West Coast have picked Andrew McQualter as their new senior coach, with an announcement looming as early as Monday.
The former Richmond caretaker won the race ahead of Collingwood assistant Hayden Skipworth, who was a close second, and Geelong’s Steven King.
McQualter missed out on the Tigers job on a full-time basis last year and subsequently left to join Melbourne.
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He will now head west for his first genuine shot at moulding a club in his image.
The consequences of his appointment will come thick and fast, too.
West Coast are right in the mix to secure Tigers duo Liam Baker and Jack Graham while their premiership teammate Shai Bolton also wants to return to WA, though Fremantle could be a more likely destination.
Significant decisions must be made elsewhere in the trade period and at the draft to accelerate the Eagles’ rebuild.
West Coast are also set for a coaching shake-up underneath McQualter.
It is unclear if Jarrad Schofield, who finished his caretaker stint with a 2-5 record, will remain with the club after missing out on the top job.
Eagles assistants Matthew Knights and Tom Morrison are both on the way out.
McQualter had been at Richmond for the entirety of their triple premiership run and coached the Tigers to seven wins from 13 games last year following his elevation after Damien Hardwick resigned.
Skipworth was crucial to Collingwood’s 2023 flag while King, who is recovering from a medical episode in the days after presenting to West Coast two weeks ago, spent time at Gold Coast prior to rejoining Geelong for this season.
King recorded two wins from seven games when he took charge of the Suns as caretaker coach to finish last season.
West Coast CEO Don Pyke held meetings with all three candidates last week in Melbourne.