West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has confirmed the Eagles will trial utility Jack Williams as a defender as they look to find depth in their key back stock.

As revealed by The West Australian on Tuesday, Williams worked his one-on-one defensive craft alongside backline development coach Jacob Brennan in a big hint that a positional switch was on the cards.

It comes as McQualter looks to find options to help key backs Tylar Young and Rhett Bazzo, with young star Reuben Ginbey (quad) and Harry Edwards (concussion) both injured.

Williams has played as a defender at colts level for East Fremantle, but the 22-year-old has predominantly been a forward-ruck in his 46-game career.

At 198cm, Williams is built for key position stocks, with the Eagles having been forced to use 188cm recruit Brandon Starcevich as their third tall defender in the one-point defeat to North Melbourne before the bye.

McQualter said Williams was a good contest player who was capable of holding down a role as a key defender.

“I’ve spoken to him about that previously. He’s played back as a junior. We know what he can do as a key forward and we really like that but there is opportunity,” he said.

“We’re going to explore him as a key back as well, which is good for our squad at the moment.

“He’s a really strong contest player, that’s an important piece as well. He hasn’t done it for a few years now but it’s something we’re going to explore a little bit and see how it goes.”

Williams’ move could be a lifeline for the young West Australian, who is out of contract at the end of this year and down the pecking order as a forward and ruck behind the likes of Bailey Williams, Cooper Duff-Tytler, Jobe Shanahan and Archer Reid.

Former Sharks colts coach former coach Adrian Ricciardello told The West Australian earlier this week that Williams had the attributes to be a good defender.

“He reads the ball well and he’s pretty athletic. And that’s generally where you start those key position players, they just get behind the ball and see it nicely,” Ricciardello said.

“Jack takes a good mark, that’s what we saw when he was a teenager and then we needed something up forward and we put him in his natural habitat, but we definitely saw something in him down back.

“He’s a good size, has a big body, a good height, can play on the taller players and he’s just as athletic as some of them so he’ll be able to go with them. And he takes a good intercept mark. He reads the ball quite nicely in the air, back at colts level anyway.

“It would take the pressure off him too, sometimes when you’re playing as a forward the pressure piles on when you’re not performing but you can go down back and have an impact.”