The Game podcast: Harley Reid call new West Coast Eagles coach’s toughest challenge

Incoming West Coast coach Andrew McQualter’s biggest early challenge is to convince No. 1 draft pick Harley Reid to remain at the club beyond his initial three-year contract.

That’s the opinion of Channel 7’s Adrian Barich and senior sports writer with The West Australian Glen Quartermain.

“The worst possible scenario for him is that Harley leaves,” Barich told The Game with Quarters and Barra podcast.

“His thing is about playing premierships. So if he doesn’t see vast improvement in the next two years, he is a living certainty to leave.

“At the end of the three years, they are just going to have to be on the cusp of the eight, with the young blokes coming through.

“Elijah Hewett becomes the player we hope, and suddenly there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

“He won’t want to be waiting around for a flag.”

Quartermain said Reid was more likely than unlikely to remain in Perth if things don’t improve quickly.

“There is talk that Harley is leaving after his three years are up, but a new coach can change your mind pretty quickly,” he said.

“The biggest challenge facing McQualter is either gaining Harley’s confidence, so Harley can see a really good pathway ahead at this club, or determining ‘No, he is not going to hang around so let’s get what we can at the right time’.

“These are the sorts of things that are going to be in the background as he takes this list on.”

Quartermain also believed McQualter needed longer than a three-year contract to lead the Eagles back up the ladder.

“I don’t believe the next coach of the Eagles is going to be their next premiership coach,” Quartermain said.

“It’s up to Andrew McQualter to prove us all wrong. And let’s hope he does. I still think they are a fair way off, four-five years off (contending).”

Barich pointed to Richmond’s success, winning three premierships under coach Damien Hardwick while McQualter was an assistant.

McQualter also spent a year at Melbourne this season.

“It looks like a good decision, he certainly had a bit to do with the Tigers’ success,” Barich said.

“I wouldn’t say his Melbourne experience was great but it was only for one year and he did coach the Tigers for 13 matches for a 7-6 record as a caretaker.”

“It was really, really sound,” Quartermain said.

Quartermain said he thought McQualter would “at least get a season of honeymoon period”.

“I think Eagles supporters are happy to see a fresh start and give him a honeymoon period but you want to see some incremental growth,” he said.

“You want to see them losing by less. Yes, you want to see them winning more games but you want to see that gap between their best and worst closing a lot more quickly than it has been. That’s the aim for season one.”