West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says his side is embracing the opportunity to finish the season on a high when they take on the Sydney Swans at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. 

Reflecting on his first campaign in charge, McQualter admitted it had been a challenging year, but said his appetite for competition remained undiminished.

“It’s been a long, challenging year, but I don’t feel like it’s the end, I want to keep going,” McQualter said.

“I love the competition. I love trying to get up each week to win games of footy.

“We’ve got ourselves an opportunity this week and while the Swans have been in strong form, it’s a game we believe we can get after.”

One of the talking points ahead of Saturday’s clash is whether young defender Lucca Grego will earn a debut, with McQualter emphasising that selection remains form based.

“Potentially. But like all year, we’ll just do it on form and who can help our team win,” he said.

“Grego played well last week (in the WAFL), had a good game of footy, and we’ll work through it at match committee this afternoon.”

Looking ahead, McQualter said the Eagles had already begun conversations with players around their off-season preparation and the importance of returning ready to go for pre-season training.

“We’re under no illusion that we have to come back better than we’ve finished this year,” McQualter said.

“That’ll be important for us when we turn up on day one of pre-season, that we’re in better condition and more advanced than we are now.

“Some of that will be natural progression, but it has to come with hard work. We’ll do a thorough review over the next few weeks and keep finding ways to improve.”

McQualter acknowledged the challenges around player training loads during the off-season but stressed the importance of individuals taking ownership.

“It’s a challenge with young players, you don’t always know how to train by yourself in the off-season,” he said.

“We’ve got to educate as best we can before they go on leave, and then it’s up to each player to take control of their career.

“They need a mental refresh too, but there’s a big onus on them to come back in good condition.”

McQualter also praised Campbell Chesser for his strong finish to the season, highlighting his resilience and growth after limited opportunities in previous years.

“It’s a real credit to Campbell. He’s out of contract and hadn’t had much opportunity, but he’s stayed focused and the last three weeks we’ve seen what we were hoping for,” McQualter said.

With exit meetings and list management decisions looming next week, McQualter said his focus was on ensuring every player walked away with a clear plan for improvement.

“We’ll approach every exit interview in the most respectful way possible with the plan to get everyone better,” the coach said.