One of the top candidates for the West Coast coaching job has withdrawn from the race, while Ashley Hansen remains an assistant coach at Carlton.
The former Eagles premiership player has told the Eagles he will not pursue the role previously held by Adam Simpson first reported by Jay Clark of the Herald Sun.
“It’s largely a family decision – he has a young family who are well settled in Melbourne and he’s happy to stay in Victoria,” Clark explained on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle.
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“I like his role alongside Michael Voss and he has told the Blues and Eagles that he wants to expand his coaching repertoire and his skills at Ikon Park, with a view to staying at Carlton in 2025.
“This is a huge blow for West Coast as he is so highly rated by Carlton and the Western Bulldogs.”
The 41-year-old joined Carlton as a senior assistant after the 2021 season, having spent nine years with the Bulldogs, where he coached Footscray to the 2016 VFL premiership.
He is undefeated as a senior AFL coach (1-0) and stepped in when Michael Voss fell ill with Covid in early 2022 for a win over the Bulldogs.
Hansen is the latest top assistant coach on the market to withdraw from the Eagles race. He joins Sydney’s Dean Cox, Port Adelaide’s Josh Carr, Fremantle’s Jaymie Graham and former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley in pushing back the powerful WA club.
Interim boss Jarrad Schofield remains the heavy favorite to take the full-time job after helping revive the Eagles’ fortunes since taking over from premiership coach Adam Simpson.
Schofield has led the Eagles to back-to-back wins, against Gold Coast at home and North Melbourne in Hobart.
West Coast are currently favored to defeat Hansen’s injury-ravaged Carlton in Round 23. If they do, it would be the first time the Eagles have won three games in a row since the start of 2021.
However, the interim coaches elevated to the top in recent times have not achieved success, with Carlton’s David Teague and St Kilda’s Brett Ratten both sacked within three years.
The Herald Sun’s Sam Landsberger suggested current West Coast CEO Don Pyke, the former senior coach at Adelaide, was also a good option.
‘The best candidate might be Don Pyke!’ | 01:34
Pyke leads the Eagles’ coaching selection panel.
GWS’s Brent Montgomery, who is seen as a strong tactical coach, Collingwood’s Scott Selwood, Richmond’s Chris Newman, Essendon’s Daniel Giansiracusa and Hawthorn’s Adrian Hickmott are seen as the top assistants on the market.
Selwood played 135 games with West Coast, winning the 2012 best and fairest, while Hickmott was assistant at the Eagles before his recent move to Waverley Park.
If West Coast senior coaching experience is sought, Port Adelaide’s Ken Hinkley – whose future with the Power beyond 2025 is uncertain – would be the leading option.
But his interest in leaving Alberton, given he has another year under contract and the Power in contention for another top-four finish, is unclear.
Josh Carr, who has already stated he is not interested in the Eagles job, is currently expected to take over from Hinkley when he leaves.
