Richmond great Trent Cotchin backs Andrew McQualter to be next premiership coach of West Coast Eagles

Richmond champion Trent Cotchin says he has “no doubt” that his former mentor Andrew McQualter will be West Coast’s next premiership coach. The three-time Tigers premiership skipper hailed McQualter’s superb interpersonal skills and ability to get the best out of his players as the perfect ingredients to be the ideal modern-day mentor for the talented but young Eagles list. Cotchin worked closely with McQualter during Richmond’s run of three flags in four years from 2017 to 2020, with the Brownlow medallist confident ‘Mini’ had both the care and toughness to take his squad to the top of the competition. “I have no doubt that he is the next premiership coach for the West Coast Eagles,” Cotchin told The West Australian. “I do not mean to say that lightly or put any sort of unvalidated pressure on him, and I’m sure that that’s what all the Eagles fans want to see after a couple of pretty dry years. “The thing I love most about Andrew is that he has an amazing level of emotional intelligence, and in today’s day and age, there’s just a need for that with regard to the different kinds of personalities that come into team sports, particularly AFL. “He has a great understanding of how to get the best out of each person and then how they can then be committed to something that’s wider and more grand than themselves, which is obviously the team goals and where they’re headed.” The retired great’s comments come on the back of Eagles football boss and 2006 premiership coach John Worsfold revealing to The Sunday Times earlier this month that he was confident West Coast could win a flag as soon as 2030. The Eagles are in the midst of their longest finals drought, having not tasted September action since 2020 amid a tumultuous rebuild that has yielded 13 wins from their past 101 matches. McQualter took over the unenviable role of steering the climb up the ladder after West Coast parted ways with 2018 premiership coach Adam Simpson in 2024, having earned a strong reputation as a midfield and interim coach at Richmond. As he approaches the midway point of his three-year contract, McQualter has claimed only three victories from 29 matches. But he has at his disposal one of the AFL’s most talented young lists, headed by the likes of Harley Reid, Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler and Jobe Shanahan. Cotchin said McQualter would also not be afraid to have the hard conversations with people at the club to ensure they were on track for glory. “He was one of those people who truly value relationships but wasn’t scared of having the harder and more honest conversations,” he said. “The beauty of that is it was always coming from a place of care; there was never judgment, there was never criticism that wasn’t going to be helpful. “It was always something around helping you get better and helping the team.”