West Coast on Tuesday officially cut ties with Adam Simpson after 11 seasons as coach as it prepares to usher in a new era with a rebuilding list.
The Eagles will now set their sights on who replaces Simpson — with a favourite son looming as the frontrunner — in a crucial call for one of the biggest sporting clubs in the country.
Foxfooty.com.au profiles 15 key contenders in the mix to become West Coast’s next senior coach.
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‘There’s guys who’ll say thank god’ | 01:29
DEAN COX
Would have to be the short-priced favourite. One of West Coast’s all-time greats across 14 seasons as a player, Cox was the Eagles’ ruck coach for three seasons before moving to Sydney at the end of 2017 as part of John Longmire’s coaching team. Don Pyke, West Coast’s new chief executive, was an assistant coach during Cox’s twilight years as an Eagle. The pair fostered their relationship as assistant coaches under Longmire in the Harbour City. While there’s previously been criticism towards clubs hiring favourite sons as coaches, Cox has arguably had the ideal apprenticeship in spending time away from West Coast at the Swans, one of the most successful football programs in the competition. “No one in the last 10 years has been a better chance for a vacant senior coach role than what Dean Cox is at West Coast, given Don’s first-hand access to his coaching ability at Sydney,” 203-game Hawthorn great Ben Dixon told Foxfooty.com.au on Tuesday.
ASH HANSEN
Currently Carlton’s senior assistant coach, Ash Hansen knows what it’s like to work at a club teetering on the edge of success these last couple of seasons. A premiership Eagle during West Coast’s glory days in 2006, Hansen played 78 games at the club between 2004 and 2010. Since then, he is one of the more accredited coaches on the open market to never lead a senior team full-time. He led Footscray to its 2016 VFL premiership and has been at Carlton since the end of 2021 under Michael Voss. He stepped in during Round 2, 2022 for one game as Voss recovered from COVID-19, with the Blues going on to beat the Western Bulldogs by two goals. With a vested interest in the Eagles and their progression through what has been a tough period, Hansen is absolutely a contender for the role.
JAYMIE GRAHAM
Graham served as a forward and backline assistant at West Coast between 2017 and 2021 before jumping ship to Fremantle to aid its forwards. He coached one game in 2018 — a 54-point victory over the Bulldogs — in Simpson’s absence. Upon joining the Dockers in 2021, football boss Peter Bell spoke of Graham’s burgeoning credentials. “Jaymie is a highly respected coach who has developed a strong reputation within his coaching career for not only teaching the game but building close relationships,” Bell said. “He has been involved with some very successful teams and has worked closely with some extremely talented players.” Graham will surely be part of West Coast’s consideration, particularly considering his Eagles background and with Justin Longmuir seemingly firmly planted at Fremantle.
JOSH CARR
Widely seen as Port Adelaide’s senior coach in waiting, with rumblings he’s already agreed to replace Ken Hinkley at the end of his contract as part of a succession plan. But with Hinkley still in the job, Carr could look to elsewhere to get a senior opportunity — and an opportunity has officially opened up. The highly-regarded assistant is regarded as one of the best footy brains including two separate stints at the Power and a stop at Fremantle in between. He also guided the North Adelaide to a SANFL premiership in 2018.
SCOTT SELWOOD
Undoubtedly the youngest of the options West Coast have to choose from, the 34-year-old Selwood helped greatly with Collingwood’s eventual premiership in 2023. Having previously been head-hunted by Brisbane to join the Lions’ den last year, he is clearly highly touted despite his youth. A former Eagle himself, Selwood played 135 games at the club between 2008 and 2015 before joining older brother Joel at Geelong for four years before his delisting. From a family with deep connections at West Coast, Selwood could be one of, if not the biggest investment a club could make on the market right now. With players such as Andrew Gaff and Jeremy McGovern only two years his junior, could one of the rarer player-turned-coach crossovers take place? We can’t rule it out.
‘We haven’t made that call yet Pykey’ | 01:01
SCOTT BURNS
Burns is currently assistant-coaching in Adelaide under Matthew Nicks, having joined the fray at West Lakes prior to the 2021 season. The former Collingwood midfielder has history with the Eagles, having completed an assistant stint between 2008 and 2013. Burns also served at Collingwood (2014-2017) and Hawthorn (2018-2022). However, the 264-gamer may not be keen to move west after recently settling back in Adelaide. Last year, Burns reflected on his desire to move back to South Australia after a short visit during COVID times. “As a family, we had always wanted to come back to Adelaide, and it ended up working out that after that 2020 season there was a good chance to do it with the opportunity with the Crows, so we did it,” Burns told AFC.com.au in May 2023.
ANDREW McQUALTER
McQualter served as Richmond’s interim coach last year after Damien Hardwick departed his post mid-season. He coached the Tigers to a 7-6 record as he threw his hat in the ring for a full-time opportunity, but after missing out on the role at the end of last year, he took up an assistant role with Simon Goodwin at Melbourne. Before his Tigerland tenure — which spanned 10 seasons — McQualter played 89 games for St Kilda and a further five for Gold Coast. Melbourne called McQualter’s leadership and ‘strong’ communication skills “a standout” upon announcing his appointment in October 2023.
DANIEL GIANSIRACUSA
Giansiracusa has been assistant-coaching at Essendon since the start of the 2021 season, after coaching the Footscray Bulldogs in the VFL from 2019. The 42-year-old, who played 265 games for the Bulldogs between 2001-14, was named the AFL Coaches Association’s Assistant Coach of the Year for 2020. Giansiracusa was a contender for Richmond’s head-coaching gig late last year. Touted as a coach with a high IQ and a wealth of in-game experience, the former Bulldog is one of the more recognised assistant coaches on the market and may well lead the list of contenders coming out of Victoria.
STEVEN KING
King, a former 240-game ruckman with both Geelong and St Kilda, was Gold Coast’s interim coach when Stuart Dew was sacked halfway through last season — he managed a 2-5 record. Before his brief tenure as interim boss, he had served for two seasons as the club’s senior assistant coach. This pre-season, he returned to Geelong in the assistant ranks. Before his Carrara move, King was part of the Western Bulldogs’ coaching staff for a decade — when it achieved its flag triumph in 2016 and when it made another grand final appearance in 2021. When King joined the Kardinia Park fray, Cats football boss Andrew Mackie said King was “passionate about developing players, and his knowledge and experience will further benefit our playing group.”
MATTHEW KNIGHTS
Knights, a former Richmond captain and two-time club champion, arrived in Lathlain in 2022 to be an assistant under Simpson. He coached an Eagles loss at The Gabba in ‘22. The 279-gamer is a one-time senior coach, having led Essendon between 2008-10. In the midst of a decade-long tenure at Geelong between 2011 and 2021, he also coached the Cats’ VFL side to the 2012 premiership. Knights specialised in the midfield with the Cats but is currently West Coast’s forwards assistant. A tried and tested ex-head coach, would Knights pursue a second shot at the caper? And would the Eagles hire internally?
Gawn hopeful of missing only one match | 02:10
JARRAD SCHOFIELD
On Tuesday, Schofield was named West Coast’s interim coach for the remainder of the season. The 49-year-old is currently West Coast’s midfield assistant, returning to the club in 2022 as the strategy and stoppage coach after playing for the Eagles between 1993-97. Schofield, who was an assistant at Port Adelaide between 2019-21 and won a premiership with the Power in 2004, is a three-time WAFL flag coach with Subiaco (2014, 2015, 2018). One of the big questions will be whether the Eagles choose to hire internally.
SHAUN GRIGG
The 2017 Tigers premiership player has been in the coaching side of the industry for a number of years now, with experience as a development coach (2019-2021) and assistant coach (2021-2023) at Geelong — including the club’s 2022 premiership. At the end of last season, Grigg jetted north to the Gold Coast Suns, where he currently assists first-year mentor Damien Hardwick. His resume is rather impressive given his half a dozen years in the workplace and could be a smokey for the vacancy. Grigg was also endorsed by Geelong great Jimmy Bartel on the Eddie and Jimmy Podcast and would be well within his rights to believe he is a shot for the top job.
BRETT MONTGOMERY
The former Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs player has been touted before as a potential replacement for vacant coaching roles in recent times and will no doubt be another name floated to fill Simpson’s void. Currently working under Adam Kingsley at GWS, the 2004 Power premiership player helped the Giants to a preliminary final last year, where they fell just one point short of a grand final berth. He has previously worked as an assistant coach at the Bulldogs, Power and Blues across a 13-year period — as well as a temporary role as an opposition analyst at the Giants in 2018. A coach that has had success wherever he has gone, Montgomery must be considered by the Eagles as a genuine option.
Pies following in the footsteps of Cats? | 01:09
NATHAN BUCKLEY
He’s arguably the biggest former coach on the market, and there would be irony in Buckley ending up as the coach of a club who heartbreakingly defeated his Magpies in 2018’s big dance. But nonetheless, given his status as a former player and coach, he must be considered. Buckley — who took the reins from former Eagles coach and Collingwood’s 2010 premiership coach Mick Malthouse in 2012 — has a decade’s worth of experience in the top job with a 53.67 per cent winning record. Some have connected Buckley to the new Tasmania outfit set to join the AFL in 2028, but there is still a lot to play out between now and their eventual inception. The odds of Buckley actually coaching at the Eagles? Pretty slim, but if the club wanted to shoot for the stars, he is a candidate that should be of considerable interest.
LUKE BEVERIDGE
Beveridge went into the 2024 season as one of the coaches most under the pump. And while the Dogs’ promising form in recent weeks has since eased that pressure, the 53-year old’s position at Whitten Oval beyond 2024 still feels uncertain despite him being contracted until the end of 2025. If the *you know what* hits the fan at the Dogs in the second half of the year and they want to turn to another coach with ample experience (albeit, what would feel like a sideways move), the 2016 premiership coach could receive a call from Don Pyke.
THE OTHERS
Adrian Hickmott (Hawthorn assistant), Nathan van Berlo (Adelaide Crows), Brendon Lade (Western Bulldogs) and Xavier Clarke (North Melbourne) are a few additional names that could potentially be in the mix, while previous head coaches who are presently assistants include the likes of Ben Rutten and David Teague, who are both currently serving at Richmond.
Source Agencies
