Rising star Jack Williams from the West Coast says he and his colleagues are not bothered by the quantity of applicants who have already disqualified themselves from consideration for the senior coaching position at the club.
The Eagles, who parted ways with Adam Simpson in July, have been searching for a new coach.
Former West Coast ruckman Dean Cox was the early front-runner to succeed Simpson, but he disqualified himself to continue serving as Sydney’s assistant.
Port Adelaide assistant Josh Carr, former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and Fremantle assistant Jaymie Graham have also pulled out of the race.
West Coast are currently in the midst of the biggest rebuild in the club’s history, and some experts predict it will be several years before they are a genuine finals contender again.
But the players themselves are more optimistic, especially given the arrival of Harley Reid, Reuben Ginbey, Elijah Hewett, Brady Hough, Williams, Campbell Chesser, Noah Long and Clay Hall among others in recent years.
“Nah not at all, we don’t worry about that,” Williams replied on Monday when asked if the player group had been offended by so many coaching candidates dropping out.
“We have faith in the club they’ll pick the right person.
“We simply concentrate on playing football. We are confident the club will choose the best candidate when they present themselves.”
Leading the Eagles to a 10-point victory over Gold Coast on Friday night, interim coach Jarrad Schofield significantly increased his chances of being appointed to the position on a permanent basis.
The display came after a valiant attempt in a 35-point Western Derby defeat to Fremantle.
