Legend Mick Malthouse says it’s ‘a shame’ Don Pyke not returning to coach but right man at West Coast Eagles

Legendary AFL coach Mick Malthouse has backed Don Pyke as the right man to lead West Coast into a new era but has admitted he is disappointed it could spell the end of his coaching career. Pyke officially took over as Eagles chief executive this week, replacing Trevor Nisbett after a stint at the helm spanning 24 years. The 55-year-old — who won two premierships with West Coast — had to give up his assistant coaching gig at Sydney, where he had been John Longmire’s trusted right-hand man since 2021, following a previous four year stint as Adelaide coach. In an exclusive interview with The West Australian, Malthouse — who has coached more games than anyone in AFL history — said he fully supported Pyke’s appointment. “It’s very well established that he’s got big shoes to fill with Trevor going,” Malthouse said. “But it’s a club that really has, it’s probably the top financial club in Australia. When you look back over its history, it’s got fantastic history. “So Don steps into big shoes to fill but he’s quite capable.” But Malthouse admitted it was a shame Pyke’s short-lived senior coaching career would effectively come to an end, despite his potential. “Donny was always very sound as a businessman. He’s got a very firm knowledge of the game,” Malthouse said. “He’s a self-made player. He had to adjust his game to be a premiership player. “He’s obviously done very well as a coach, although it was only short-lived, which is a shame that he was only a senior coach for a limited time. “I think he showed enough, to get to the grand final to start off (in his second year). “He was probably in the wrong state at the wrong time to not have an opportunity to have more time as a senior coach.” Pyke faces a challenging introduction to the role as he attempts to turn the struggling club’s fortunes around following consecutive horror seasons, including a wooden spoon in 2023. West Coast coach Adam Simpson revealed he had already picked Pyke’s brain and would continue to do so throughout 2024. But he expects Pyke to keep his coaches hat and whistle tucked firmly away in favour of his suit and tie. “I really lent on Pykey a little bit early on pre-Christmas just around some of the football knowledge he’s had since he left the club in ’15,” Simpson said. “We’ve kept in contact since then, but he’s got a big job on his hands. “The football’s definitely a big part of it but the coaching side of things, I think he’ll be moving into other areas of the club. “But I will definitely be leaning on him for sure.” Malthouse led the Eagles to their first two premierships in 1992 and 1994 during his distinguished career as a coach, where he was also at the helm at Footscray, Collingwood and Carlton. He coached a record 718 games across the four clubs, with a win ratio of 57 per cent.