3 minute read
West Coast coach Adam Simpson is contracted until the end of 2024 and remains focused on leading the struggling AFL side out of the doldrums.
Adam Simpson is adamant West Coast remain united as they struggle through an AFL season from hell and says he has no plans to abandon ship any time soon.
The Eagles sit last on the ladder with one win for the year and have lost their past seven games by an average margin of 79.7 points.
The fall from grace over the last 12 months has been exacerbated by a raft of injuries, COVID-19 issues and off-field troubles this season.
It has forced a dramatic shift in the club's mindset as it now enters a rebuild phase.
But Simpson sees a playing group and football department committed to fighting its way out of the mire.
"I truly believe the group is united ... I'm not seeing any fractures within the four walls," Simpson told Fox Footy.
"I'm not seeing any accusations or finger-pointing, I'm not getting managers calling in or parents calling welfare officers.
"I just feel we're all in it together and we're working as hard as we can to get out of what we're in at the moment, on and off the field.
"And to be honest, I've seen a more fractured group with success than we have with failure.
"In one sense I'm quite proud of the fact that they're sticking together and the environment's still positive to a certain degree."
Simpson praised his leadership group, led by captain Luke Shuey and deputies Jeremy McGovern and Nic Naitanui, for their role in keeping the players together.
"The leadership group I've got has probably dealt with this as best as I can possibly hope for from a united front," Simpson said.
"That does not give us an out for our performances but I think we're galvanised and I feel like there's a lot of resilience there that we're trying to work through.
"I think it will pay us back but at the moment it's really hard to look at the light at the end of the tunnel when we're in our situation.
"But we're setting ourselves up for success in the future and at the moment it's difficult to get back on track."
Simpson is contracted until the end of 2024 and has received public backing from the West Coast hierarchy, including chief executive Trevor Nisbett.
"I've got a long-term contract and I'm so committed to what we're doing at the moment," Simpson said.
"I'm as energised as I've ever been.
"I said to the players today that we'll find out so much about ourselves as a group this year and how well we can stick together and how hard we can work on getting better.
"I know there's questions asked and there'll be a time when I get tapped on the shoulder and I'll be told I'm not the right person for the job, but I'm so up for it at the moment.
"I cannot wait to get better and get on with it. It's just going to take time."
West Coast take on 15th-placed Adelaide on Saturday at Adelaide Oval before going into their mid-season bye.
