Andrew McQualter has praised Jarrad Schofield as a ‘terrific coach’ as his future at West Coast remains uncertain following McQualter’s appointment on Monday.
As the Eagles enter a new era it remains to be seen if former interim coach Schofield will be a part of it after failing to secure the full-time role.
“Obviously he was disappointed, which I understand and I respect,” Don Pyke said at Monday’s press conference.
“I think the conversation now is between Jarrad and Andrew in terms of the role that we think he can play going forward and they’ll have that conversation.”
It’s uncommon for an interim coach to remain at a club after being overlooked, Andrew McQualter moved to Melbourne after Adem Yze secured the full-time role over him at Richmond.
Though he was present for yesterday’s press conference, McQualter revealed Schofield was now overseas.
“I was in touch with him yesterday and I will be looking to meet up with him and see what he wants to do,” he said on ABC radio.
“He’s clearly a terrific coach and got some great relationships at the club and we’ll discuss that and see where that lands.”
Relationships is the buzz word for McQualter as he faces the massive challenge of hauling the beleaguered Eagles back up the ladder after just 10 wins in three years.
“I’m a relationship person that’s the thing I do most, I’ve got really high standards and expectations of myself and the people I work with and it’s easy to demand those standards when you have good relationships,” he said.
“The biggest thing I’ve learnt about winning teams and good footballs club is the environment they create and the care for each other and how much they value people withing the organisation.
“As of today I’ll get started with meeting the players and building relationships and understanding what they want out of there’s careers and the footy will take care of itself in a way in time.
Having been an integral part of Richmond’s coaching team during their three premierships it was no surprise Tigers duo Liam Baker and Jack Graham have requested moves to West Coast.
However McQualter was keen to stress he was not part of a packaged deal.
“They’re not part of a package deal, I look forward getting into a few meetings and start making some plans over how we can improve our list,” he said.
“We just need people who really want to do the work and contribute to our football club
“It’s not just about getting new people in but also developing players on our list as well.”
