidential process and we’re not going to go into the detail of it,” McQualter said on Thursday.
“But we’ll have a bit more clarity in a few weeks’ time on where that sits.
“He’s doing well, he’s well supported, and we’ll have a bit more information in a few weeks’ time.”
McQualter said there was no timeframe for co-captain Oscar Allen to provide clarity on his future, with the club working with the free agent’s management through the second half of the season.
Allen has been linked with both Hawthorn and Brisbane but has reignited his season with West Coast after a significantly improved performance against Geelong, booting four goals.
The coach highlighted an early effort from Allen to spoil against Geelong and then run tirelessly to receive a handball, creating a goal and helping fuel his belief and confidence.
“There’s no timeframe. We’re working closely with Oscar and his management crew and our list management, but there’s no timeframe,” McQualter said.
Oscar Allen celebrates a goal during the R12 match between West Coast and Geelong at Optus Stadium on June 1, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
“He’s doing a terrific job at the moment. He’s leading our team very well and probably played his best game for the year last week. He’s in a good space, so we’ll just keep working with him.”
The Eagles face North Melbourne in Bunbury on Sunday, getting a bonus game in Western Australia after the Kangaroos sold successive ‘home’ games to the state as part of a three-year deal.
The Eagles will travel by bus on Saturday and then train at Hands Oval in the afternoon, with McQualter grateful to avoid a week of travel.
Experienced forwards Jamie Cripps and Liam Ryan are both chances to return for the match after recovering from knee and leg injuries respectively, while ruck Bailey Williams will push to take on Tristan Xerri after being managed last week against Geelong.
“He’s one of the premier rucks in the competition, no doubt, and he’s been in good form,” McQualter said of Xerri, who leads the AFL for hitouts to advantage (11.5) and is No.1 among rucks for clearances (7.6).
“We’ve got some good plans that we’ve put in place and we’ll train some today and we’ll have more plans ready for game day as well.
“Archer (Reid) rucked quite well last week for what it’s worth, and we know Jack Williams can really ruck as well, so that’s going to be part of our decision making this afternoon in match committee.”
Mid-season recruit Tom McCarthy missed training on Thursday because of a family commitment in Melbourne, with McQualter highlighting that the No.1 rookie selection and fellow newcomer Jacob Newton will be learning a new system as they push to eventually make their AFL debuts.
“We’re doing a hell of a lot of education at the moment and a hell of a lot of training, and there’s a lag effect of when it comes out on the field,” McQualter said.
“So I think you see with other clubs when they’ve had new coaches come in, it takes a period of time before you get consistent with the game plan and the style of play.
“We’re just going to keep evolving and hopefully the second half of this year becomes more consistent for us.
