New West Coast Eagles coach Andrew McQualter says he will leave no stone unturned to improve his club’s list as he embarks on his senior coaching opportunity in the west.
McQualter, who served as Richmond interim coach after the exit of Damien Hardwick last year, was announced as the new coach of the Eagles on Monday.
But will his appointment attract a trio of Richmond stars to the west?
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Hard nut Liam Baker and midfield free agent Jack Graham are two players who have been strongly linked to the West Coast Eagles as targets during this off-season period.
Baker has officially requested a trade to West Australia but hasn’t nominated a preferred club, although it is likely he will lob at the Eagles given his relationship with McQualter.
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Fremantle, who are also in the race for Baker, are more likely to land Baker’s teammate, Shai Bolton. The lively midfielder/forward has also requested a trade to WA and would add another dimension to Fremantle’s forward half setup. The Dockers went incredibly close to featuring in September this season and will be hoping Bolton can help lead them back to the promised land.
Richmond midfielder Jack Graham is another name of interest and reportedly has a four-year deal on the table from the Eagles. He could move to the club as early as Friday, when the free agency period opens for this season.
So, will McQualter’s appointment help the Eagles on the recruitment front?
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“I haven’t been involved in any of those conversations yet, but I’m sure West Coast’s list management team led by Matty Clarke have done a lot of work on those guys and other guys over the last period of time,” McQualter told AFL360 in his first interview since becoming coach.
“The last 24 hours I’ve really just been getting my feet on the ground here but as of tomorrow and when the trade period starts on Friday, we’ll look to improve our list in any way we can,” he said.
All three players have strong relationships with the man known as ‘Mini’ and have a solid understanding of the way he likes to play and coach.
McQualter said bringing players over who know his coaching style could prove quite beneficial.
“I think certainly from a game style perspective anyone that has a previous understanding of it potentially makes it easier, but we’ll just be looking to bring in people that are great people first and foremost, whether that’s players or coaches.”
The AFL Trade Period begins on Monday October 7.
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