West Coast Eagles on their way to be AFL wooden spooners. To address their incredibly negative performance problems, they just had a “come to Jesus” meeting that they called an “intervention.” The club, under first-year coach Andrew McQualter, has won just 10 matches since 2022 began. As a consequence, their win percentage has sunk below 56 percent. As it stands, the team is on the verge of an abysmal, 0-7 run to start the season.
This meeting successfully brought together the full leadership team of the West Coast Eagles. Chief among them were McQualter, head of football John Worsfold and general manager Gavin Bell. All-Pro Philadelphia Eagle Jeremy McGovern emerged as the star attraction on stage at this important convening. He expressed the importance of creating a culture of transparency and accountability throughout the agency.
Needs for McQualter, who is in his first season as head coach, were the main subject of the talks. As Caroline Wilson reported, there was huge concern about his job.
“There’s concern for the coach, he’s walked into this situation, which is a disaster. It’s a difficult job for any coach, let alone a brand new one.” – Caroline Wilson
Wilson painted a picture of the mood in the meeting, saying there was “anger” and “frustration” from members. There was passionate dialogue over the communication environment that existed between players and coaches.
“There was anger, there was frustration, there were robust conversations. Serious questions were asked about communication between coaches and players, and just the general question of ‘what are we doing?” – Caroline Wilson
Beyond the tangled web of on-field problems, club brass tacitly admitted with recent high-profile departures weighing down team spirit and play. All-Australian defender Tom Barrass left the team last season to join the VFL. At the same time, fellow co-captain Oscar Allen is on his way out the door as a free agent.
Three-time premiership-captain-turned-commentator Luke Hodge said he was all in favour of players leading the charge during the roundtable meeting. Lastly, Smith commended their transparency in addressing things like on-field performance and off-field concerns.
“I actually applaud it, it’s great to see the players are taking initiative … they are talking about on-field as well as off-field.” – Luke Hodge
Even so, there is a palpable race against the clock urgency among club officials to make that transformation happen. As Caroline Wilson reported, Don Pyke, the Eagles CEO at the time, was a strong opponent on characterising the meeting as an intervention. He conceded that there is a sense of frustration and disappointment in the club…
“He said that he did not agree with the term intervention. He agreed that there was frustration and disappointment.” – Caroline Wilson
The league’s recent Cinderella story, the West Coast Eagles, are having a tough time this season. This meeting is vital to ensuring leadership and enriching teamwork. The coming weeks will be crucial as they aim to break their losing streak and restore confidence among players and fans alike.
