‘It was factually wrong’: McQualter opens up on Eagles meeting
West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has revealed everything was put on the table during the recent meeting between the club’s hierarchy and senior players, but says it’s factually incorrect to label it an intervention.
The Eagles’ football department met with a core of the club’s senior players last month following West Coast’s disastrous 0-5 start to the season.
Players were free to air their thoughts and grievances at the meeting, and it led to a much-improved performance in their two-point loss to Essendon just days later.
Last-placed West Coast are now 0-7 following last week’s 50-point defeat to Hawthorn, but McQualter hopes the meeting has provided a path forward for the club to fix any problems.
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The meeting had been labelled an intervention in the press, but McQualter said that wasn’t the case.
“Look, I just knew it was factually wrong,” McQualter said on Thursday.
“That was my reaction.
“I mentioned it two or three weeks ago. We haven’t kept this as a secret.
“I think any organisation that’s underperforming that doesn’t get their most influential people in a room to figure it out is being negligent.
“We don’t shy away from it. We we want to improve as quickly as we can.
“We’re not happy with where we are. It was a super productive meeting. Everything was on the table.”
West Coast have stumbled from one bad headline to the next all season.
Captain Oscar Allen, who is a free agent, issued a public apology to fans earlier this season after it was revealed he had met up with Hawks coach Sam Mitchell.
West Coast’s training standards have been brought into question, with even forward Jake Waterman suggesting the club’s younger players needed to lift their act.
In more bad news, Elliot Yeo’s return may be further delayed, with the star midfielder having met a surgeon this week.
Yeo injured his ankle and knee during the pre-season and is yet to play this year.
He was initially expected to return in the first third of the season, but is now listed as TBC on the club’s injury update.
In another development, there’s reports premiership forward Liam Ryan, who is contracted until the end of 2026, is open to leaving the club at the end of the year.
“I think if I’m an opposition club, Liam is a player that I’d like to try to get, because he’s an exceptional player,” McQualter said when asked about Ryan.
“But I think if you look at the way Liam is playing this year, and then look at the way he trained, he is heavily invested in our team.
“He’s probably chasing harder than anyone on our team.
“Every week, he’s maxing out with his defensive efforts, which is what we ask of him, and we know the talent on the other side of the ball that he’s got. So yeah, he’s incredibly invested.”
AAP
