In short:
After just eight wins in the last three AFL seasons, the Eagles say they have mutually agreed to part ways with coach Adam Simpson.
Simpson, who led West Coast to a premiership in 2018, said last week he thought he still had the support of the players, despite a report that some wanted him replaced.
What’s next:
Simpson has been given the option of coaching his last game against Brisbane on the weekend, as the search for his replacement begins.
West Coast Eagles senior coach Adam Simpson will leave the AFL club after weeks of pressure on his leadership amid the side’s poor on-field performance.
On Tuesday the Eagles released a statement saying Simpson and the club had mutually agreed his 11-year tenure at the helm would come to an end.
Speaking at a packed press conference at the Eagles headquarters, Simpson said he would take a break before assessing his next move.
“I feel like the time’s right,” Simpson says.
“I’ve been reasonably stoic over the last few years about the direction of the club and how it’s a slow burn and it’s going to take a bit of time, and my position hasn’t changed.”
Simpson said the club had given him plenty over his time, but acknowledged the past three years – during which the club has won just eight games – had taken a toll.
“The future for me, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.
“I’ve still got passion for the game, I probably need a break, to be honest.
“The sense of a little bit of relief as well as sadness is probably what I feel at the moment. And optimism for our playing group.
“I’ll be sitting in the stands watching.”
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Simpson was given a long applause as he left the media conference.
In his parting words, Simpson said he needed a break from making decisions.
“I think when you get to this position, every day you make a hundred decisions. Whether it’s the itinerary, or who you’re going to pick, or your ball man … all those things,” he said.
“Making less decisions for a little bit of time and then recharge and see what happens in the next phase of my life.”
Simpson criticised the media when reflecting on all the negative articles written about his coaching, and the impact this had on his family.
“You guys can be cruel sometimes really,” he told reporters.
“You’ve got to keep that in check, because we are human, and we have families.”
“[If] you want more access to our players, treat them with a bit more respect.
“But you’ve got to do your job as well, and we get that.”
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Simpson asked to coach weekend game
Simpson is one of only six senior coaches in the 37-year history of the club, having taken over before the 2014 season from John Worsfold.
He led the Eagles to a premiership in 2018.
But after several poor seasons, a string of recent heavy defeats and with the struggling club sitting 16th on the AFL ladder with only three wins from 16 games this season, he had been under immense pressure to keep his job.
A report emerged only last week of text messages involving some Eagles players wanting a change in coach following a 10-goal loss to Hawthorn at Perth Stadium.
Simpson responded on Friday by saying he thought he still had the support of the playing group.
“It’s not ideal, but it’s not uncommon either,” he said.
“It happened when I was under Dennis [Pagan], it happened when I was working with Clarko [Alastair Clarkson], and it happens all the time.
“There’s always people that are disgruntled, it’s just part of the job. I think I’ve still got the players.”
The Eagles went on to suffer a 54-point loss to Melbourne on Sunday, piling more pressure on Simpson and casting more doubt over his future.
West Coast have won just eight games across the past three seasons, losing seven by more than 100 points and a further four by over 80 points.
The Eagles have asked Simpson to coach one final game for the club, against Brisbane at Perth Stadium on Sunday, but it is unclear whether he will do so.
Legacy secure: Roos
Paul Roos, who coached Sydney to a premiership in 2006, said Simpson’s own premiership success in 2018 was something that would leave a lasting legacy.
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“The one thing that Adam can always hang his hat on … is the premiership,” Roos told the ABC AFL Daily podcast.
“He is a premiership coach for the West Coast Eagles – he will always be welcomed back to that football club as a premiership coach.
“It probably does differentiate you a little bit from a coach that hasn’t won a premiership.
“That great moment in time will definitely override the feeling of today.”
Roos said the Eagles had handled Simpson’s departure with the delicacy the situation required.
“I would suspect it’s been reasonably professional, a really healthy conversation, respect for a premiership coach,” Roos said.
“What I liked about this, they’ve given him plenty of opportunity.
“Credit to the West Coast Eagles – it’s not like they’ve reacted to one loss or two big losses.
“You have got a fair body of work that suggests maybe we have to go in a different direction.”
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Posted 4h ago4 hours agoTue 9 Jul 2024 at 3:25am, updated 7m ago7 minutes agoTue 9 Jul 2024 at 7:28am
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