Andrew McQualter was in the third year of his Richmond coaching apprenticeship when he learned a key lesson from Damien Hardwick that would prove an inspiration in his own path to becoming a senior coach.

Promoted from development coach to midfield assistant after the Tigers made wholesale changes around Hardwick at the end of 2016, McQualter watched as the senior coach returned from an off-season break with a new philosophy.

Hardwick's shift from a distant micromanager to an emotionally invested and flexible coach is folklore at Tigerland after three premierships followed, and it taught a young McQualter the importance of evolving as a coach early in his career.

The 38-year-old went on to hold almost every role in assistant coaching, continually changing and learning new skills and working with new players before his chance as a senior coach finally arrived with West Coast last September.

"I learnt really the majority of my coaching from 'Dimma' and people around him, and even just seeing him evolve as a coach has been an inspiration," McQualter told AFL.com.au.

"He changed his coaching ways and even his philosophy around coaching, so I saw that evolving was something that we have to do as coaches. You can't be the same forever.

"I still speak to him and caught up with him for dinner over Christmas, so he's been a great influence on me."

As much as McQualter has been influenced by one of modern coaching's greats, he arrived at West Coast with a style of his own, with colleagues highlighting the drive and clarity he has in his coaching.

Strong leadership, resilience, great game sense and excellent communication skills are other traits that have shone through during his time both in coaching and a 94-game playing career with St Kilda and Gold Coast when coaching really wasn't on his radar.

"You don't think about coaching as a young person, it's not what you do. You just play and you might have leadership positions as a player," McQualter said.

"But I was probably always the type of person who spoke my mind pretty freely – some call it pretty opinionated or stubborn at times – and I think when I got to the AFL system I was clearly physically not as good as some other players, so I almost had to think of the game a little bit differently.

"Then once my career finished up, it got to a point where I was 25-26 years old and I started thinking about what was next in my career."

A year out of football after retiring at the end of 2012 gave McQualter the chance to work in a job outside the AFL for the first time with commercial real estate business Resort Brokers.

It was a year away from the "hustle and bustle of footy" that the father of three reflects on fondly. But he was soon drawn back and jumped at the opportunity to join Richmond.

Changing roles multiple times with the Tigers, and then shifting to Melbourne for the 2024 season after missing out on Richmond's senior role, taught McQualter another key lesson that has shaped his early priorities with the Eagles.

"I've started new jobs a couple of times now over the last few years, and it's got to be about relationships and getting to know people," he said.

"I didn't really know anyone on the list. Jamie Cripps I played with many, many moons ago (in 2011), but apart from that there was only 'Bakes' (Liam Baker) and 'Fridge' (Jack Graham).

"So I had to build my relationships with people, try and implement a game plan over the summer, and part of implementing that game plan was for the coaches as well. Spending as much time trying to educate them on what we're going after as much as the players.

"So they've been the really big priorities."

Building relationships at a new club is no easy task with 44 players and more staff to get to know, and McQualter's process so far has been to spend time with people away from the club, invest in corridor conversations, and find common ground with everyone.

He's paced himself and tried not to introduce too many big ideas early, but more opportunities will come for players and staff to share their stories and build deeper connections as the young group grows.

"We've all come from different places with different backgrounds and sometimes when you're in footy we all just jump on the train and we get to work and do the same thing," McQualter said.

"But I think the beauty of what we did in that period (at Richmond) was understand more about the actual person and where they'd come from, and I think it just gives you a different look at why they are the way they are.

"Part of the journey is we'll start to learn more about others, and we'll give opportunities for people to share their story a little bit more.

"But at the moment the focus has really just been on building those relationships from the start.

"You've got a million ideas but if you put them all into place at the same time the place would be a bit of a circus, so there's a bit of planning in that."

As round one approaches, the excitement is ramping up for McQualter, who is clear when asked what parts of the job excite him the most. "The games when they roll around, that's the best part of this job," he said.  

A long apprenticeship and a 7-6 record as the Tigers' caretaker coach in 2023 would suggest he's as prepared as he can be, but the coach is ready to find out when he goes head-to-head with Hardwick on March 15 at Optus Stadium.

"I remember talking to a mentor of mine many, many years ago about senior coaching and there's probably never a time when you actually feel ready," McQualter said.

"You just have to throw yourself into it and I feel prepared. I'll just take it as it comes."