AFL reply to West Coast Eagles coach Andrew McQualter’s request for holding the ball readability | USAEMALL.com

West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has revealed the AFL has responded to the club’s request for clarity on holding the ball calls.

The first-year coach told media post-match on Saturday the Eagles would ask the AFL to explain several contentious holding-the-ball decisions that marred the club’s gutsy 29-point defeat to Collingwood at Marvel Stadium.

West Coast highlighted a play where Ned Long was wrapped up by Clay Hall, spun in a 360 and then grabbed by Harley Reid as well before firing a handball away.

That handball found its way to Eagles co-captain Liam Duggan, who was tackled while collecting the footy and penalised for holding the ball half the time.

“I sort of don’t want to be the person that goes to the AFL every week about it, but I think this time we just needed a little bit of clarity just so we can train our players and educate our players a little bit further,” McQualter told 7NEWS.

“I understand it’s a really hard game to umpire, and no one is ever going to get it perfect.

“We did (get a response), and we’ll work through it, and we’ll train our players accordingly.”

Meanwhile, McQualter was bullish about his side’s green shoots after the bottom-placed Eagles pushed the league-leading Pies for four quarters.

The former Tigers assistant said his side had shown clear improvements across the last eight weeks and was particularly impressed by the young guys.

Jobe Shanahan became the seventh Eagle to earn his wings on Saturday, earning high praise from Essendon great Matthew Lloyd, who suggested he may end up being the steal of last year’s national draft at pick 30.

McQualter said Shanahan’s impressive debut, which included his maiden goal, was not a surprise and added the 18-year-old would “rip apart” a game before the end of the year.

“Probably didn’t surprise me,” he said.

“Jobe’s the type of player that, although he can look a little bit relaxed at times when he’s on the field, he’s a real competitor.

“I thought some of the marks and even the positions he put himself in to mark the ball, he’s going to have a game in the next few weeks where he rips it apart.

“It was good to see him kick the goal; it was a big moment for him, and he owned it. He’s going to be a really great player for us.”

McQualter also labelled Tom McCarthy’s first two games in blue and gold after being the top selection in the mid-season draft “incredible”.

“It’s quite incredible what he’s doing,” he said.

“He is 24 years old, so he’s a tad older, but just the composure he shows, and he’s such a good ball user in the back half.

“He’s also defending really hard and well, and we’re just wrapped to have got him, and I hope he’s going to be a West Coast Eagles player for a long time.”