West Coast Eagles coach Andrew McQualter wants mature players as well as draftees

West Australian

a day ago

West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has expressed his desire to add 'mature' players to the Eagles' list, as well as hitting the young talent pool in the draft.
It comes as AFL great Leigh Matthews came out in support of the club receiving a priority pick, while former Geelong champion Jimmy Bartel laid out a list of experienced opposition players the rebuilding club could target.
West Coast's lack of experience has been apparent throughout their one-win campaign, particularly in midfield.
With injuries to key players such as Elliot Yeo, Jeremy McGovern, Jake Waterman and co-captain Oscar Allen, the burden has been left on first and second-year players who are trying to find their way in the competition.
And while McQualter said the draft would be a major priority given the Eagles have already sewn up the No.1 pick, he added he was keen to add experience to the list as they did last year with Tigers duo Liam Baker and Jack Graham.
'Clearly, we are going to target the draft and aim for some talent, and we still need to get some mature people into our list as well,' he told 7NEWS.
'That's where we're at. Unfortunately, we've had Jeremy McGovern retire a bit unexpectedly this year, so we lose some depth there, and there will be a couple of other areas we look to improve.
'That's where Elliot Yeo would have come in handy this year, and we're looking forward to Elliot playing next year. He's been a huge loss for us. And Dom Sheed, as well, is a really experienced midfielder, so there's no doubt we've been a bit barren in that area of the ground.
'We'll look to keep developing the players we've got and try and support them with what's needed around them.'
West Coast are also set to attempt to speed up their rebuild by applying for a priority pick from the AFL, dividing opinion.
However, Matthews said they 'absolutely' needed it.
'If you're ever going to give a priority pick again, they've been bad enough for long enough. I know they won the premiership in 2018, but if you're that bad, it's about the first draft choice this year might go to the Eagles and he might think 'oh terrific, I'm down the bottom of the ladder for the next (years)', 'he told On The Couch.
'You've got to make sure equalisation works. They're rich and they're powerful, but you can't buy the premiership in modern footy, which is a good thing.
'They are going to have to draft really well, and I look back at the Suns. You remember the Suns were down at the bottom about six years ago, they got a priority pick, and they were down at the bottom, so they got Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson.
'The Suns have sort of built their team off the back of their example, so this is what the Eagles' challenge is to be.'
Speaking on Channel 9, Bartel laid out a list of players he felt could help take the Eagles forward as they fight to get out of their worst slump in club history.
The former Cat offered up names such as Collingwood midfielder and 2018 Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell, alongside WA's Mitch Duncan, St Kilda captain Jack Steele, as well as Tom McDonald and Alex Davies.
'You add the fact Oscar Allen may be out the door (at season's end), you've had three medical retirements and a number of senior players leave in recent times, should they be exploring the same idea that North Melbourne went down?' he said.
'Alex Davies, we know he's under contract, but he's a young player who's too good to be playing in the second-tier competition.
'Tom McDonald, of course, Tom Mitchell still wants to play footy.
'Mitch Duncan is a West Australian, and I know he's very settled in Geelong, but I'm just talking about really experienced, real professional players who know and go about their business.'
Mitchell is out of contract at the end of the season, as is Duncan.
Steele, who has been relegated to the sub role in recent weeks despite being the Saints' captain, has a further year to run on his contract, so would need a trade to be able to head west.
Davies is a younger option at 23, but he has struggled to break into a powerful Gold Coast outfit.