West Coast Eagles great Glen Jakovich backs Harry Edwards ‘to stand up and deliver’ after Tom Barrass loss

West Coast great Glen Jakovich has endorsed Harry Edwards to stand up and fill the gap left by departed premiership defender Tom Barrass. The Eagles’ greatest-ever back man says Edwards was ready “to stand up and deliver” in what could be a career-defining season. Edwards looms as a pivotal part of the rebuild under Andrew McQualter, partnering with five-time All-Australian Jeremy McGovern to be the pillars of West Coast’s defence. The 24-year-old will likely get the match-up on spearhead Ben King in the Eagles’ season opener against Gold Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday. It’s a daunting task given the forward has kicked 13 goals in his past four outings against West Coast, while he has 10 goals in four games in Perth. King will be Edwards’ first big test, with the 39-gamer expected to be Barrass’ successor after he moved to Hawthorn late last year. Jakovich said the 200cm defender should be at his peak as an AFL player as he entered his seventh season. “He’s right in the peak now. West Coast would be expecting big things from him this year,” Jakovich said. “He’s 24, he’s at the prime age and what I like about him is he sees the line of the ball in the air pretty well. “Harry has got to back himself a bit more and that comes through being comfortable on an AFL field. He’s got the capabilities, now it’s time for him to stand up and deliver.” West Coast had to fight off rival interest to keep Edwards, including a strong pursuit from Melbourne. In the end, the former rookie signed a three-year extension as the Eagles looked to lock down a replacement for Barrass. Jakovich said that security should help Edwards perform to his potential. “I think he’s ready for it. They’re confident in his durability to give him a three-year deal,” he said. “They’ve given him some security, he’s set and forget now. “He’s got to work hard to get the next one and the only way you’re going to do that is to play the next 60 games at a high level of consistency.” Jakovich said Edwards now had to step out of the shadows of Barrass and become the No.1 full-back in the team. “I’ll always remember one of Mick Malthouse’s greatest quotes was when we lost a Peter Matera or a Dean Kemp going into any game the natural reaction would be ‘Oh man, we’ve lost Kempy or we’ve lost Roo’, but Mick was quick on the front foot saying he would only always worry about the 18 that he had not the ones he didn’t,” he said. “Mick put a lot of trust and faith in players that were going to represent him and the club. “With Tom going, we all know he’s an A-grader, a premiership player and a best-and-fairest winner, but this gives Harry the opportunity to stand up and get out of the shadow of Tom and become that pillar down back. “Jeremy McGovern won’t be there forever, whereas you would think Harry has got the next six to eight years in front of him as being one of the best defenders in the competition.” While Edwards is going to be a mainstay in defence, Jakovich warned the Swan Districts product about restricting himself to one spot in the modern game. “He’s got to be mindful — and I might be going against the coaches here — but don’t pigeon-hole yourself,” he said. “As long as he doesn’t go away from the team rules, if there’s a 50-50 ball in the air or on the ground, he can’t be indecisive. He’s got to win it, if he can’t win it he’s got to halve it. At worst you’ve got to halve it, but you’ve got to win it because that’s what the great ones do.”