Coach Welcome to West Coast: Andrew McQualter

[BSD]

With the soft cap increasing finally there is definitely an area for improvement.
Remember mini has only been in the job 5 minutes and would still be working out what he has on his hands assistants wise and also with Worsfold.
There is a paddock full of coaches at WC, and I can understand why there is still so many assistants, development coaches, etc. as mini needed support and stability also.
I don't know the credentials and contract status of G Bell, L Webster, J Brennan but there would be 3 that I would start with.
WC obviously rate Harry Taylor around the club and seems very well regarded by players, he also had a high performance role with Geelong which I would assume was standards setting and development, could easily replace a couple our many development coaches with someone like him.

Why do we need a general manager of football (Bell) and a director of football (Worsfold) ?

 

[WCE777]

Why do we need a general manager of football (Bell) and a director of football (Worsfold) ?

we don't, Worsfold would be enough, even though he is spread across AFL/WAFL/AFLW.

 

[Cuzz09]

First 28 quarters of 2025 we won 2 qtrs

Next 28 quarters of 2025 we won 11.5 qtrs

Slowly improving

Bridge the gap and have less damaging losing qtrs in the 2nd half would be nice

 

[Bender_]

First 28 quarters of 2025 we won 2 qtrs

Next 28 quarters of 2025 we won 11.5 qtrs

Slowly improving

Bridge the gap and have less damaging losing qtrs in the 2nd half would be nice

We've also played against lower quality opposition since the opening 7 rounds, I think that we've definitely improved but the teams we've played have been more towards the bottom - other than Geelong.

 

[JackOutback]

Mini has inherited nearly all of Simmos paddock of assistants and development coaches with the exception of the useless Matthew Knights who returned to Victoria and was replaced by Mello. Shannon Hurn was a addition this year.

Mini probably had no say on who he got as assistants. Mini has proved he can coach and should be given a free hand to choose who he wannts instead of the ******s he inherited. Time to change things if we want to go forward.
Why isn't Harry Taylor who was a top class defender at Geelong coaching our backline instead of that Dorker Luke Webster. Give Mello the flick and bring in Josh Kennedy.
The development coaches should be spending their time on the beagles. Maybe there are too many coaches/cooks and the players are getting mixed messages on what and how to do it.

Star players don't always make star coaches. And JK seems like a softly spoken bloke who prefers to chill than drill skills into a team of youngsters.

 

[Cuzz09]

We've also played against lower quality opposition since the opening 7 rounds, I think that we've definitely improved but the teams we've played have been more towards the bottom - other than Geelong.

ah bugger, that's true.

Shiiiiiiit

 

[Ruben Grubarb]

Ambrose, The solution to the problem you see is right there, get rid of the mids and forward line assistant coaches.
Time to get ruthless or be content to stay at the bottom of the ladder for many years to come.

I agree that Mini needs to bring in his own people, and particularly guys like Shuey need to go elsewhere. But this rebuild will take time and we're tracking ok. You can't just get a bunch of young players and expect them to be competitive.

 

[Ruben Grubarb]

Mini has inherited nearly all of Simmos paddock of assistants and development coaches with the exception of the useless Matthew Knights who returned to Victoria and was replaced by Mello. Shannon Hurn was a addition this year.

Mini probably had no say on who he got as assistants. Mini has proved he can coach and should be given a free hand to choose who he wannts instead of the ******s he inherited. Time to change things if we want to go forward.
Why isn't Harry Taylor who was a top class defender at Geelong coaching our backline instead of that Dorker Luke Webster. Give Mello the flick and bring in Josh Kennedy.
The development coaches should be spending their time on the beagles. Maybe there are too many coaches/cooks and the players are getting mixed messages on what and how to do it.

This is a wild post. I get we need to make changes. But not because we're poor on the field, but because Mini needs his own people come in and be on his program from the get go. But you're naming guys that you know nothing about. That's wild.

We're moving. We've left the dock. it's a long voyage. Remain calm.

 

[flamingEMBERS]

There’s no way you’re watching Allen dive on every ground ball on the wing to belt it forward any way possible and arriving at that conclusion.

No pretending his impact was any good yesterday but it’s absolutely not for a lack of effort or taking an easy way out of any contest.

Sits 80m from our player with the ball waving it to come long for a speccy. How about lead champ. That’s the Allen I’ve seen since he came back last year.

As Gretel Killeen would say, ”it’s times to go……..Oscar”

 

[BSD]

we don't, Worsfold would be enough, even though he is spread across AFL/WAFL/AFLW.

Sack Bell ?

 

[BSD]

Star players don't always make star coaches. And JK seems like a softly spoken bloke who prefers to chill than drill skills into a team of youngsters.

Crap Dockers players don't make good coaches either .

 

[Eaglemaniac]

My concern with mini is his reluctance to drop players who are out of form and his use of the sub. Archer stayed in for way too long when he wasnt providing anything much up forward, Kelly has been rubbish for a long stretch, same as Cripps, and Flynn is flat out useless as a ruck so should have been dropped ages ago.

As far as the sub goes, we’ve all seen his terrible treatment of both Gross and Bo when they were sub, but on the weekend we were clearly too tall in wet conditions, and yet he took off a runner instead of our useless ruckman.

Having said that there are good signs in game style, but the fact that we don’t seem to be getting better at hitting targets as the year progresses and we get more used to the different game plan is a concern. No game plan works when you can’t hit a teammate with a simple kick or handball. Hopefully things improve soon in all regards.

 

[RustyShacklefordFalcon]

Few posters in here giving tiny peens a bad name

 

[ioppolo]

My concern with mini is his reluctance to drop players who are out of form and his use of the sub. Archer stayed in for way too long when he wasnt providing anything much up forward, Kelly has been rubbish for a long stretch, same as Cripps, and Flynn is flat out useless as a ruck so should have been dropped ages ago.

As far as the sub goes, we’ve all seen his terrible treatment of both Gross and Bo when they were sub, but on the weekend we were clearly too tall in wet conditions, and yet he took off a runner instead of our useless ruckman.

Having said that there are good signs in game style, but the fact that we don’t seem to be getting better at hitting targets as the year progresses and we get more used to the different game plan is a concern. No game plan works when you can’t hit a teammate with a simple kick or handball. Hopefully things improve soon in all regards.

The problem with Flynn is who do we play instead? Bailey should stay up forward. Archer Reid in the ruck? That won't end any better.

 

[rebel23]

I agree that Mini needs to bring in his own people, and particularly guys like Shuey need to go elsewhere. But this rebuild will take time and we're tracking ok. You can't just get a bunch of young players and expect them to be competitive.

I doubt that he has his own people...

He's bloody young still

 

[Ruben Grubarb]

I doubt that he has his own people...

He's bloody young still

I think he has 3 daughters.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

I doubt that he has his own people...

He's bloody young still

He’s been an assistant coach for 15 years and been around footy his whole life.

He’d have his own connections, and he’d have people who he thinks share his same footy philosophy.

I don’t think he’d have his own people in the same way Simmo had Rawlings for eg. But that might be a good thing.

 

[Rowan18]

My concern with mini is his reluctance to drop players who are out of form and his use of the sub. Archer stayed in for way too long when he wasnt providing anything much up forward, Kelly has been rubbish for a long stretch, same as Cripps, and Flynn is flat out useless as a ruck so should have been dropped ages ago.

As far as the sub goes, we’ve all seen his terrible treatment of both Gross and Bo when they were sub, but on the weekend we were clearly too tall in wet conditions, and yet he took off a runner instead of our useless ruckman.

Having said that there are good signs in game style, but the fact that we don’t seem to be getting better at hitting targets as the year progresses and we get more used to the different game plan is a concern. No game plan works when you can’t hit a teammate with a simple kick or handball. Hopefully things improve soon in all regards.

Just remember that he needs to assess the list this year as much as he needs to bed in a gameplan. Now the team is showing they can actually play his way for a quarter or two, he can start to see who fits in where.

Look at some of the changes he's already done: Dewar to HB (instead of wing/forward), Brockman to Mid/forward (instead of small forward), Harley from HB to Mid/forward, B Williams finally playing key forward and actually doing well.

I expect a decent list cull at the end of the year and a bunch of role players traded in. I'm always overly optimistic, but I think we'll jump up to Mid table next year based on the improvements to date. Him playing senior/established players despite poor form may also be a way of shining the spotlight on them to all him to pull them at the end of the year (once it's abundantly clear they don't fit in).

 

[WCE777]

Just remember that he needs to assess the list this year as much as he needs to bed in a gameplan. Now the team is showing they can actually play his way for a quarter or two, he can start to see who fits in where.

Look at some of the changes he's already done: Dewar to HB (instead of wing/forward), Brockman to Mid/forward (instead of small forward), Harley from HB to Mid/forward, B Williams finally playing key forward and actually doing well.

I expect a decent list cull at the end of the year and a bunch of role players traded in. I'm always overly optimistic, but I think we'll jump up to Mid table next year based on the improvements to date. Him playing senior/established players despite poor form may also be a way of shining the spotlight on them to all him to pull them at the end of the year (once it's abundantly clear they don't fit in).

all this

 

[TY24]

As far as the sub goes, we’ve all seen his terrible treatment of both Gross and Bo when they were sub, but on the weekend we were clearly too tall in wet conditions, and yet he took off a runner instead of our useless ruckman

You think Flynn should’ve been subbed off instead of someone who had 2 disposals, 1 turnover, 0 marks, and 0 tackles?

I’m not pretending Flynn played well by any stretch, but if you told me Hunt didn’t play on the weekend, I’d believe you.

 

[Chris_6678]

Just remember that he needs to assess the list this year as much as he needs to bed in a gameplan. Now the team is showing they can actually play his way for a quarter or two, he can start to see who fits in where.

Look at some of the changes he's already done: Dewar to HB (instead of wing/forward), Brockman to Mid/forward (instead of small forward), Harley from HB to Mid/forward, B Williams finally playing key forward and actually doing well.

I expect a decent list cull at the end of the year and a bunch of role players traded in. I'm always overly optimistic, but I think we'll jump up to Mid table next year based on the improvements to date. Him playing senior/established players despite poor form may also be a way of shining the spotlight on them to all him to pull them at the end of the year (once it's abundantly clear they don't fit in).

Could also add Maric down back ( still had a ways to go in regards to his disposal but he has Hurn helping him), Hutch in the guts & the option of Hough a mid. I also like he isn't afraid to give Ryan decent minutes in the midfield to good effect.

 

[bombard]

Just remember that he needs to assess the list this year as much as he needs to bed in a gameplan. Now the team is showing they can actually play his way for a quarter or two, he can start to see who fits in where.

Look at some of the changes he's already done: Dewar to HB (instead of wing/forward), Brockman to Mid/forward (instead of small forward), Harley from HB to Mid/forward, B Williams finally playing key forward and actually doing well.

I expect a decent list cull at the end of the year and a bunch of role players traded in. I'm always overly optimistic, but I think we'll jump up to Mid table next year based on the improvements to date. Him playing senior/established players despite poor form may also be a way of shining the spotlight on them to all him to pull them at the end of the year (once it's abundantly clear they don't fit in).

+Hough to midfield

 

[Astro7]

Him playing senior/established players despite poor form may also be a way of shining the spotlight on them to all him to pull them at the end of the year (once it's abundantly clear they don't fit in).

He doesn't have any choice but to play the seniors he has, regardless of form. He needs that seniority, experience and leadership out there across the lines, even if they're B-grade players, they're all we have in the tool box. There's not much to sing about in the Wafl for replacements? The senior player's faults are glaringly obvious in most games.

But I like your optimism and let's hope they do well at the trade period and get culling!
It's a lot to take on for a senior coach in his 1st official post, especially based in W.A, the travel being another (big) factor and learning curve. There's so many things to juggle, not just a new coach, but new game plan, a young(ish) squad, wooden spoon team.
But he seems to be tracking okay, the nose is up and heading in the right direction, just a tough back end to the season now with his best Kpp's out.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

He doesn't have any choice but to play the seniors he has, regardless of form. He needs that seniority, experience and leadership out there across the lines, even if they're B-grade players, they're all we have in the tool box. There's not much to sing about in the Wafl for replacements? The senior player's faults are glaringly obvious in most games.

But I like your optimism and let's hope they do well at the trade period and get culling!
It's a lot to take on for a senior coach in his 1st official post, especially based in W.A, the travel being another (big) factor and learning curve. There's so many things to juggle, not just a new coach, but new game plan, a young(ish) squad, wooden spoon team.
But he seems to be tracking okay, the nose is up and heading in the right direction, just a tough back end to the season now with his best Kpp's out.

But they're not providing any leadership and their form is putrid.

Simmo was also hammered from pillar to post for playing the credits crew, which really meant playing out of form experienced players just like McQualter is doing.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

But they're not providing any leadership and their form is putrid.

Simmo was also hammered from pillar to post for playing the credits crew, which really meant playing out of form experienced players just like McQualter is doing.

Simmo had years (3 in fact) to address underperforming senior players and rarely did.

There are some things still stuck in place from simmo era.

If Duggan wasn’t captain I don’t think he’d be in our B23 right now, but mini needs to at least be respectful to leadership group he inherited.

He’s dropped Cole to WAFl to create opportunity. It’s not minis fault that none of the blokes stood up and claimed that spot. Cole was clear BOG when in the WAFL and mini couldn’t over look him.

If Bo keeps his current form, I think it will be hard for Cole to get back in the team.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and we need to give Mini more than 23 games before we judge the decisions he makes/has made. But he is on the right track for mine.