West Coast interim coach Jarrad Schofield has described himself as a people person who has learnt to tame his confrontational side, but he's yet to reveal whether he'll apply for the job full-time.
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Schofield will take the reins for Sunday's AFL clash with Brisbane at Optus Stadium after the Eagles parted ways with premiership coach Adam Simpson earlier this week.
Simpson, who guided West Coast to the 2018 flag during his 11-year stint as coach, will be honoured before the game.
The Eagles have already begun the search for his full-time replacement, with former West Coast ruckman and current Sydney assistant Dean Cox considered the early hot favourite.
Josh Carr, Jaymie Graham, Nathan Buckley, Brett Montgomery, Daniel Giansiracusa, Scott Burns and Andrew McQualter are among the many others who could also be in the running.
But Schofield is the only one who has the chance to prove first-hand what he is capable of, and he'll use the next seven rounds to put his imprint on the squad.
Schofield coached WAFL side Subiaco to three flags across five grand finals before spending stints as an AFL assistant at Port Adelaide and West Coast.
The 49-year-old, who won a flag with Port Adelaide in 2004 during his 206-game career, held his cards close to his chest when asked if he would apply for the West Coast top job at the end of the season.
"To be honest. I'm not even thinking that far," Schofield told reporters on Friday.
"I have had a long apprenticeship. I started in 2009. Am I ready? It's the unknown. But life's a journey.
"And what I have learnt over probably the last 10 years is getting comfortable feeling uncomfortable."
Schofield said his learnings greatly expanded once making the coaching transition from the WAFL to the AFL.
"I learned how you interact and how you deliver to these young men or experienced men at AFL level," he said.
"You can have a firmness, you can have an edge.
"But I was probably a little bit ... more confrontational in terms of how I delivered. Sometimes good, sometimes probably not the right response.
"What I've learned over time is that you can have a bit of both.
"The biggest thing is if you have a relationship with the player, you can have those robust conversations."
Schofield is an advocate for elite standards, but he also prides himself on being able to connect with the human.
"I think I'm a people's person," he said.
"I think I have good relationships from all different walks of life.
"One thing is we're not all perfect - you're on this journey not only as a footballer but also as a human.
"And that's what I've learnt over my time, is to make sure one shoe doesn't fit all."
GWS coach Adam Kingsley spoke glowingly of Montgomery and will openly encourage his assistant to apply for the West Coast job.
"I think they'd be mad not to talk to him, interview him," Kingsley said.
"I think he's a fantastic coach, more than capable of being a senior coach in this competition and he just needs the opportunity.
"He sees the game really well. He's obviously a really smart coach game style wise.
"I think if you speak to the players that he's coached they all love him. He has a way to connect to them, but also educate them, hold them accountable."
Australian Associated Press
