West Coast is bracing for a fierce Essendon when the teams clash on WA Day eve at Optus Stadium, coach Andrew McQualter says.
The Bombers head west with interim coach Dean Solomon in charge after Brad Scott’s departure, leading to some uncertainty about how the visitors might line-up on Sunday.
“I don’t believe in a ‘new coach bounce’, but I know they’ll come out red-hot,” McQualter said.
“There’s always a spike in pride in those situations, so we’re expecting a fierce Bombers team.”
Despite entering the game as favourites, McQualter said his players would maintain a consistent approach, leaning on recent improvements in effort and defensive structure.
Pressure and team-first accountability have been key focus areas in recent weeks, with McQualter reinforcing the need for a collective approach against an Essendon midfield led by stars like Zach Merrett.
“The game starts at zero,” McQualter said.
“We’ve got to bring what we’ve brought the last few weeks in terms of effort, intent and our defensive system.
“If you don’t put pressure on the ball against Essendon, they can definitely slice you.
“We have to be prepared to defend as a team.
“We're just going to continually work our game.
“We've seen some progress in the last few weeks, but we've got a hell of a lot more work to do.”
The Eagles have opted to give star recruit Brandon Starcevich another week to build his conditioning in the WAFL, despite strong consideration for an immediate AFL return.
“We’d love him in our team, but we also really want to set him up to succeed,” McQualter said.
“He only played about 70 minutes last week, so we’ll keep building his game time and hopefully he’s ready soon.”
Mid-season draftees Marcus Herbert and Oliver Francou are set to feature at WAFL level this weekend after arriving in Perth on Thursday, with McQualter excited by their potential impact.
Herbert is expected to start across half-back, while Francou will slot into the midfield as the club looks to integrate the pair into its system.
“There was good energy in the room when we introduced them,” McQualter said.
“We’re really excited to get these two guys and looking forward to watching them play on Sunday.”
