AFL Western derby 60: West Coast coach Andrew McQualter’s lesson in cross-town rivalry, supporting Harley Reid

Harley Reid and his middle finger have spent the week in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. What will it mean for Andrew McQualter’s first derby in charge of West Coast?

The first rule of the western derby is that it’s not just another game.

And it’s a lesson that new West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has been forced to learn this week ahead of his first cross-town clash at the helm of the Eagles.

“I’ve been a Victorian and I obviously haven’t been involved in a derby before,” McQualter said. “But on Tuesday in our match review, I said something like ‘can’t wait for this week but it’s just another game.’

“Yeoy (Elliot Yeo) came straight up to me afterwards and said ‘No, it’s not another game.’

“I’m on a steep learning curve there. Our players are super excited. There’s certainly a different feel with playing Freo in a derby.

“I’ve never been involved in clubs that have these games. The closest was maybe Anzac Day Eve when I was working at the Tigers.

“We’re just lucky to play in these games. It’s still worth four points but it creates, I’m assuming, more of a finals-like feel and those are the games we want to play with.”

Both West Coast and Fremantle will enter Sunday’s 60th western derby winless.

The Eagles are coming off a much improved 19-point loss to Brisbane while the Dockers lost a thriller to Sydney by three points.

After being touted as a top-four contender before the season, the pressure is mounting on Fremantle to get its season underway.

Justin Longmuir wasn’t keen to buy into the derby hype.

Andrew McQualter is embracing the build-up to his first derby in charge of West Coast. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

But coach Justin Longmuir said the Dockers’ focus was on improvement, not their opponent.

“It’s important,” he said. “It’s important because it’s the next game.

“We don’t put any more weight on it than that. People are going to talk about my coaching career or where we sit as a football club, external expectations, all these sorts of things but it’s important because we’re trying to improve our footy.

“It hasn’t been consistent enough. There’s too big a gap between our best and worst.

“What you’re trying to do as a coach is make sure players don’t get caught up in the hype and external noise.”

A year on from his breakout performance in last year’s western derby, No. 1 pick Harley Reid has been in the spotlight yet again this week after he was fined $1000 for giving the middle finger to Lions fans.

Andrew McQualter has defended young star Harley Reid after he was fined for flipping the bird to the Gabba crowd.

His sponsor Puma has made the best of a difficult situation, announcing they’d signed the 19-year-old for a further six years on Friday. The brand even made a cheeky reference to Reid’s gesture, raising the bird themselves and declaring “we’ve got your back.”

McQualter was adamant that Reid has the right people around him to bounce back from the scrutiny he’s been subject to in the last fortnight.

“It’s fascinating because I’ve never seen a 19-year-old in this scenario,” he said.

“He’s got a strong support network around him.

“He’s a balanced, humble kid and he’s doing okay.

“We don’t condone Harley’s actions. It’s not ideal. But we also know how good a person Harley is and we’re putting some good support plans around him and ensuring that he’s going to be a great teammate for many years to come.”

Bo Allan will have to wait at least another week to make his West Coast debut while Brady Hough is fit to play after fighting illness this week. Jack Graham will also return to the midfield after he was a late withdrawal with a hip injury last week.

Despite concerns about how West Coast has recovered from the oppressive humidity in Brisbane, including losing both rucks Bailey Williams and Archer Reid to cramp, McQualter is confident the Eagles will be able to run out the game.

“We had a seven-day break so training was well planned and executed by our medical team and fitness team,” he said. “We’re good to go.”

Isaiah Dudley, cousin of Melbourne forward Kosi Pickett, will make his debut for the Dockers after joining the club as a pre-season signing.

“We feel like we need a bit more forward craft,” Longmuir said. “On the weekend, we had 59 inside 50s and didn’t kick a winning score.

“We’re really happy with the way he’s applied himself. He adds a bit of class in the front half but he can also pressure the opposition and play the way we ask.”

It also wasn’t just McQualter’s first derby press conference on Friday but the first time he’d crossed paths with his new coaching rival.

“We met 20 seconds ago,” he joked. “We haven’t met before. We literally met outside the door.”

Originally published as AFL Western derby 60: West Coast coach Andrew McQualter’s lesson in cross-town rivalry, supporting Harley Reid