Jarrad Schofield in for the long haul at West Coast Eagles even if it’s not as senior coach
West Coast heads into the final three weeks of the season with its list of potential coaching candidates growing smaller as interim coach Jarrad Schofield says he’s committed to the club no matter the decision.
As Schofield enjoyed his first win in charge of the Eagles over Gold Coast, Fremantle assistant Jaymie Graham became the latest to drop out of the race joining the likes of Nathan Buckley, Dean Cox and Josh Carr in turning away from becoming West Coast’s senior coach.
It leaves Schofield seemingly in the box seat to take over full-time time but he says he is still thinking short term.
“We’ve had some quiet talks (with Don Pyke) but not too much in detail,” he told Channel Seven.
“I’m really focusing on the now and as I’ve said many times my whole focus is to try and help the team be better week in and week out and I’ve got the opportunity to do that over the next three weeks.
“We’ll talk in the future but right now I’m just focused on getting the job done these next three weeks.”
However, Schofield said regardless of what decision is made around the Eagles’ coaching future he would remain a part of the club.
Camera IconJarrad Schofield, Interim Senior Coach of the Eagles talks with Don Pyke after the win. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos/AFL Photos via Getty Images
“Yeah I came back two and a half years ago to further myself as a coach and being part of this organisation is exciting and that’s why I came back to West Coast,” he said.
“We’ll see what the future tells but right now I’m just focusing on this week.”
West Coast has been keen to play a high-pressure and tackle game under Schofeild’s tenure, a hallmark of his WAFL conquering Subiaco teams.
While he rejected the idea of a Schofield brand he said their pressure has been a singular focus in recent weeks.
“I dunno about the Schofield brand,” he said.
“But it’s a singular focus that we’ve gone after the last three or four weeks and giving affirmation as to when we do it right and we saw it for four quarters on the weekend.
“It’s always good to get a reward for effort and they provided a four-quarter effort for our fans and all of us here and was played in the right way and we’re very proud of how they performed.”
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