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

50

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

35

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 - Assistant Coach
• Mitch Duncan - Assistant/Development Coach
• Phil Merriman - High Performance Manager

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Not impossible that this is a push from Innes/his management to get some of the coin freed up by Simmo coming out of the soft cap this year. Same thing happens with the players. Eg. Yeo who was never going to Adelaide or back to Brisbane. He seems to have been good. Hope he stays. If he doesn't maybe its time to push for compo from the team taking him as he's contracted. Would Essendon bump up there offer for Ryan if we let Innes walk?

Do non-playing staff have managers?

In any case, who needs a fitness guy. Youtube is full of tutorials, the players can just DIY it all.

 

[squashface]

It’s only because of need in this case, he's quite happy with the Eagles. If he was from WA and working in Vic, it would reverse and he would be coming here. It’s not a vAFL thing.

For sure, not blaming him. If he has to go then fair enough.

But when this stuff keeps happening I’m sure the appetite to lure the best off field staff from interstate drops and we get restricted to hiring WA ones. Which significantly diminishes our ability to improve and become a powerhouse again.

Which is fine but when Vic media cry about us asking for an assistance package because we are too rich and powerful that’s when it annoys me.

 

[Wooshaaaa]

Even better, if the Eagles take the obvious option/replacement presented to them on a platter, it will be an upgrade. And Inness is good, not many better.

So Andrew Russel

 

[bigmikles089]

Eagles farewell High Performance Manager

Mathew Inness will depart the Eagles, returning home to Melbourne

www.westcoasteagles.com.au

Club is citing family reasons.

 

[Rowan18]

That sucks! Hope they can secure another gun.

 

[Chris_6678]

Worst possible timing too.

Mini would want a plan in place for the players to be ready for pre-season...

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Surely the good things he did have been embedded into the club's processes and don't magically disappear when he leaves?

 

[Broken_Chairs]

Eagles farewell High Performance Manager

Mathew Inness will depart the Eagles, returning home to Melbourne

www.westcoasteagles.com.au

Club is citing family reasons.

Points to the issues for WA clubs in attracting and retaining top off-field talent.

How many east coast personnel leave for "family reasons"

 

[Bender_]

Points to the issues for WA clubs in attracting and retaining top off-field talent.

How many east coast personnel leave for "family reasons"

Begs the question also - if the Bombers didn’t have a position, would he still be returning to Victoria unemployed?

I get why he's doing it, it's just also nicely convenient that he gets to return to his family at the same time a new position has opened up and he's been head hunted.

Oh well, good luck to him. Hopefully we've learnt some good practices off him and can continue to use them.

 

[Astro7]

Re Inness and others, it's difficult to know sometimes whether they genuinely pulled the trigger themselves, or were given a push, with an honourable exit?

 

[Donkers]

Bombers paying Innes almost double is what I heard.

 

[Bender_]

Bombers paying Innes almost double is what I heard.

"My family needs a solid gold toilet for reasons."


*this is an attempt at humour BTW, no idea what's going on with his family etc.

 

[BSD]

Points to the issues for WA clubs in attracting and retaining top off-field talent.

How many east coast personnel leave for "family reasons"

Family Reasons = more dollars.

 

[Mr Q]

Family Reasons = more dollars.

To be fair, that's not an unjustifiable "family reason".

 

[wce_all_da_way]

Points to the issues for WA clubs in attracting and retaining top off-field talent.

How many east coast personnel leave for "family reasons"

How good is the soft cap!! Really equalises the game when the majority of the footy world can just move down the road for the same pay and not move interstate.

 

[Mr Q]

Points to the issues for WA clubs in attracting and retaining top off-field talent.

How many east coast personnel leave for "family reasons"

There are a multitude of problems in the AFL which all lead back to the same thing: there are way too many teams in Victoria.

Had the AFL been formed as a new structure, not because Victorian footy was about to bankrupt itself, there would be no more than five teams in Victoria. Probably including Geelong.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Tim Kelly

11

Tim Kelly

Age

31

Ht

184cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

23.6

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

10.1

5star

M

3.4

3star

T

4.0

5star

CL

4.9

5star

D

19.9

5star

K

12.3

5star

HB

7.6

4star

M

3.1

3star

T

4.7

5star

CL

3.6

4star

D

21.6

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.2

5star

M

2.8

3star

T

3.8

5star

CL

3.8

5star

came home for family reasons

 

[Keys]

Mitchell left after two years citing family reasons

Knights left after three years citing family reasons

Inness now leaving after two years citing family reasons

Hansen ruled himself out of the senior coaching position citing family reasons

Fremantle have experienced similar issues, most recently with Bob Murphy returning to Victoria after a short stint in WA

Both WA clubs are at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining off field staff because the available pool of talent is significantly diminished. The reduction in the soft cap hasn’t helped as it’s forced clubs to pay staff below their true worth making a move interstate even less attractive

Pisses me off when we’ve found a good operator and one of our best appointments in recent times at an important time in our rebuild

 

[wirra44]

Surely the good things he did have been embedded into the club's processes and don't magically disappear when he leaves?

Not necessarily we might hire a new head of high performance and he may have totally different views and ways of doing things, it’s like getting a new coach there’s always going to be changes.

Out of all the losses we’ve had this could be the biggest, would of been great to see how we went under him for another preseason.

 

[JoshWoodenSpoon]

Reminds me of DAustin

 

[Keys]

Even better, if the Eagles take the obvious option/replacement presented to them on a platter, it will be an upgrade. And Inness is good, not many better.

Who might that be?

 

[GenericUsername202]

Mitchell left after two years citing family reasons

Knights left after three years citing family reasons

Inness now leaving after two years citing family reasons

Hansen ruled himself out of the senior coaching position citing family reasons

Fremantle have experienced similar issues, most recently with Bob Murphy returning to Victoria after a short stint in WA

Both WA clubs are at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining off field staff because the available pool of talent is significantly diminished. The reduction in the soft cap hasn’t helped as it’s forced clubs to pay staff below their true worth making a move interstate even less attractive

Pisses me off when we’ve found a good operator and one of our best appointments in recent times at an important time in our rebuild

Brisbane fan here, but why doesn't West Coast pay overs to bring the best people to the club? You can go over the soft cap if you're willing to pay the fine, and the eagles are the richest club in the league, which means you could easily afford the fine. I get you're at a disadvantage, but i feel like your club doesn't make the most of its resources, because in the end, money will always usually win. If i supported your club, i would be more annoyed at your club not being able to flex itself in this way more than your staff members leaving for other clubs.

 

[Wooshaaaa]

Brisbane fan here, but why doesn't West Coast pay overs to bring the best people to the club? You can go over the soft cap if you're willing to pay the fine, and the eagles are the richest club in the league, which means you could easily afford the fine. I get you're at a disadvantage, but i feel like your club doesn't make the most of its resources, because in the end, money will always usually win. If i supported your club, i would be more annoyed at your club not being able to flex itself in this way more than your staff members leaving for other clubs.

We just did that by having to pay our Adam Simpson 1million contract this year!!! Fair to say we will pay a huge fine for that. Now that's off the books, yes we will need to offer dumb money for lure staff and coaches.

The AFL really need to stop being campaigners and significantly increase the cap. It's not sustainable for level of professionalism.

And now with Tassie the soft cap exemptions they'll get will be huge.

 

[squashface]

Begs the question also - if the Bombers didn’t have a position, would he still be returning to Victoria unemployed?

I get why he's doing it, it's just also nicely convenient that he gets to return to his family at the same time a new position has opened up and he's been head hunted.

Oh well, good luck to him. Hopefully we've learnt some good practices off him and can continue to use them.

Yeah desperate to get home except now he is strengthening a competitor team despite being under contract with us. Same as what Mitchell did.

 

[Tugga27]

Re Inness and others, it's difficult to know sometimes whether they genuinely pulled the trigger themselves, or were given a push, with an honourable exit?

Why on earth would we be pushing Innes out?