West Coast coach Andrew McQualter says burly defender Reuben Ginbey must be in the mix to earn a maiden All-Australian blazer because he is now “one of the best key defenders in the game”.

Ginbey was arguably the Eagles’ best in their 12.13 (85) to 8.7 (55) win against Essendon at Optus Stadium on Sunday night, blanketing Bombers forward Nate Caddy in a starring performance.

It continues an incredible season for the 21-year-old, who has transformed himself from a big-bodied midfielder to an undersized key back who is rarely beaten.

McQualter was vocal about disappointment in Ginbey’s omission from the AFL Players’ Association’s 22Under22 squad last year, but says he’s now taken another step after one of the finest performances of his career.

“If you just look at his contest work, he has to be (in the All-Australian squad),” he said.

“There are some good players, but I think Reuben is absolutely one of the best key defenders in the game. I think he’s doing a great job and love him in our team.

“He’s just got an enormous will to win. That’s where it comes from. And I think it’s innate for him, it’s deep inside him, and he’s such a competitor, and I hope we get more players in our team, which they are, playing like Reuben. He leads the way for us in that space, and he’s dragging quite a few others along.”

While Ginbey has long been dogged in his defensive efforts, McQualter said he had now grown his game offensively to become a better two-way backman.

“What we’re seeing with Reuben, he is as dialled in as anyone I’ve ever seen with the way he competes and players, probably the growth is he’s starting to really win the ball back,” he said.

“He almost never loses a contest, but his ability tonight to win the ball back – he had 11 or 12 intercepts – that’s the next stage to his game.

“This is a young man still building his game, still working out what type of player he’s going to become. And I think we saw a huge step forward for him tonight.”

While Ginbey was the star down back, prodigious talent Harley Reid was the spark in the midfield, imposing himself physically on the contest from the first bounce.

The young superstar racked up 24 disposals, nine score involvements and a goal while also playing on the edge, which McQualter implores of Reid without crossing the line.

“He’s getting it right more often than he’s not, and I think it’s really worth acknowledging that,” McQualter said.

“Everyone has come for him pretty hard over the years when he gets it wrong, but he’s a huge presence in our game, and he’s a leader in our defensive pressure around the ball.

“If you look at his pressure point number, which is a statistical look at it, he’s always really high for us, so we love that part of his game. And he’s getting after it, and I think he’s getting the balance right.”