Mick Malthouse: Why West Coast Eagles assistant Jarrad Schofield should not be overlooked for top coach job

West Coast, predictably, was going to be highly competitive after losing its long-serving coach Adam Simpson. I say predictably, without any disrespect to Simpson, because it’s just history repeating itself. A new coach comes in, interim or otherwise, and has an immediate positive impact with fresh eyes, fresh ideas and fresh energy. It’s a fresh start. Players who were left out of the team by the previous coach, or didn’t feature as regularly as hoped, generally have a sense of relief and renewed enthusiasm. They feel part of the clean slate. It also puts on notice those who have been played without performing, regardless of their standing at the club. A case in point — Jack Darling. His name would have almost been etched into the magnetic board because of his premiership credentials. However, Jarrad Schofield sitting behind the senior coach as an assistant, could see the need for change and probably couldn’t wait to make a statement when handed the reins. Darling’s performances were not good enough this season to justify automatic selection. A tip for Schofield — don’t hesitate to try Darling as a key back. Just look at the performances of Rory Lobb. A short while ago you wouldn’t have blamed Western Bulldogs supporters and coaches for calling on him to leave his third club. But now all stops are out to keep him on board as he continually demonstrates a willingness and aptitude to play highly competitive football, as a key back. I believe the bravery of Schofield’s decision on Darling, and the competitiveness of his team against last year’s runners-up last week is a big reason for the coaching selection panel to move him up on their list of candidates. With six games left for the Eagles this year, Schofield can enhance his prospects by not just creating a competitive team, but a winning team. His game style suited the players against Brisbane. A win against the Saints, the Suns at home, and North Melbourne in Hobart in Round 21, may well define Schofield’s chances of being elected senior coach. There are not a lot of interim coaches who get the main gig, but it has happened, even as recently as David Teague at Carlton in 2019/2020, Rhyce Shaw at North Melbourne in 2019/2020, and second-time senior coach, Brett Ratten at St Kilda in 2019/2020. I’ve always said that senior coaching is like driving a manual car. You navigate, you steer, and you need both feet for the clutch, to accelerate, and break. The assistant coach sits in the passenger seat. There are many times when you wonder whether the assistant coach could handle being in the driver’s seat. That’s one of the advantages of having prior senior coaching experience. And to be judged on that, to me, should be the first criteria in selecting a new coach. You need to see how people react under pressure when coaching, no matter what the level of football, as long as they are the senior coach and making the decisions. Jarrad has an outstanding WAFL record. He has coached on the big stage, taking Subiaco to three premierships. And he understands the highs and lows, having taken the Lions from 8th in his first season to the Cup the following year, and losing two grand finals in between the premierships. Schofield also played in premierships, with Port Adelaide in the AFL and Subiaco. It’s important for a coach to be a winner. I’ve come across many hard-luck stories of very good footballers who never tasted ultimate team success. It is such an advantage to know the difference between winning and losing, particularly in finals. So, a tip for West Coast — if Schofield can, in this short period of time, get the players to play for him and be highly competitive, then he must come into serious contention. His apprenticeship is complete. I’m not suggesting here that other candidates won’t be successful, they may well be. But sometimes it is too easy to overlook what is staring you in the face. And quite often, it’s who the managers know in the media to push their agenda, that creates the “candidate” list. There are some very good assistant coaches who I believe will always be good assistant coaches but may lack the qualities to become a good senior coach. Seven weeks is a short time to display your wares, particularly with an Eagles team that has floundered over the last three seasons. It doesn’t give Schofield much time to show his game style, and his coaching style, but it’s a head start over the rest. And that could be all he needs.