West Coast underwent a player review early in the week as the club looks to bounce back from an April where it did not win a single quarter.
Within that were two losses by more than 100 points after the club won two of the first four games and looked to have shown genuine improvement.
Addressing media on Friday, Andrew McQualter expressed confidence his side could bounce back at home against fellow stragglers Richmond, the only winless side in 2026.
"We had a really strong player-led review on Tuesday, so they've taken ownership of it and our leaders demanded a better effort in the game," McQualter said.
"We think we're getting a great output from our young players. They're playing a high level of football.
Harry Schoenberg and Tom Cole are among the returning players, with the former to sport a helmet after suffering two concussions in quick succession earlier in the year.
Cole, meanwhile, responded well to his omission following a nine-disposal Round 1 after having been a mainstay of the line-up for the past two seasons.
“We spoke to Coley when he went out of the team (about) little parts of his game to keep working on, he went back to the WAFL, was a great leader down there, he improved his form so he deserves his opportunity,” McQualter said.
“He really provides great balance, he's a great teammate to play with and understands our defensive system really strongly so it will be great to have ‘Coley' back in the team.”
McQualter also highlighted the importance of starting well to give his young side confidence and nourishment.
“We've probably lacked that at times when you've walked in and feel like you've played okay and the scoreboard's against you so we'll try to ensure we start well tomorrow.,” McQualter added.
“We've tried a lot of different things this year…we've tried a lot of different things in the lead up to the game and we're trying to find the mixture.”
