FORMER St Kilda player and accomplished assistant Andrew McQualter has been appointed as the new coach of West Coast on a three-year contract.
After a long search that continued late into Grand Final week, McQualter was confirmed as the Eagles' pick to replace premiership coach Adam Simpson, with a formal announcement expected on Monday afternoon.
The 38-year-old joins the Eagles after spending 10 years at Richmond in various coaching roles, contributing to the club's three premierships under Damien Hardwick before an impressive 7-6 stint as the club's caretaker in 2023.
The Victorian ran second to Adem Yze in the Tigers' search for a new senior coach 12 months' ago and spent 2024 at Melbourne but will now get his chance as a permanent senior coach having long-been touted for the role at AFL level.
McQualter, who made his AFL debut against West Coast in 2005, was among a final group of three contenders that included Collingwood assistant Hayden Skipworth and Geelong midfield coach Steven King.
All met with chief executive Don Pyke for final interviews in Melbourne during Grand Final week before the club narrowed in on Skipworth and McQualter as its final two contenders.
Both presented well in formal interviews, leaving the Eagles with a difficult decision to make after a detailed search that lasted almost three months following the club's decision to part with Simpson in early July.
"I have been working towards this moment for the last 10 years and I'm thrilled to be appointed as coach of the West Coast Eagles," McQualter, who flew to Perth on Monday morning, said.
"I am aware that there is much work to do, and I am definitely up for that.
"There is some exciting young talent at the club with a mix of outstanding players and I couldn't be more excited to get over there and get to work with them."
McQualter, who hails from Traralgon in the Gippsland region of Victoria, played 89 games for St Kilda during seven years at the club after being drafted with pick No.17 in the 2004 Draft.
He featured in the club's three Grand Finals under coach Ross Lyon, including the drawn Grand Final of 2010, before joining Gold Coast for one season and five games in 2012.
Known throughout AFL circles as 'Mini', he climbed the coaching ranks at Richmond to eventually be Damien Hardwick's right-hand man.
He was involved in the Tigers' VFL program from 2014 before taking on the midfield and stoppages role in the 2017 premiership year. He also focused on offence and the forward line as part of various roles during the Tigers' premiership run, learning from a long list of accomplished coaches that spent time at the club.
The hard-working, loyal and dedicated assistant went deep in the Carlton process that settled on Michael Voss at the end of 2021 and knocked back rival approaches during his time with the Tigers.
His appointment ends a long search that had seen rival players delay trade and free agency moves to West Coast as they waited on an appointment from the club.
Richmond pair Liam Baker and Shai Bolton have requested trades to Western Australia but are yet to nominate a preferred club. Premiership teammate Jack Graham is also weighing a four-year deal from the Eagles, with all three having links to McQualter.
"We believe Andrew has the professional and personal qualities and experience required to guide our team. We are excited to have someone of his calibre leading our football program forward," Pyke said.
"We were in a fortunate position where we had three exceptional candidates short-listed with Andrew possessing the credentials and vision needed to help us make strong progress.
"Andrew has a firm vision of what needs to be done and is ready to embrace the opportunity of being an AFL senior coach.
"We welcome Andrew, Jane, Emily, Alice and Georgia to our West Coast family."
The Eagles had remained confident it would be able to formalise an appointment with board approval this month, despite early setbacks as some key contenders chose not to apply.
It engaged consultant Gerard Daniels to conduct initial interviews and refine a shortlist of candidates that at stages has also featured Greater Western Sydney's Brett Montgomery, Western Bulldogs assistant Brendon Lade, and Eagles caretaker Jarrad Schofield.
Formal interviews were then conducted by a panel made up of Pyke, general manager of football Gavin Bell, Geelong great Harry Taylor, and directors Jan Cooper and Rowan Jones.