Motormouth Mitch: The selection call around ruckman Matt Flynn that West Coast coach Andrew McQualter faces

Ruck Call

West Coast coach Andrew McQualter faces what could be the toughest selection call of his short tenure as coach of West Coast.

Put simply, the Eagles have a ruck problem, and right now, Matt Flynn is not the solution.

He has been beaten comprehensively in three of their first four games to start the season, and the worst came on Saturday night when Sydney’s Brodie Grundy taught him a lesson in front of 50,000 Eagles fans.

Dropping Flynn seems like an easy decision to make, but it is a lot more complicated than it appears on the surface.

The 28-year-old was added to the club’s leadership group over the off-season because of his ability to mentor the younger generation.

Axing a member of a leadership group is a strong message to convey, regardless of the form.

McQualter has not been afraid to make tough calls at the selection table in the past. Tom Cole and Tim Kelly are examples of senior players who have found themselves on the outer under the man known as “Mini”.

But dropping Flynn ahead of their Gather Round clash against Geelong could have a profound impact within the four walls of the club.

Unfortunately for Flynn, his form doesn’t warrant selection right now, and the Eagles need to try to find a way to get first access to their midfield.

The two choices in front of them are either to recall Bailey Williams for his first game of the season after a groin injury hampered his pre-season, or to see what Cooper Duff-Tytler and Archer Reid can do as a combination.

Regardless, this week’s selection feels like an important fork in the road for the Eagles, and a tough decision will need to be made.

No Rushing Elliot

Speaking of selection, West Coast need to learn from the mistakes of the past and not rush Elliot Yeo back from his latest groin injury.

Former Eagles coach Adam Simpson has conceded the Eagles have done in the past, given the importance Yeo holds to the side.

And after the thumping loss to Sydney, there would be an urgency to get him back in there to help the midfield woes and protect Harley Reid once again after he was tagged out of the game by James Jordon.

Bringing back the premiership hero prematurely, though, could be the difference between a four-win season and potentially seven victories.

The Eagles are going to be overwhelming underdogs in their next three games as they come up against Geelong, Fremantle and St Kilda.

No one expects the Eagles to beat any of these sides.

But following that is a pair of games against Richmond and Melbourne, which are both definitely winnable.

And then, as pointed out by this columnist previously, there is a string of games at Optus Stadium against Essendon, Port Adelaide, and North Melbourne before the bye, followed by a clash against Carlton, which are great chances to grab four points.

West Coast should be aiming to win three to four of these games at least, and if they do, all of a sudden, 2026 is an overwhelming success.

Yeo’s presence is going to be pivotal to their hopes, and they cannot afford to have him watching on from the sidelines with another injury setback.

West Coast are best off making sure that he is fully ready to go without a shadow of a doubt before they even consider selecting him.

Dockers’ Time To Make Mark

Friday night could be the biggest game of Justin Longmuir’s tenure.

Collingwood are on the verge of going from premiership contenders to at risk of barely making the wildcard round.

Their defence is depleted, their forward line is nearly non-existent, and their best player is sore.

The Dockers have the chance to make a massive statement on the big stage with the entire AFL world watching on.

To not only beat Collingwood but do it well would mean the AFL world would have to give the Dockers respect as a serious threat to this year’s premiership.

The three talls of Josh Treacy, Pat Voss and Jye Amiss should be too tall and powerful for the Magpies’ defence without captain Darcy Moore. They need to feast on the wounded.

And their backline is way too strong for the likes of Daniel McStay and Tim Membrey.

Luke Ryan can be freed up as the third tall defender, where he can impact as an intercept marking option and distributor from defence.

All eyes this week will be on Nick Daicos and whether he is able to suit up after dealing with a calf issue. If he isn’t, the Dockers should be able to smash Collingwood at the clearances.

Brisbane beat them up 42-28 in that area, and Fremantle’s midfield is just as good as theirs right now.

Fremantle should be using this occasion – a highlight fixture of Gather Round – to flex their muscles and put every team on notice.

They have a top four list. They’re playing a top-four brand of football. They need to flex their muscles and play like a top-four side.

And serious top four sides put dents in their contenders’ hopes when they are wounded.

I firmly believe Fremantle are capable of being the real deal; they just had to believe in themselves and execute under Friday night lights.

Pies WAFL Target

Collingwood has a scoring problem, and it comes from a lack of a solid key target up forward after they got rid of Brody Mihocek and Mason Cox.

The Magpies have also made it clear they’re in it for the now and not the future, choosing to worry about that later down the track.

A solution could be sitting at Mineral Resources Park in the form of Perth forward Aaron Clarke.

The 25-year-old is one of the best forwards in the WAFL and still has plenty of football in front of him.

Since he joined the Demons in 2024, he’s kicked 92 goals in 29 matches. That is an average of just over three goals a game.

Milan Murdock’s rise from star state footballer to West Coast mainstay in the space of a month has turned plenty of attention on the talent being overlooked outside of the AFL.

Clarke has all the key attributes to be a capable forward in the AFL and could follow in Murdock’s footsteps.

He is strong in the contest, has pace on the lead and the football smarts to make the ground bigger and expose a key defender.

It would be a huge blow for Perth if Clarke were to be picked up by the Magpies in the mid-season rookie draft, but it could help Craig McRae’s side fix their biggest weakness.

Being a powerful forward in the AFL is a tough job, but Collingwood’s window is only going to be open for the next year or two, and they will need solutions in front of goal quickly.

They may well get Ben King out of Gold Coast later this year, but it’s not going to help them in 2026.

Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe are only going to be around for a little while longer.

Clarke is worth a throw at the stumps for the Magpies because they cannot win the flag with their current weapons forward of centre.