Adam Simpson is nearing the end of his road at the West Coast Eagles, with multiple reports indicating a parting of ways is imminent.
West Coast suffered its 13th loss from 16 games on Sunday against Melbourne, falling by 54 points in yet another uncompetitive showing.
Glaringly, since their bye in 2021, the Eagles have gone 10-60 — a 16.6 per cent win rate — with an average losing margin of 53 points.
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On Monday night, veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson reported her belief that Simpson’s time in charge was coming to an abrupt end.
“My understanding is, first of all, everyone seems to accept now that the report out of The West Australian last week about players text messaging people outside the club having lost support for the coach is true,” she told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“My understanding is the club now believes Adam Simpson isn’t the man to be a development coach. He is a very good strategic coach, he’s a process-driven coach — he is not a development coach.”
Further, The Age journalist Jake Niall also reported on Monday night that Simpson’s departure ‘looks likely’, despite facing a subsequent payout of close to seven figures — the 48-year-old is contracted through the 2025 season.
Controversy surrounded Lathlain during the last week with reports surfaced by The West Australian that a number of players had lost faith in Simpson’s ability to lead the club through the dark tunnel it continues to navigate.
“This is what he’s got to deal with, with this footy club, because they (rumours of player unrest) are said to be true, and then you watch these performances,” Melbourne great Garry Lyon said on Fox Footy’s On the Couch.
“It’s too little for too long now, and Adam Simpson’s going to cop it in the neck at some stage — that’s just the reality, and the players will get off scot-free.”
Collingwood champion Nathan Buckley assessed the situation from a player’s perspective.
“You have stumbled on something though, because when you get tarred with that, there’ll be three — if it’s fact — there’ll be three that sent it, (but) there would’ve been 19 or 20 guys running around thinking ‘people think it’s me’, and that does have an emotional impact on a player, and that can affect effort,” Buckley told Fox Footy.
“You’ve got to be stronger than that in your professionalism and your personal pride to do that, but there would be some individuals that it would affect.”
Addressing reporters after the Eagles’ loss to the Demons, Simpson said he wasn’t going anywhere unless the club acted first.
“We’re not on a linear path here,” he said. “We finished last (in 2023), so your expectations of us last year — I’m not sure what they were, but ours were ‘let’s just get better’.
“I don’t change. I’m here to do a job as best I can, and I’ll do that until I get tapped on the shoulder.
“I sort of know how long the road’s going to be, I’m up for it, but if the club’s not then they’re not — that’s fine. I’m OK with my football mortality — it’s OK.”
Lyon concluded: “He’s a premiership coach, he’ll go down as a great of the West Coast Eagles footy club, but he’s dealing with these sorts of numbers at the moment, which will get you in time. He’s OK with his football mortality — he understands it’s a pretty brutal game.”
Source Agencies
