AN ARMY of small forwards willing to apply pressure and force quick turnovers shape as critical to the way West Coast will play under new coach Andrew McQualter as the club starts a new era on Sunday.
McQualter has used words like territory, competitive and rounded to describe how he wants the Eagles to play, and a deep 'mosquito fleet' has been important to every element, with six small forwards named in a 28-man squad on Thursday.
Recruit Matt Owies and premiership forward Jamie Cripps look certain to start against Gold Coast at Optus Stadium, while youngster Noah Long, summer standout Tyler Brockman, speedster Jack Petruccelle, and wing/forward Tyrell Dewar are on the extended bench.
Whatever the final mix is, it is a clear and early change under McQualter from the taller forward line that lost to Geelong in the final round of last season with four key targets and a ruck.
"Those [small forwards] have been a really important part of what we're doing. Part of the style and way we're going to play is we're going to rely on forward pressure," McQualter told AFL.com.au this pre-season.
"It's not a secret, but that'll be part of their job description."
There are questions throughout the forward line that will start being answered from Sunday. How will Long return from a serious knee injury? Has Brockman turned a corner after accepting he needed to make changes to meet AFL standards? Will the talented Dewar fill a wing or forward role? And how is Petruccelle used to maximise his electric pace?
The main change in the key forward posts is the promotion of debutant Archer Reid ahead of both Bailey Williams and Jack Williams as a forward/ruck, with the former named in the squad.
Jack Williams, incidentally, provided one of the clearest summaries of McQualter's gameplan this season when he said the Eagles wanted to be a territory team that "turn the ball over fast and really own forward-half footy".
As much as fast ball movement and high pressure have been linked with McQualter through his long involvement with Richmond, the coach does not want his team to be one dimensional.
"We want to be able to be a team that can compete really hard in every phase of the game, but you have to be really rounded to be a great team," he said.
"You can't just be good in offense or good in defence or good in the contest, you need to be rounded.
"I sort of see the game as all those phases complementing each other."
Running up and down the wings this summer have been Dewar, Jack Hutchinson and Jayden Hunt, bringing different strengths that the Eagles will utilise this season.
Hunt has speed and experience, Dewar is skilful and adventurous, and Hutchinson has a bigger frame and aerial strengths that he has previously used as a high-flying forward at lower levels.
With Elliot Yeo absent, however, Hutchinson looks likely to form part of the centre bounce rotation after impressing in the role with 24 disposals and six clearances against Geelong late last season.
Another role change that will give the Eagles a different look under McQualter is Ryan Maric's shift to defence, where he has been a creative half-back over the summer.
Ex-midfielder Reuben Ginbey has also settled in defence and will flip between tall and small roles depending on match-ups.
Alongside him will be 128-game recruit Liam Baker, whose arrival alongside fellow Richmond premiership player Jack Graham and ex-Carlton small forward Owies will address the 'competitive' element of the Eagles' game style.
All were targeted as established players who could give the Eagles an immediate lift on-field and set standards off it, delivering in their first pre-seasons at the club.
As he prepares for his first game as West Coast coach, having taught a new game style, made positional shifts, and given new players opportunities, McQualter is ready to see for himself how the Eagles will look in 2025.
"It's not so much question marks, it's the unknown," the coach said this week.
"We've planned and prepared, we’re fit and healthy, but we haven't played against anyone in a proper AFL match yet."
