West Coast tall forward Jack Williams says competition for places in the senior side is driving the club’s young group of key position players to improve.

Williams played 13 games for the Eagles at AFL level last year, taking his career tally to 42 across his four seasons at the top level.

But the 22-year-old has started this campaign in the reserves, with 2025 No.4 draft pick Cooper Duff-Tytler and Archer Reid preferred to play forward-ruck roles in his place.

After the pair combined to win only six disposals in the Eagles’ Gather Round loss to Geelong on Sunday, Williams put himself in the frame for an call-up by kicking four goals in the WAFL to inspire his side to a comeback win over West Perth.

Speaking after the Eagles’ 15-point victory, Williams told The West Australian he was confident another AFL chance would come soon if he continued to perform in the State league.

“We’ve got a lot of young, skilled talls in the (AFL) team, so it’s good to have selection pressure. It helps us all get better,” he said.

“I just need to keep toiling away, keep sticking to my strengths . . . I’m just going to keep working and we’ll see what happens for the rest of the year.

“I was a bit quiet early, I was struggling to connect with the boys up the field, but once the mids got on top in the third and fourth quarters, I was able to get some more looks and work better with them.”

At times across West Coast’s first two games of the WAFL season, Williams has been sent behind the ball in a role similar to one Jobe Shanahan has played to great effect in the senior side.

Williams said he remained most comfortable inside his team’s attacking 50-metre arc, but was happy to have another area to work on in his game.

“It’s more just a game-plan scenario that we fall into as a team. It’s not necessarily switching down back, it’s just sending a spare player behind the ball,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s someone else. At AFL level, Jobe usually does it, so it’s another string to the bow, playing that role.”

Premiership defender Tom Cole — who was dropped back to the WAFL after West Coast’s season-opening loss to Gold Coast — was among the Eagles’ best performers in the win over the Falcons, finishing with a team-high 28 disposals.

Williams said it was “awesome to have someone of his experience and calibre in the back six”.

“You can hear him across the whole field, he really directs everyone. I think he really helped us get going in the third quarter, his attack on the ball was elite,” he said.