Departing West Coast coach Adam Simpson bid farewell to the Eagles in a heartwarming moment ahead of Sunday’s game against the Brisbane Lions.
Simpson was sacked from his role as the Eagles coach on Tuesday before he shut down a request to coach one final game.
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After 11 years in charge of the club however the Eagles brought the 48-year-old out ahead of the opening bounce to address the crowd.
“This is a little awkward,” Simpson said before getting into his speech.
“Really quickly just on behalf of the players, the coaches and the footy club we’d just like to thank you guys for your support over the last 11 years it’s just been an amazing run.
“We’ve had a lot of success … how good was ‘18.
“But we’ve also had some hard times as well and I can’t thank you guys enough and show enough appreciation for the last 12 months how you’ve stuck by the boys, how you’ve stuck by me and how you stuck by the club.
“I’m a part of you guys now I’ll be up in the stands somewhere, just need to get a couple of tickets from someone.
“I’ll be watching on, I can’t wait to see these boys play the next part of the journey and the football club thanks for everything, lets get on with it go Eagles. Thank you.”
Shortly after his farewell speech, Simpson made his way to the centre of the ground to toss the coin before he walked off to thunderous applause.
Fans watching on were all left saying the same thing after Simpson’s speech came to an end and the game got underway.
One user wrote on X: “All class. Thank you Simmo.”
A second wrote: “Good on you Simmo, pure class, Good on those fans.”
A third added: “Pure class from Simmo, 17 other teams should be knocking down his door to offer him a chance to join their ranks.”
A fourth wrote: “A beautiful moment and a fitting celebration for someone who’s given our footy club so much for so long. Thanks for everything, Simmo.”
On Fox Footy’s First Crack, David King jokingly predicted Simpson — who is set to cash-in on a lucrative payout — would pocket the coin after lofting it on Sunday.
“Adam Simpson is going to pocket the coin at the end of the coin toss,” King laughed.
“He’s taken everything out of the joint over the last six, seven, eight, 10, 12 years — he’s just going to have one last dip at the West Coast Football Club and steal the coin after tossing it.
“After doing a magnificent job, he earned that as well.”
Sure enough as he walked off Optus Stadium, the coin he tossed into the air was handed to Simpson who chucked it into his pocket before disappearing down the race.
Source Agencies
