On the back of another grim West Coast loss, the club’s 2018 premiership coach Adam Simpson has been quizzed on his future at the club after their nine-goal defeat to Melbourne on Sunday.
Now only a game clear off the bottom of the ladder, the Eagles – who showed such promise during the lead-in to the league’s bye rounds – have now lost six matches on the trot, with their last win ironically coming against the Demons all the way back in Round 10.
With no obvious reason to suspect another spike in form before the season’s end, doubts over Simpson’s tenure as senior coach have again come into the spotlight; as seen in his post-match press conference.
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WC still ‘not good enough’ after loss | 08:53
“I’m here to do a job as best I can, and I’ll do that until I get tapped on the shoulder – so that’s not really in question,” Simpson told journalists on Sunday afternoon.
“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 – so that’s fine; I’m okay with my football mortality, it’s okay.”
Speaking on Fox Footy’s First Crack, two-time Kangaroos premiership player David King and St Kilda great Leigh Montagna discussed the pressure Simpson would be feeling on the back of his comments.
“It’s true, that’s the guy I know – he’s comfortable with what he’s done, what he’s achieved, how he’s handled himself,” King said.
“The task in front of his now is enormous, and he knows that in all likelihood, he’s probably not going to survive it, it’s just a matter of when, not if.”
Asked by First Crack host Anthony Hudson if Simpson would be sacked before the end of Round 24, Montagna gave his two cents.
“Probably not, because he’s always been consistent with his line – he knew what the brief was,” the 287-game Saint said.
“They said ‘this is the brief to guide this team through the horrible period, where they haven’t even bottomed out,’ – and he’s done that.
“He’s done it with grace, and he’s copped a lot of flak, but he knows exactly what the plan is an he’s realistic about it.”
With Harley Reid headlining a list with some promising players in the ranks, the progress has very slowly, but surely come to the forefront.
In previous years, the Eagles could well have allowed the Demons to steamroll them en route to potential three-figure loss, but instead ended up losing the final three quarters of the game by 17 points all up.
Beyond Reid, the likes of Reuben Ginbey, Brady Hough, Campbell Chesser, Elijah Hewett, Harry Barnett and Loch Rawlinson should fill Eagles fans with hope in the coming years.
“(Of) course we’re seeing progress,” Montagna continued.
“They’ve still got a long way to go, we all know that, but it could’ve got really ugly today and it would’ve in the past – it could’ve been a big blowout.
“They found a little bit, they’re showing some talent – they’ve still got a long way to go, and there will be a new coach to take them through to the next period at some stage.”
King finished by defending the selflessness of his former premiership teammate, noting that Simpson would tap himself on the shoulder if he believed the time for the club was right.
“I can tell you one thing – if he didn’t think he was the right man, right now, he would walk in and make that call himself. So for people to say otherwise is just a nonsense, he’s club first (and) he’s been that way for a decade.”
Speaking on Channel 9’s Footy Furnace, Chief Football Reporter Tom Morris shed light on the feelings of some senior players at the club.
“I feel like this is coming towards a natural end,” Morris begun by saying.
“What I can report tonight, is there are senior players who would like a fresh voice at West Coast.
“These are senior players who are playing every single week. There is a lot of respect for Adam Simpson, they really like Adam Simpson – but there is a need I think now, based on the people I’ve spoken to, for a change in voice.”
Simpson and his Eagles have a chance to pinch a fourth win next week on their home turf against Brisbane next Sunday evening at Optus Stadium.
Simpson’s contract at the club ends in 2025.