Andrew McQualter certainly has aspirations to be a senior coach after narrowly missing out on the top Richmond gig.

But as most clubs have locked away either experienced campaigners or fresh faces, the senior coaching jobs are few and far between.

Except for the West Coast role.

The role became available when Adam Simpson departed after a decade of service following multiple tough years at the proud club.

Now, the Eagles are looking toward a new direction and a new front-man is the perfect start.

Jarrad Schofield appears to be in the lead to secure the West Coast coaching role but will be treated with caution given the unsuccessful rates of interim coaches transitioning into full-timers.

Experienced heads Nathan Buckley and Ken Hinkley have denied any involvement in the process while sidekicks Josh Carr (Port Adelaide) and Dean Cox (Sydney) are staying put in the hope of moving up the pecking order in years to come.

Former Eagles premiership Ashley Hansen has formally dropped out of the race while Brett Montgomery and Daniel Giansiracusa have been flagged as potential options, despite the latter ruling himself out of contention.

SEE MORE: The emerging favourite and remaining contenders - the West Coast coaching race state of play

However, amidst the heavy commentary surrounding the West Coast vacancy, not many have put forth McQualter as an option.

The former St Kilda player has been quietly building his CV since 2014 when he joined Richmond as a development coach under Damien Hardwick.

McQualter then transitioned into line coaching in 2016 before moving into the senior role on an interim basis after Hardwick departed midway through 2023.

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McQualter became the club's 41st V/AFL senior coach when he was interim coach from Round 11 last year, winning seven matches.

However, after narrowly missing out on the role to Adem Yze, the 37-year-old switched to Melbourne and has been under the tutelage of Simon Goodwin for the 2024 season.

The Demons were excited to acquire McQualter, with club performance boss Alan Richardson saying at the time: "Andrew's coaching experience over the past decade speaks for itself. From being part of three premierships to his recent tenure as interim coach; we have no doubt his exposure to various roles and responsibilities will be a great asset to the club."

McQualter is highly regarded in the AFL industry and is one to watch out for.

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