News Offseason Staffing Changes - 2025 Edition

[Keys]

FYI - This is/was the 2025 coaching panel

• Senior Coach- Andrew McQualter

Andrew Mcqualter

Age

39

Ht

179cm

Wt

74kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.9

3star

K

5.6

2star

HB

7.2

4star

M

3.4

3star

T

3.6

5star

G

0.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

13.6

4star

K

7.6

3star

HB

6.0

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.4

4star

G

0.2

3star

• Midfield Coach - Jarrad Schofield

Jarrad Schofield

Age

51

Ht

178cm

Wt

80kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.0

4star

K

10.5

4star

HB

5.5

4star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.4

3star

No current season stats available

D

6.0

2star

K

3.4

2star

HB

2.6

3star

M

1.6

2star

T

0.8

3star

• Backline Coach - Luke Webster

Luke Webster

Age

43

Ht

186cm

Wt

91kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.2

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

4.2

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.1

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.8

3star

K

6.6

3star

HB

3.2

3star

M

3.4

4star

T

2.0

4star

• Forwards Coach - Marco Bello
• Stoppage Coach - Luke Shuey

13

Luke Shuey

Age

35

Ht

184cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.7

5star

K

13.0

5star

HB

10.7

5star

M

3.3

3star

T

4.9

5star

CL

5.6

5star

D

18.7

4star

K

10.8

4star

HB

7.8

4star

M

2.8

3star

T

2.7

4star

CL

4.3

5star

D

17.0

5star

K

9.2

4star

HB

7.8

5star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.8

5star

CL

1.4

4star

• Ruck Coach - Ryan Turnbull

• Head of Development - Jamie Maddocks
• Development Manager - Steve Trewhella
• WAFL Coach - Kyal Horsley

Kyal Horsley

Age

38

Ht

182cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.6

4star

K

9.0

3star

HB

7.6

5star

M

3.2

3star

T

4.5

5star

CL

2.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

19.6

5star

K

11.6

4star

HB

8.0

5star

M

4.2

4star

T

7.2

5star

CL

3.0

5star

• Development Coach (Forwards) - Jacob Brennan

Jacob Brennan

Age

36

Ht

188cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

10.2

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

2.8

2star

M

3.1

3star

T

2.6

4star

No current season stats available

D

9.2

3star

K

7.2

3star

HB

2.0

2star

M

2.6

3star

T

1.6

4star

• Development Coach (Game Fundamentals) - Shannon Hurn

25

Shannon Hurn

Age

38

Ht

187cm

Wt

95kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.9

5star

K

15.7

5star

HB

5.2

4star

M

7.0

5star

T

1.6

4star

MG

389.5

5star

D

16.1

4star

K

12.1

5star

HB

4.0

3star

M

5.3

5star

T

1.0

2star

MG

271.6

4star

D

19.0

5star

K

11.6

4star

HB

7.4

5star

M

6.8

5star

T

1.6

4star

• Indigenous Player Development Manager - Chance Bateman

Chance Bateman

Age

44

Ht

175cm

Wt

75kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.1

4star

K

8.8

3star

HB

6.3

4star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.1

4star

CL

1.1

3star

No current season stats available

D

18.6

5star

K

11.0

4star

HB

7.6

5star

M

4.6

5star

T

2.8

5star

CL

1.2

4star

• High Performance Manager - Mat Inness

New appointments for 2026:

• Sam Radford - Midfield Coach
• Mitch Duncan - Backline Coach
• Phil Merriman - High Performance Manager

 

[kane249]

What the heck? Didn’t the campaigner just get here?

End of 2023, Langer used his connection to get him across from the Bulldogs

 

[Goroyals22]

 

[Wooshaaaa]

WTF.

What campaigner thing to do.

Who doesn't he gets on with?

Relationship breakdown or $$$ grab.

 

[Tugga27]

Time for us to dig deep and try and poach Damien Austin from the Lions or another well credentialled name.

It's time we started holding people to their contracts if it doesn't benefit us methinks.

 

[squashface]

Off the top of my head that's now 3 recent off field highly regarded hires that have bailed under contract not long after starting.

Mitchell, Glass and now Inness.

Very annoying.

 

[Bender_]

Glass had to leave coz of a workplace relationship though.

 

[kane249]

I think it's the NBA where you have to give a draft pick or cash to the club you are poaching from if you take their contracted staff

Wonder if we ever get that in the AFL

 

[WCE777]

Time for us to dig deep and try and poach Damien Austin from the Lions or another well credentialled name.

It's time we started holding people to their contracts if it doesn't benefit us methinks.

If he is contract should be a simple no.
He has been very important to WC, more so than plenty of our other development coaches.
Move on a couple of them and up the $$ to keep.
Not sure what's behind him wanting to return to VIC?
Especially late in the season?
What and who is D Austin?

 

[Byron_Clanger]

I thought we only just got the guy, now he's out the door? Can we please start acting like 'the richest club in the league' for once and try to keep these people around?

Are we a shoe-string budget club now? Poverty organisation on AND off the field.

 

[Tugga27]

If he is contract should be a simple no.
He has been very important to WC, more so than plenty of our other development coaches.
Move on a couple of them and up the $$ to keep.
Not sure what's behind him wanting to return to VIC?
Especially late in the season?
What and who is D Austin?

The post about yours has Tom Morris saying he's contracted.
He probably signed a 3 year deal.

Austin is the high performance manager for Brisbane.

 

[Bender_]

I thought we only just got the guy, now he's out the door? Can we please start acting like 'the richest club in the league' for once and try to keep these people around?

Are we a shoe-string budget club now? Poverty organisation on AND off the field.

Hey Jimmy, there's a thing called a salary cap that applies to players and staff. Might wanna look into it.

 

[WCE777]

The post about yours has Tom Morris saying he's contracted.
He probably signed a 3 year deal.

Austin is the high performance manager for Brisbane.

thanks, just did a google and he has been there a long time and across multiple sports.
Wouldn't think we could get him out of there.
Not sure what has been the breakdown with Inness, relationship or something as there have been a few reports that ESS have been after him for a few weeks?

 

[Patterz123]

It's a shame, as i remember the talk when he joined us was we wouldn't reap the benefits immediately of the new fitness and conditioning program. It would take 2-3 pre seasons before noticeable improvements, and we are just starting to head that way now.

 

[Elite Pete]

I’m sure they will release him even if contracted because that’s how soft the AFL world is but you’d think we would’ve had some heads up and would be already in our process again to fill the role. Huge appointment coming up

 

[Tugga27]

thanks, just did a google and he has been there a long time and across multiple sports.
Wouldn't think we could get him out of there.
Not sure what has been the breakdown with Inness, relationship or something as there have been a few reports that ESS have been after him for a few weeks?

We have Simmo's salary off the books this year.

We just have to offer some big coin to someone to see if we can turn their head I think.

 

[Wooshaaaa]

I’m sure they will release him even if contracted because that’s how soft the AFL world is but you’d think we would’ve had some heads up and would be already in our process again to fill the role. Huge appointment coming up

Maybe we ousted him for a bigger fish!

 

[DanWCE]

Off the top of my head that's now 3 recent off field highly regarded hires that have bailed under contract not long after starting.

Mitchell, Glass and now Inness.

Very annoying.

When it Rayne's it pours

 

[Convocation]

He joined us just under 2 years ago
We can be ruthless all we want and try and keep him to the contract, but if wants to return for any of the following:

• family reasons
• hasn't been able to settle
• proffessional networks/contacts, still an Adjuct Research Fellow with Victoria University

Then we should have been aware he was always potentially a flight risk, and should have put every measure in place to mittagate that risk. If we didn't, and we will never know, that is on us. Either way there is very little we can do to keep him, if you understand anything about employment law

Re Austin, it was reported earlier that he was also in communication / a target for the Bombers, and shold be on our radar for a conversation should there not have been a planned succession put in practice already.

 

[ioppolo]

I think it's the NBA where you have to give a draft pick or cash to the club you are poaching from if you take their contracted staff

Wonder if we ever get that in the AFL

Essendon's first rounder seems fair.

Picks 1, 2 & 5

 

[Tugga27]

He joined us just under 2 years ago
We can be ruthless all we want and try and keep him to the contract, but if wants to return for any of the following:

• family reasons
• hasn't been able to settle
• proffessional networks/contacts, still an Adjuct Research Fellow with Victoria University

Then we should have been aware he was always potentially a flight risk, and should have put every measure in place to mittagate that risk. If we didn't, and we will never know, that is on us. Either way there is very little we can do to keep him, if you understand anything about employment law

Re Austin, it was reported earlier that he was also in communication / a target for the Bombers, and shold be on our radar for a conversation should there not have been a planned succession put in practice already.

I don't know anything about employment law.
Why can't we hold him to his contract?

Need some insight from Miguel Sanchez I think.

 

[Elite Pete]

Maybe we ousted him for a bigger fish!

That’s always the hope. You would think a lot of work would’ve already been done on that.

 

[WCErevival]

Why don't we hire Jamieson as the health and fitness guy. He's basically done a 2 year apprenticeship.

 

[squashface]

Why don't we hire Jamieson as the health and fitness guy. He's basically done a 2 year apprenticeship.

Already has an office on the outer oval

 

[Goroyals22]

He joined us just under 2 years ago
We can be ruthless all we want and try and keep him to the contract, but if wants to return for any of the following:

• family reasons
• hasn't been able to settle
• proffessional networks/contacts, still an Adjuct Research Fellow with Victoria University

Then we should have been aware he was always potentially a flight risk, and should have put every measure in place to mittagate that risk. If we didn't, and we will never know, that is on us. Either way there is very little we can do to keep him, if you understand anything about employment law

Re Austin, it was reported earlier that he was also in communication / a target for the Bombers, and shold be on our radar for a conversation should there not have been a planned succession put in practice already.

One thing Matt wasn’t was a flight risk, he moved over here to play shield cricket, was working at east Perth colts as their fitness guy when he retired then ended up back in Melbourne for the bulldogs job.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

I don't know anything about employment law.
Why can't we hold him to his contract?

Need some insight from Miguel Sanchez I think.

Hadn’t thought about that to be honest, I was thinking about the situation where players threaten to break their contracts because that’s obviously what we’re more used to.

If he wants to break his contract presumably there’s a no-compete clause that would prevent him from joining another football club that’s in direct competition with WCE. Whether or not it’s enforceable would be a matter for the courts (if we wanted to enforce it) but I think there’d be a good argument to stop him going to Essendon.

If he wanted to quit and join Cricket Australia or something we might have more difficulty trying to stop that.