Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has followed West Coast counterpart Andrew McQualter in speaking about their “coincidental” meeting in Adelaide earlier this month.

Their walk and talk between the two AFL coaches at Gather Round came less than a fortnight after it was revealed the Hawthorn coach had a coffee catch-up with Eagles co-captain Oscar Allen.

McQualter and Mitchell will cross paths again when their two teams clash at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, with a rivalry booming between the two clubs in recent months.

West Coast have been the victims of Mitchell and the Hawks’ ruthless approach to building their list, poaching Eagles vice-captain and premiership defender Tom Barrass in last year’s trade period.

The former West Coast player and assistant is appearing to sound out a similar raid on Allen and Harley Reid after chatting to both players at different stages this year.

Mitchell followed McQualter in commenting on the chance meeting when he fronted the media on Friday.

“It was a coincidence that we ran into each other,” Mitchell said.

“We’ve known each other for a long time, so we took the opportunity.

“Me, not quite as young as him and not quite as new to the coaching, but he’s obviously a new coach, so we had plenty to discuss but I don’t think it’s appropriate to take private conversations into the public forum.”

Speaking ahead of West Coast training on Thursday, McQualter said he had caught up with Mitchell by chance in Adelaide, with the pair talking while having a walk around the city.

“I’ve known ‘Mitch’ for a long time. This is just pure coincidence - I was out for a walk and we literally crossed paths,” he said.

“We went for a walk and chatted about life.

“I’m not going to talk the details. There was nothing heavy. We just spoke about some things that we’ll keep between us.”

The match will also be the first time Barrass has faced his old teammates since switching allegiances.

Mitchell was forced to defend both Barrass and fellow recruit Josh Battle who had been the subject of criticism in the wake of their loss to Geelong on Easter Monday.

“I haven’t seen too much criticism … I’m really pleased with what they’ve done,” he said.

“Josh Battle has had a role almost every game and hasn’t been beaten too often.

“TB (Barrass), we haven’t been got hold of by any talls at this stage, so I’m pretty happy with the back mix.”