Western derby 62: West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says Eagles better prepared to protect Harley Reid

West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says they’re better prepared to protect Harley Reid should arch-rivals Fremantle choose to target the young star to ignite passion in the western derby. Dockers coach Justin Longmuir described Reid as the Eagles’ “barometer” this week as they weigh up whether to send stopper Corey Wagner to the explosive midfielder at Optus Stadium on Sunday. Reid — who turned 21 on Friday — has been at the centre of attention this week for his ill-discipline on the field in recent weeks amid a career-best start to the season. The return of veteran Elliot Yeo from a groin injury is set to help Reid, with the Victorian often playing his best football when the dual John Worsfold medallist is his wingman in the middle. This included an incredible double-act in their 2024 derby upset, when Reid kicked three goals from 19 touches in only his sixth game in a performance well above his inexperience. McQualter said he did not expect the Dockers to be extra physical towards Reid to try to get him to lose his cool. “I expect them to be really physical because that’s what they talk about all the time. That’s the type of brand they try to play,” he said. “Yeoy helps. He’s a critical piece for our midfield experience. But it’s also the whole team’s responsibility, the whole coaching group’s responsibility. “We did do some work on if we have players tagged, what does it look like for us? If it happens, we’re prepared, and we’ll work our way through that.” McQualter said one way to help Reid was through “protection”, but warned they couldn’t just concentrate on one aspect of the tactical battle. “There’s no one thing, but definitely some protection, but you can’t afford to spend too much time on that either, the game’s too fast,” he said. “We’ll work our way through it. We’ve got some different plans in place. “Harley, we’re all seeing him mature in front of our eyes ... he’s growing up, he’s maturing, and he’s doing a great job.” Eagles ruckman Bailey Williams said it could not just be left up to Yeo to stand up for Reid should he be targeted. “Yeoy’s always one who’s going to fly the flag for the team, it’s in his nature. He’s a great player to play with, he’s a great teammate but that’s something all of will take into our game,” he said. “Harley’s one of our exciting young players who is really valuable to us so protecting him while flying for the flag for our footy club is really important. “We’re going to do all we can to help Harley in that space.” West Coast will also have to weigh up whether to tag any of the Dockers’ star midfielders, with vice-captain Caleb Serong gunning for a record fifth Glendinning-Allan Medal. Second-year Eagle Bo Allan has previously been used to try to curtail opposition stars like Gold Coast’s Touk Miller, while Yeo’s battles against retired dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe are among derby folklore. McQualter said the Dockers’ strong on-ball brigade meant it wasn’t clear as to whether they put extra work into Serong or not. “When you’re a team that’s second on the ladder, you don’t just have one threat, you have multiple threats,” he said. “Often when you take one away, something else pops up. We’ll work through our processes, and we’re going to have plans to be able to look after their whole team in defence.” West Coast’s midfield is set to look vastly different from how it has for the first five rounds, with inside bulls Deven Robertson (ACL) and Jack Graham (shoulder) both missing after sustaining injuries against Geelong at Gather Round. The Eagles have several options with Liam Baker running through the centre bounces in the second half against the Cats in Norwood, while pre-season signing Milan Murdock is also capable of playing midfield minutes. “We’re going to have a bit of a different mix in there for sure,” McQualter said. “We’re pretty lucky (in that) we’ve got some guys capable. Yeoy comes back into the team, Milan has played a lot of mid in his career. Elijah Hewett played more forward than mid last week. “Bakes we know is capable as well, so we’ve got some options there, and we’ll try a few different things.” Another option is luckless midfielder Hewett, who will play only his second game of the season after his start to the year was disrupted by a series of soft-tissue setbacks. McQualter said they had to weigh up how they used the 21-year-old to ensure they got the best out of him long-term, with a mix of midfield and forward time on the cards. “He’s building his capacity, which we know he missed a chunk (of football),” he said. “He’s also so powerful and dynamic around the ball, so we’ll make sure that we provide some opportunities for both.” West Coast had impressed earlier this year when they claimed consecutive wins for the first time under McQualter, beating North Melbourne and Port Adelaide. They’ve sustained heavy losses to premiership contenders Sydney and Geelong since, on the back of a drop in their pressure, with the differential the lowest in the AFL over the past four rounds. “We look at that as an important part of our game, and it dropped away a bit last week,” McQualter said. “We’ve got to try and build our pressure game up to where it was in the earlier part of the season, and that gives us the best chance of winning games of football.”