Coach Welcome to West Coast: Andrew McQualter

[Broken_Chairs]

In all honesty, I'm a shitload more positive and confident about our future than I was this time last-year.

In 2024 our wins were driven by the likes of Yeo, Gov, TK & Barrass. Outside of the old blokes, there were few real shining lights. Hewett was MIA, we had no coach, Barrass was out the door, OAllen was dead.

Now at the end of 2025:

• We have a new coach well entrenched. A coach that the players clearly connect with. ️
• We have a modern game plan that when it goes well, can take it up to the top teams. ️
• Baker and Graham were excellent additions. ️
• HR kicked out the 2nd year cobwebs and backed up an incredible first season. ️
• Hewett rose from the dead and played 20 games. Many of those basically as our no. 1 mid. That's an incredible turn around from perhaps never playing again/never playing full time mid. ️
• T Mac was a brilliant mid season find & huge win ️
• Shanahan will be A-Grade ️
• AReid looks a gem, keen to see him play as a third tall/ruck with Waterman back ️
• Ginbey dominated as a KPD ️
• Gross looked v good as an 18yo mid. Going to be a gun ️
• Chess showing he can play ️
• Really like what Brock offers, and Hedwards looks AFL quality ️
• Got games into Allan, Hall, Dewar, Bazzo, Grego, Davis - all look promising ️

There's some real positive signs.

Add at least 3 first round picks (inc. 1 & 2) + an AFL level ruck, and 1-2 22-25yo mids and we'll look much more competitive next year.

As poor as our win/loss record is this year, IMO we bottomed out 1-2 years ago. It's all blue skies from here baby.

 

[Ruben Grubarb]

Looked absolutely bereft of ideas today, even without key cattle. I know many are fawning over him saying he’s a great people person and man manager but has he measured up to the KPIs he sold to the club when he was appointed?

Any chance of an end of season poll Biggie?

He's had a good season.

 

[Jeremy McLovin]

Start of the season the most important KPI was to sign Harley. Tick.

Probably the second would have been to see what we have on the list - with everyone but Livingstone debuted, tick.

Distant third was to win games.

I'm happy with the year.

 

[BSD]

Start of the season the most important KPI was to sign Harley. Tick.

Probably the second would have been to see what we have on the list - with everyone but Livingstone debuted, tick.

Distant third was to win games.

I'm happy with the year.

Harley's strong relationship with and trust in Mini were the main reasons Harley signed the contract extension.

 

[BSD]

He's had a good season.

Just maybe the club also had to sell themselves to him, as there weren't a lot of suitable applicants.
In helping keep Harley at the club Mini has ticked the biggest possible box at the club.

 

[FKASC]

Expectations for 2025

Carrying this on from previous seasons. In 2023 we had 3 wins with a percentage of 53. 2024 we had 5 wins with a percentage of 68. So what are we expecting for next year? I'd like to think we can get somewhere between 7 to 8 wins with a percentage in the eighties.

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Bender_]

Really happy for this guy. Walked into the club at the lowest point in its history and took over. Had possibly the most horrid year in coaching history (to date) and never dropped his head in public. I'd forgive him if he spent more than a few moments contemplating "what have I done?".

I hope he can see the all the hard work bearing fruit and he continues this year on an upwards trajectory - shit he's already doubled his wins for the year from last season just 3 rounds in.

Feel like in all 3 games when he's managed to get us back into the game with strangling pressure and decent forward entries. This current gameplan seems a world away from what I saw (and didn't like) last year of just scrapping it forward.

Cheers to Mini, hope it continues to go well for him.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

Had to use Year Zero to eat a lot of shit and set up the foundations of a very big pivot in game plan.

Thoroughly enjoying what the young kids and reinvigorated seniors are building in Mini’s Year One.

Some great magnet moves as well, and the day someone tells him the game starts at the start of the game he could really be on to something.

 

[bzparkes]

Had to use Year Zero to eat a lot of shit and set up the foundations of a very big pivot in game plan.

Thoroughly enjoying what the young kids and reinvigorated seniors are building in Mini’s Year One.

Some great magnet moves as well, and the day someone tells him the game starts at the start of the game he could really be on to something.

He talked about this in the presser. Said it's a pattern now and is top priority to fix.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

How to come back from behind AND how to maintain a lead in the last are vital skills to develop too.

 

[demondavey]

Up the faaaarkn coasters.

Get around em.

MAKE WEST COAST GREAT AGAIN!!!!!

And look, he is even wearing Melbourne Demons threads on his day off!

 

[Bender_]

I was really worried last week when North started rallying at the beginning of the fourth that this club had forgotten how to win. We've now built a lead and managed to hang on 2 weeks in a row. Still need a fair bit of work in that last 5 minutes icing the game but I don't think we were terrible at it today. Port kept coming on their home ground and we held them off. Was great to see.

 

[Plague]

If anyone watches a lot of combat sports, they'll know that there's a handful of elite fighters out there who essentially always lose the first round. They spend the opening minutes downloading data on their opponent, getting a read on what they're doing and figuring out the best counter strategy. Then they spend the rest of the fight picking their opponent apart, piece by piece, until they get the decisive victory.

This is Mini in a nutshell.

Yes, ideally, we would be game-planning during the week and avoiding the poor starts altogether. But having a coach with the nous to identify what's happening in front of him and the ability to make changes to flip the script in real time is worth its weight in (blue and) gold.

 

[RookiePick]

I was really worried last week when North started rallying at the beginning of the fourth that this club had forgotten how to win. We've now built a lead and managed to hang on 2 weeks in a row. Still need a fair bit of work in that last 5 minutes icing the game but I don't think we were terrible at it today. Port kept coming on their home ground and we held them off. Was great to see.

Both sides of the scenario too. In front of a home crowd willing you over the line and in front of a house full of ferals baying for your blood

 

[Shuestar13]

As great as the past fortnight has been for all of us, for him personally, would feel like a great weight has been lifted. He’s human, despite the outward projection, there may have been some doubts creeping in, in his head as to whether or not he is on the right path and if he can get the group to respond.

So some vindication for him and a big bundle of belief. I am genuinely happy for him, some of the attacks on him (see preseason gameday thread and GC gameday thread were seriously unwarranted). He’s been dealt a shit hand and never complained, just got on with it and has put his all in to getting this group better.

Settling in now, a long way to go of course and a lot of ups and downs but am on board. Good to see he is recognising the starts, but also I do think the players need to take some ownership there as well. Anyway, good on you Mini

 

[Monocle]

I was really worried last week when North started rallying at the beginning of the fourth that this club had forgotten how to win. We've now built a lead and managed to hang on 2 weeks in a row. Still need a fair bit of work in that last 5 minutes icing the game but I don't think we were terrible at it today. Port kept coming on their home ground and we held them off. Was great to see.

Bender I think we all were.

 

[sharps24]

Ok he's finally officially gone past Schofield on wins in charge of West Coast, time to get onboard everyone.

 

[WCE777]

I would also like to add my congrats to our coach that others just posted.

For those looking closely the 2nd half against GC "Mini" was coaching different and applying different tactics to last year.
He looks to have started getting results from all the philosophy and hard work his coaching group have put in, well done.
The shit show he was dealt in our list was unfair TBH.
The way he is getting buy in with the game plan and hard nosed pressure he wants from the players is evolving before our eyes.
Long way to go but it's going to be a fun watch over the next few years

 

[BartBart]

Up the faaaarkn coasters.

Get around em.

MAKE WEST COAST GREAT AGAIN!!!!!

And look, he is even wearing Melbourne Demons threads on his day off!




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Just please don't link us to the world's idiot or any of his stupid, inane slogans. Please?

 

[CoastersFlag No.5]

Could see a very happy coach and very happy team makes me vèry happy. Good times.

 

[Mudguts12]

Trust in Mini

 

[JoshWoodenSpoon]

Had to use Year Zero to eat a lot of shit and set up the foundations of a very big pivot in game plan.

Thoroughly enjoying what the young kids and reinvigorated seniors are building in Mini’s Year One.

Some great magnet moves as well, and the day someone tells him the game starts at the start of the game he could really be on to something.

I myself am looking forward to Gathering Year.

 

[Matele]

having a coach with the nous to identify what's happening in front of him and the ability to make changes to flip the script in real time is worth its weight in (blue and) gold.

Something frustrating about the way Simmo coached was that he’d stick to plan A regardless of result, there was rarely an adaption to game style. Mini has adjusted the play twice in two weeks to great effect.

I’m all in on this guy taking us back to the promised land.

 

[Keys]

Proud dad areas

 

[bzparkes]

I myself am looking forward to Gathering Year.

We already had that in 2020/2021