West Coast leaders hold ‘intervention' with senior officials
The Eagles are languishing at the foot of the ladder with seven straight losses to start the season under rookie coach Andrew McQualter.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: West Coast leaders organise crisis meetings.
The club have won just 10 matches since the start of 2022 in arguably the darkest period in their history.
Gun defender Tom Barrass left last year, while co-captain and free agent Oscar Allen appears to be on the way out after a much-publicised meeting with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell.
Wilson revealed Jeremy McGovern was the key speaker at the meeting, which included the entire leadership group, as well as coach McQualter, head of football John Worsfold and general manager Gavin Bell. West Coast leaders have organised a crisis meeting with senior club officials. Credit: Getty
'There was anger, there was frustration, there were robust conversations. Serious questions were asked about communication between coaches and players, and just the general question of 'what are we doing?' Wilson explained on The Agenda Setters.
'I'm talking about a club who has been at the bottom of the ladder for some time without a win this year, percentage of under 56 per cent. I can't see where they are going to find a win.
'It was put to me by someone from the players camp. It was described as an intervention, and that there was concern for the coach, a new and untried senior coach in Andrew McQualter.
'I spoke to Don Pyke, the CEO of the footy club. He said that he did not agree with the term intervention. He agreed that there was frustration and disappointment.
'He said he wasn't there. And, you know, there has been talk about Don Pyke getting very involved in football. He's clearly a former coach. He's always worked in pretty departments, but he clearly wasn't there, and doesn't think that's fair or correct.
'And he sees it as something that should happen when clubs have been performing this badly.
'I'm told that there is a lot of concern among the players.'
Stream full episodes of The Agenda setters live, free and on-demand at 7plus
Wilson also said there was conjecture about going with Duggan and Allen as co-captains.
'There was disagreement over whether the club should go with two co-captains again, and someone even suggested that the coaching fraternity at the club was more keen on one captain, but I couldn't get that confirmed today,' she said.
'But look, this happens when you're losing. Stories come out, but there is no doubt the players are becoming extremely frustrated about the directions of the club and they wanted answers.'
Four-time premiership great Luke Hodge was a fan of the player-led initiative and said it could be the catalyst to turn their club around.
'I actually applaud it, it's great to see the players are taking initiative ... they are talking about on-field as well as off-field, they've had a disastrous 18 months with Tom Barrass leaving, the stuff that happened with Oscar Allen was comical, but then their footy on field as been a debacle as well,' he said.
'So it's great the fact that players aren't just sitting back and accepting what's going to happen. They're bringing the leaders in and trying to at least put some foundations for how they can get better, both on and off the field.'
Wilson also added there is concern for McQualter, who walked into a 'disaster'.
'There's concern for the coach, he's walked into this situation, which is a disaster. It's a difficult job for any coach, let alone a brand new one,' she said.
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"He's still burning to make sure he can achieve as much and help us achieve as much as we can." Known as "Punky", Breust is the game's ultimate cult figure and Mitchell added he was the rarest of beasts - an AFL player with no enemies. Hawks fans sound as though they are booing when they roar his name after he kicks a goal. "He's as good a person as I've ever met, and anyone has ever met in footy. I don't think you'll ever meet anyone who says 'I don't know about that Luke Breust' - he's universally loved," Mitchell said. The small forward returned to the senior team for last week's win over Collingwood for a career total of 306 games. He and fellow forward, and good friend, Jack Gunston are the only veterans on their list to play in Hawthorn premierships. Breust and Gunston played in the 2012-15 grand finals, winning three flags. He is among nine Hawks to reach 300 games and his 307th this Saturday in the game against Melbourne at the MCG will put him equal with Mitchell at third on the club list. Breust has kicked 552 goals, seventh-highest at Hawthorn, and he made the 2014 and '18 All-Australian teams. But his impact at Hawthorn goes well beyond his significant on-field exploits. "If you could make your culture around the type of club you want to be and the type of person you want to be, Luke Breust is perfect,' Mitchell said. Hailing from the small NSW country town of Temora, Breust proved a bargain-basement selection when the Hawks recruited him with the No.47 pick in the 2008 rookie draft. He did not make his debut until 2011. Mitchell said for all the support Breust received when he was starting, he has paid that forward 10-fold. "I said to the players 'who has he helped?' Every player put his hand up, no hesitation, straight away," he added. Such is Breust's standing at Hawthorn that despite only playing six senior games so far this season, he remains a co-vice captain. "He's not this big, look-at-me personality, so he probably hasn't been celebrated as much outside of us," Mitchell said. Luke Breust may, or may not, be familiar with the work of iconic Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. They certainly share the same sentiment, with the three-time Hawthorn premiership forward determined to "rage, rage against the dying of the light". The 34-year-old, a two-time All-Australian and one of the best small forwards of his generation, announced on Thursday this season will be his last. Former teammate and current Hawks coach Sam Mitchell has no doubt Breust will stay in the game, probably as a coach, but there is unfinished business with the Hawks seventh on the ladder and yet to confirm a finals berth. "He spoke really nicely and gently (to teammates) ... until we started talking about the rest of the season. He had just that little bit of rage behind his eyes," Mitchell said. "He's still burning to make sure he can achieve as much and help us achieve as much as we can." Known as "Punky", Breust is the game's ultimate cult figure and Mitchell added he was the rarest of beasts - an AFL player with no enemies. Hawks fans sound as though they are booing when they roar his name after he kicks a goal. "He's as good a person as I've ever met, and anyone has ever met in footy. I don't think you'll ever meet anyone who says 'I don't know about that Luke Breust' - he's universally loved," Mitchell said. The small forward returned to the senior team for last week's win over Collingwood for a career total of 306 games. He and fellow forward, and good friend, Jack Gunston are the only veterans on their list to play in Hawthorn premierships. Breust and Gunston played in the 2012-15 grand finals, winning three flags. He is among nine Hawks to reach 300 games and his 307th this Saturday in the game against Melbourne at the MCG will put him equal with Mitchell at third on the club list. Breust has kicked 552 goals, seventh-highest at Hawthorn, and he made the 2014 and '18 All-Australian teams. But his impact at Hawthorn goes well beyond his significant on-field exploits. "If you could make your culture around the type of club you want to be and the type of person you want to be, Luke Breust is perfect,' Mitchell said. Hailing from the small NSW country town of Temora, Breust proved a bargain-basement selection when the Hawks recruited him with the No.47 pick in the 2008 rookie draft. He did not make his debut until 2011. Mitchell said for all the support Breust received when he was starting, he has paid that forward 10-fold. "I said to the players 'who has he helped?' Every player put his hand up, no hesitation, straight away," he added. Such is Breust's standing at Hawthorn that despite only playing six senior games so far this season, he remains a co-vice captain. "He's not this big, look-at-me personality, so he probably hasn't been celebrated as much outside of us," Mitchell said.
