West Coast Eagles Coach Andrew McQualter Praises Side's Resilience After Stirring Win Over Port Adelaide
West Coast Eagles coach Andrew McQualter has once again commended the resilience of his young squad, though he acknowledges significant work is needed to improve their first-quarter performances following another slow start in a thrilling victory.
The Eagles defied a challenging 9:30 AM AWST start time to upset Port Adelaide by two points in what many consider their best win under McQualter's short tenure as coach. However, they had to mount another comeback after conceding the first four goals within just eight minutes and trailing by 29 points early in the second term.
Addressing First-Quarter Struggles
This pattern follows West Coast's opening two games, where they allowed seven goals in each first quarter, consistently putting themselves on the back foot. McQualter, who secured consecutive victories for the first time as Eagles coach, emphasized the need to address this issue.
"Clearly we've got some work to do on our first quarters at the moment. It's a trend and a challenge in our game," McQualter stated. "To be behind the eight ball, with the crowd against us and the scoreboard against us, and losing Elliot Yeo at half-time—I think the group's resilience is starting to shine through."
He highlighted that both young and experienced players stepped up in crucial moments throughout the second half and the final five minutes of the game, which he found particularly pleasing.
Controversy Over Early Start Time
Discussion around the unusually early start time dominated the lead-up to the match, with experts criticizing the AFL for the fixture anomaly. Former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley commented on its impact as the Eagles struggled initially.
"It's a tough gig to turn up and play at 9 AM in the morning," Hinkley told Fox Footy. "I think it's unreasonable in today's game to ask for that to happen. There are things called charter flights. I reckon you can get a flight home at a reasonable hour, about 6 o'clock tonight, and still be back in Perth by 6 PM."
In a lighthearted moment after the win, West Coast star Harley Reid made fun of the game time on social media, posting a photo of a shirtless but delighted ruckman Matt Flynn with the caption "Time for breakfast" on his Instagram story.
Focus on Preparation and Growth
McQualter dismissed the early start as the reason for their slow start, attributing it to an ongoing trend. "Even though it looked like we were asleep in the first quarter today, it's unfortunately a trend. At the moment, we are leaking far too many goals, so we're going to go away, work on it. We'll look at our preparation, our pre-game meetings, and hopefully try to rectify it," he explained.
During the week, West Coast made a concerted effort not to get overly carried away after their drought-breaking victory over North Melbourne. This attention to detail paid off, with McQualter noting it as a positive sign of growth for the reigning wooden spooners.
"I will say it again, we've now got six days until we play the Swans," McQualter added. "They've been formidable early this season. We've seen them play a few times, and they look like they've changed a bit. They're playing an attacking brand of football, so it's a pretty big challenge, but hopefully we get Optus Stadium filled and as loud as it was last week. It was an awesome atmosphere."
