West Coast pre-season training: Elliot Yeo hurt, Andrew McQualter puts his stamp on Eagles

West Coast’s latest pre-season session has provided clear evidence of the tweaks new coach Andrew McQualter has made. But, it also resulted in an injury scare for one of the club’s biggest stars.

West Coast star Elliot Yeo has been sent for scans on his knee and ankle after suffering an injury during match simulation on Friday.

The John Worsfold medallist was forced to hobble from the ground midway through the second quarter at Mineral Resources Park after his leg appeared to get caught awkwardly in a tackle.

Play was stopped for several minutes as multiple physios attended to Yeo who looked to be in considerable pain. Teammates also came across to check on him.

The 31-year-old was eventually helped to his feet and looked to be favouring his right leg as he limped towards the change rooms. The Eagles are set to go on a four-day break for the Australia Day long weekend and won’t be back at training until mid-next week.

Yeo was back in full training this week after copping a nasty poke to his eye a fortnight ago that forced him to wear specially designed sunglasses at training.

Elliot Yeo is coming off the ground after suffering an injury during @WestCoastEagles match simulation. Back in action after copping a nasty poke the eye, Yeo looks to be favouring his right leg as he hobbles from the ground. Appeared his leg got caught awkwardly in a tackle.

— Eliza Reilly (@ByElizaReilly) January 24, 2025

Elliot Yeo sent a scare through the Eagles camp.

The two-time All-Australian enjoyed a return to form in 2024 after several injury-interrupted seasons. He played 20 games for the first time since 2019, managing 37 in the next four seasons due to persistent soft tissue injuries.

It was a sour note to end an otherwise productive session under new coach Andrew McQualter.

West Coast played 2x20 minute periods of match simulation, debuting a high-octane style of play.

The hallmarks of Richmond’s premiership dynasty were evident across the 40 minutes of play.

In one passage on the wing, there were almost six consecutive taps and flicks of the footy as both teams tried to surge it forward.

In a clear move towards momentum football, the Eagles played on at every opportunity but were sometimes hindered by poor skills and decision making. The corridor was also a popular method to move the ball forward.

New coach Andrew McQualter has been putting his stamp on the Eagles.

Both teams were relatively evenly matched but the competitive tension was evident when Liam Ryan bemoaned “the scoreboard is f**king wrong” after the first period of play.

The small forward enjoyed a productive session, his work rate to link up and ball use inside 50 evident as the cloud of last week’s alleged street fight hangs over him.

Before match simulation, the Eagles focused on fundamentals and skill execution.

The session was bookended by stoppage patterns and finding an advantage from an outnumber.

The search for West Coast’s preferred ruck combination is still ongoing with the big men breaking away for a craft session early on.

Bailey Williams, Matt Flynn and Coen Livingstone are fighting for the No. 1 ruck mantle and went head-to-head in boundary throw-ins while Jack Williams, Harry Barnett and Archer Reid did the same in their bid to be back-up.

Campbell Chesser, Harry Edwards and Callum Jamieson didn’t take part in match simulation but did other drills.

There was plenty of conditioning in between drills and at the end of the session.

Jack Hutchinson is set for more time through the West Coast midfield.

PLAYERS WHO IMPRESSED

Jack Hutchinson: The mid-season draft pick played a new midfield role during match simulation and found plenty of the footy. Taken as a high-flying forward from Collingwood’s VFL side, Hutchinson played seven games for the Eagles and had 24 disposals and a goal as a midfielder in the final game of the year against Geelong. Hutchinson pushed back hard into defence and his clean foot skills got the Eagles out of trouble on numerous occasions.

Jack Graham: The premiership Tiger has made a big difference in West Coast’s midfield and he’s already proven himself to be one of the strongest runners at the club. The big-bodied midfielder was composed and calm in traffic. He laid a few big tackles and notably forced Harley Reid to turn the footy over in congestion. He also found Jake Waterman in space tucked up against the boundary.

Harry Barnett: Drafted as a ruckman, the third-year tall has been retooled as a key defender this pre-season. And the new role looks to have potential. Barnett stood up in some big moments down back and notably spoiled the footy away from a leading Jake Waterman. The more options down back the better for the Eagles after the departure of Tom Barrass.

Originally published as West Coast pre-season training: Elliot Yeo hurt, Andrew McQualter puts his stamp on Eagles