It would be reckless and foolish to solely blame West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson for the club’s woeful form of late, given the football gods have so cruelly targeted his team.
There was something comically absurd about the Eagles’ 2022 season, when the club could barely field a side because of crippling injuries and COVID.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson might not be solely to blame for the Eagles’ woes as of late, but he may well be the first sacrificed to appease the footy gods.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
West Coast fans gracefully accepted the lunacy of last season because COVID and injuries were justifiable excuses for winning only two games.
Once the Eagles got a host of their stars back in 2023, things were going to be different. But West Coast’s horror run of injuries has continued this year and the club is firmly rooted at the foot of the table with just one win.
Now the fans have become less forgiving, venting their fury on social media and calling for wholesale changes at the club.
Let’s be honest, supporters aren’t in the habit of burying their real thoughts and feelings on social media after their team gets a shellacking.
The viciousness of the insults directed at Simpson are excessively silly but the Eagles won’t take kindly at being shunted into the category of the failed by their fans.
West Coast is a powerful brand and has unwittingly created expectations from supporters because no matter where it sat on the ladder, epochal success always seemed so tantalising close.
Whatever misfortunes have befallen West Coast, the club has spectacularly bottomed out.
For the Eagles to bounce back is going to involve immense sacrifices. It’s becoming increasingly likely that Simpson will be the easy one to make.
“…Simpson has the look of a kid being bullied at school. You can see he’s coming up with ways to stave off the blunt beatings, but eventually most weeks it comes.”
The noble gesture by the club would be to keep Simpson and clean out the tired board at the end of the year. But that won’t happen.
And a probe into the conditioning of West Coast players and their list management to potentially uncover why so many players are injured is unlikely to happen in time to save Simpson.
West Coast have won just three of their last 35 games. So far this year, the Eagles’ average losing margin is just a tick over 52 points, compared to around 49 in 2022.
Simpson is contracted until the end of 2025, but if the Eagles continue to get thumped every week it’s hard to imagine the 2018 premiership coach being at the club next year. He may go even sooner if the season gets uglier.
And Simpson now has the look of a kid being bullied at school. You can see he’s coming up with innovative ways to stave off the blunt beatings, but eventually most weeks it comes.
He simply hasn’t got the personnel to compete.
There is no denying West Coast has been devastated by injuries. Dom Sheed, Luke Shuey, Liam Ryan, Tom Cole, Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo and Nick Naitanui add class and grunt when they play.
The problem is, they’re rarely been on the park together this season.
After the Eagles were comprehensively beaten in every department against the Suns on Friday night, there was a superficial cheeriness in Simpson’s plea for fans to keep the faith.
“They want to see us being competitive,” he said.
“I get all that. We appreciate all the support coming our way, and the criticism is there as well.
“But we’re trying. While we’re going through this, it’s going to be a challenge. It’s no quick fix.”
But what must be alarming for the club is the lack of quality young talent coming through.
There is a lot to like about young inside midfielder Reuben Ginbey, but beyond that the cupboard is looking pretty bare.
To be fair to West Coast, several draftees are either injured or yet to find their feet.
Of the more established players, Tim Kelly is having his most consistent year for the Eagles and power-forward Oscar Allen has shown he is going to be a superstar of the competition.
And both Jamaine Jones and Liam Duggan have provided much-needed dash out of defence.
But beyond that, even the Eagles are now struggling to put a positive spin on another awful season.
The Eagles’ next winnable game isn’t until round 20 against the Roos at home. The club will likely win their second wooden spoon. That could seal Simpson’s fate.
He deserves another crack next season but failure is not the norm for West Coast.
A lot of garbage is written and spoken about AFL coaches but it is almost universally accepted that Simpson is a “good bloke”.
Throughout his 10-year tenure at the Eagles, the 47-year-old has displayed moments of tenderness and vulnerability and spoke with unusual candour about the affection he has for his players.
When Naitanui did his knee for the second time in 2018, Simpson’s emotional reaction at the press conference after the game was sincere and authentic.
He won the hearts and minds of anyone who witnessed it. But football is a brutal business and ongoing success is the overwhelming barometer for judging coaches.
Good bloke or not, if the Eagles can’t quickly turn their season around, Simpson is likely to be the first person thrown over the cliff to appease the football gods.
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