Coach Adam Simpson Megathread est. 2017 - Skip to 2024

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There is no need for excuses though, there is nothing wrong with saying we are not going well without offering an excuse why.
We arent going "well" but we arent going as bad as people like yourself make out. We are going fine. We are doing way better than anybody thought we would so far this year, just very inconsistent.
2021 was out first time hitting the draft, the rebuild didnt really kick in until a year later. 3 drafts lol. The kids we drafted are still kids, they need to be adults
 
footy_basis is a terrible alt-account troll. Go through their posting history - has contributed nothing other than real low level sh*t stirring. Time you guys stop reading their rubbish posts.
I stick to the topic being discussed. When wce are wallowing at the bottom of the ladder and getting thumped every other week, then it's likely everyone's sentiment will be lower. Winning wooden spoons isn't a time for celebration.
 

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Haselby doesn't hold back here. Maps it out pretty straight.

Paul Hasleby: West Coast face 10-week test as future of several Eagles go on the line​

Headshot of [PLAYERCARD]Paul Hasleby[/PLAYERCARD]
Paul HaslebyThe West Australian
Sun, 16 June 2024 2:00AM

West Coast’s promising start to this season should be tempered by the fact that they are far from out of the woods yet.
And the next 10 games loom as critical for the careers of players, coaches and football staff alike as new chief executive Don Pyke gets his first off-season opportunity to restructure the football club.

After the 35-point win over Melbourne in round 11 there was a strong sense of optimism, but with a trio of losses to other bottom of the ladder teams including a 99-point thumping from the under pressure crows the future is not assured.

There is no doubt that the Eagles have improved this year on the back of an improved midfield unit and sharper ball movement allowing for a lot more inside 50s.

The emergence of Jake Waterman, the electric debut season of Harley Reid and the improvement of several senior players including Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo, Jamie Cripps and Tom Barrass has been important.

But the facts are still concerning. They’ve won only three games and of the 10 losses, five have been by 50 points or more.
All of this means that there are still some tough decisions to be made and no one should feel safe. That includes coach Adam Simpson and his coaching staff.

Pyke will want to put his own imprint on this club and move out of the shadow of Trevor Nisbett.

Simpson was under a mountain of pressure this time last year and while he won’t be feeling the same sort of squeeze right now, the performance over the next 10 weeks will determine whether he will still be at the helm in 2025.

Defeats at the hands of St Kilda and North Melbourne before the bye were disappointing. These were games the Eagles needed to win.

The win-loss column is not the most important stat for Simpson. It’s more about building a game style that will breed consistency and allow them to be competitive against the other sides.

Last weekend’s performance in the first three quarters against North Melbourne - who many believe are one of the worst teams in recent history - would have been concerning for the Eagles’ hierarchy.

Since the start of the 2022 season the Eagles have an 8-50 record – not many coaches survive this and at some point, successful clubs just can’t accept those numbers.

There is no doubt injuries played a part in those horror numbers over the last two seasons but injuries can no longer be an excuse.

And Simpson no longer has the safety net of a watertight two-year contract worth roughly $1m a season.

[PLAYERCARD]Matthew Knights[/PLAYERCARD] and Adam Simpson.
Matthew Knights and Adam Simpson. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian

West Coast have to make some big decisions in the next 18 months, and they must have the decision around who is coaching them for the next five seasons locked away.

How can they expect Harley Reid to sign on long-term if he isn’t certain who is coach is going to be beyond next season?
A decision around Simpson’s future will need to be made sooner rather than later and he has a 10-week block to convince the board he’s the man for the job.

Right now, Luke Beveridge and Matthew Nicks are the coaches under the most pressure but are more than likely to survive, so if the Eagles want, they could have the pick of the next best assistant coaches.

For a long time, it’s been touted that Dean Cox is set to succeed John Longmire as the coach of Sydney.
This hasn’t been locked in yet, so could the Eagles jump in and steal their former champion back?

Don’t forget Cox is close with new chief executive Don Pyke from both their time at the Eagles and the Swans.

Should they be targeting former forward Ash Hansen who is getting rave reviews out of Victoria where he is the senior assistant at Carlton under Michael Voss.

[PLAYERCARD]Dean Cox[/PLAYERCARD], Game Strategy & Ruck Coach of the Swans.
Dean Cox, Game Strategy & Ruck Coach of the Swans. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

This isn’t to say Simpson must go, but he is certainly not 100 per cent safe just because the Eagles caused a couple of upsets.

The same can be said for several of their senior names.

Veteran wingman Andrew Gaff has been brought back from the reserves to have one final crack at the AFL, but the Eagles would have been better off exploring their list further ahead of making some big list management decisions at the end of the season.

There are those that would argue that Gaff should’ve been overlooked ahead of the likes of Zane Trew and Clay Hall who need the opportunity to show their wares at the AFL level.

Hall is still developing but Trew has been in good form in the WAFL, perhaps even better than Gaff. Trew may not make it long term but why not find out and then make a call on his future.

Either way it’s upside for the eagles, unfortunately the upside is not there for Gaff anymore.

The same applies for Dom Sheed, who has found a place as a tagger before the bye but he needs to be the top of his game to stave off the younger brigade.

Even forward Jack Darling is under pressure with the looming return of Oscar Allen, who will lead a promising forward line that features Waterman, Ryan Maric, Jack Hutchinson and Bailey and Jack Williams.

Reuben Ginbey of the Eagles (left) and [PLAYERCARD]Oscar Allen[/PLAYERCARD] of the Eagles.
Reuben Ginbey of the Eagles (left) and Oscar Allen of the Eagles. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Then there are the football staff. The Eagles have shown their willing to change having brought in Matt Clarke as the new list boss and Mat Inness to lead their high-performance department.

They have also had the same group of assistant coaches for a while now in Jarrad Schofield, Matt Knights and Luke Webster.
There is 10 weeks left in the Eagles’ season and for some it may be the final 10 of their careers.
 
Haselby doesn't hold back here. Maps it out pretty straight.

Paul Hasleby: West Coast face 10-week test as future of several Eagles go on the line​

Headshot of Paul Hasleby
Paul HaslebyThe West Australian
Sun, 16 June 2024 2:00AM

West Coast’s promising start to this season should be tempered by the fact that they are far from out of the woods yet.
And the next 10 games loom as critical for the careers of players, coaches and football staff alike as new chief executive Don Pyke gets his first off-season opportunity to restructure the football club.

After the 35-point win over Melbourne in round 11 there was a strong sense of optimism, but with a trio of losses to other bottom of the ladder teams including a 99-point thumping from the under pressure crows the future is not assured.

There is no doubt that the Eagles have improved this year on the back of an improved midfield unit and sharper ball movement allowing for a lot more inside 50s.

The emergence of Jake Waterman, the electric debut season of Harley Reid and the improvement of several senior players including Jeremy McGovern, Elliot Yeo, Jamie Cripps and Tom Barrass has been important.

But the facts are still concerning. They’ve won only three games and of the 10 losses, five have been by 50 points or more.
All of this means that there are still some tough decisions to be made and no one should feel safe. That includes coach Adam Simpson and his coaching staff.

Pyke will want to put his own imprint on this club and move out of the shadow of Trevor Nisbett.

Simpson was under a mountain of pressure this time last year and while he won’t be feeling the same sort of squeeze right now, the performance over the next 10 weeks will determine whether he will still be at the helm in 2025.

Defeats at the hands of St Kilda and North Melbourne before the bye were disappointing. These were games the Eagles needed to win.

The win-loss column is not the most important stat for Simpson. It’s more about building a game style that will breed consistency and allow them to be competitive against the other sides.

Last weekend’s performance in the first three quarters against North Melbourne - who many believe are one of the worst teams in recent history - would have been concerning for the Eagles’ hierarchy.

Since the start of the 2022 season the Eagles have an 8-50 record – not many coaches survive this and at some point, successful clubs just can’t accept those numbers.

There is no doubt injuries played a part in those horror numbers over the last two seasons but injuries can no longer be an excuse.

And Simpson no longer has the safety net of a watertight two-year contract worth roughly $1m a season.

Matthew Knights and Adam Simpson.
Matthew Knights and Adam Simpson. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian

West Coast have to make some big decisions in the next 18 months, and they must have the decision around who is coaching them for the next five seasons locked away.

How can they expect Harley Reid to sign on long-term if he isn’t certain who is coach is going to be beyond next season?
A decision around Simpson’s future will need to be made sooner rather than later and he has a 10-week block to convince the board he’s the man for the job.

Right now, Luke Beveridge and Matthew Nicks are the coaches under the most pressure but are more than likely to survive, so if the Eagles want, they could have the pick of the next best assistant coaches.

For a long time, it’s been touted that Dean Cox is set to succeed John Longmire as the coach of Sydney.
This hasn’t been locked in yet, so could the Eagles jump in and steal their former champion back?

Don’t forget Cox is close with new chief executive Don Pyke from both their time at the Eagles and the Swans.

Should they be targeting former forward Ash Hansen who is getting rave reviews out of Victoria where he is the senior assistant at Carlton under Michael Voss.

Dean Cox, Game Strategy & Ruck Coach of the Swans.
Dean Cox, Game Strategy & Ruck Coach of the Swans. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

This isn’t to say Simpson must go, but he is certainly not 100 per cent safe just because the Eagles caused a couple of upsets.

The same can be said for several of their senior names.

Veteran wingman Andrew Gaff has been brought back from the reserves to have one final crack at the AFL, but the Eagles would have been better off exploring their list further ahead of making some big list management decisions at the end of the season.

There are those that would argue that Gaff should’ve been overlooked ahead of the likes of Zane Trew and Clay Hall who need the opportunity to show their wares at the AFL level.

Hall is still developing but Trew has been in good form in the WAFL, perhaps even better than Gaff. Trew may not make it long term but why not find out and then make a call on his future.

Either way it’s upside for the eagles, unfortunately the upside is not there for Gaff anymore.

The same applies for Dom Sheed, who has found a place as a tagger before the bye but he needs to be the top of his game to stave off the younger brigade.

Even forward Jack Darling is under pressure with the looming return of Oscar Allen, who will lead a promising forward line that features Waterman, Ryan Maric, Jack Hutchinson and Bailey and Jack Williams.

Reuben Ginbey of the Eagles (left) and Oscar Allen of the Eagles.
Reuben Ginbey of the Eagles (left) and Oscar Allen of the Eagles. Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Then there are the football staff. The Eagles have shown their willing to change having brought in Matt Clarke as the new list boss and Mat Inness to lead their high-performance department.

They have also had the same group of assistant coaches for a while now in Jarrad Schofield, Matt Knights and Luke Webster.
There is 10 weeks left in the Eagles’ season and for some it may be the final 10 of their careers.

Not the biggest fan of Hase but even he can't really get it wrong here. Pretty straightforward stuff just saying how it is
 
Not the biggest fan of Hase but even he can't really get it wrong here. Pretty straightforward stuff just saying how it is
Getting rid of Simmo asap is the painfully obvious part of that piece. The part I liked though was his recommendation about Dean Cox. Yes! Club legend with years under his belt in the Sydney set up. Do it Don!
 
Getting rid of Simmo asap is the painfully obvious part of that piece. The part I liked though was his recommendation about Dean Cox. Yes! Club legend with years under his belt in the Sydney set up. Do it Don!
If we do look to replace Simmo at the end of the year, I'm in the Ash Hansen basket myself.

Either would be a good get though.
 
There is nobody more qualified then Jarrod Schofield.

He's a winner:
Premiership winner
Three peat as a coach
Took basketcases in Port somewhere
 
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ATM I reckon it would go:

1. Schofield (already at the club)
2. Cox (Syd, Pyke link)
3. Hanson (former player)
4. Some random guy from nowhere

Don't mind any of the top 3 tbh

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For context, Simpson was number 4 in 2013. Sumich was considered a strong favourite.

If Dean Cox and Ashley Hansen are best qualified, sure, but I'd hope they don't win the position by primarily being former premiership players. The AFL world is littered with disasters of favourite sons flaming out at the club they played for.
 

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For context, Simpson was number 4 in 2013. Sumich was considered a strong favourite.

If Dean Cox and Ashley Hansen are best qualified, sure, but I'd hope they don't win the position by primarily being former premiership players. The AFL world is littered with disasters of favourite sons flaming out at the club they played for.
Scott Burns was considered most likely IIRC
 
For context, Simpson was number 4 in 2013. Sumich was considered a strong favourite.

If Dean Cox and Ashley Hansen are best qualified, sure, but I'd hope they don't win the position by primarily being former premiership players. The AFL world is littered with disasters of favourite sons flaming out at the club they played for.

Agreed

Woosha the exception rather than the rule.

Crazy Vossy at Brisbane the way favourite sons usually go.

Having said that, Cox and Hansen do appear the most qualified. Out of those two I'm personally Team Hansen. But I hope they cast the net far and wide to make sure they get the best.

Criticising the boys club while simultaneously annointing Cox and Hansen the heirs apparent (and Schofield for that matter, former player and current coach) also makes me wary.
 
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People make way too much of the perceived jobs for the boys bias when it comes to hiring ex players as coaches. Sure there have been some favourite sons appointed on the back of having little to no experience and it hasn't gone well. For us appointing Worsfold was one of the best moves the club has ever made. Ex players like Scofield, Cox, Hansen and Graham have all done extensive apprenticeships and with the culture at the club being at an all time low we only stand to gain from appointing a coach who's worn the jumper, loves the club, and remembers what we used to stand for.
 
We arent going "well" but we arent going as bad as people like yourself make out. We are going fine. We are doing way better than anybody thought we would so far this year, just very inconsistent.
2021 was out first time hitting the draft, the rebuild didnt really kick in until a year later. 3 drafts lol. The kids we drafted are still kids, they need to be adults

But we aren't playing a bunch of kids........ Barrass, Cole, Cripps, Darling, Duggan, Flynn, Jones, McGovern, Petrol, Ryan, Sheed, Waterman, Yeo and Witho ran out against North and lost at home.

9 of them are Premiership players.

We are not going "just fine" and we aren't even 1/2 way through the rebuild if we can't trade out players for picks and if we can't; then get use to being bottom 3 until at least the 2027 with PP's.
 
But we aren't playing a bunch of kids........ Barrass, Cole, Cripps, Darling, Duggan, Flynn, Jones, McGovern, Petrol, Ryan, Sheed, Waterman, Yeo and Witho ran out against North and lost at home.

9 of them are Premiership players.

We are not going "just fine" and we aren't even 1/2 way through the rebuild if we can't trade out players for picks and if we can't; then get use to being bottom 3 until at least the 2027 with PP's.
We dont have more kids ready for games... This shit takes time, doesnt happen overnight.
Its only Hall who was still wearing a wrist brace the other week and is a first year inside mid, and Burgiel who has had a heap of injuries with inconsistent form who are anywhere near close to getting regular games.
Just because we have a bunch of premiership players doesnt mean theyre still playing like they are now, all the guys 30+ are past their peaks, the grand final was 6 years ago...
If we cant trade out players for picks what do you actually want here? We are stuck with the hand we have been dealt, this is the list we have got. In the last 2 years there is nothing obvious that we should have done better, you just have to wait it out now.

We ARE going fine, its impatient people who have a whinge that we are out of finals for more than 2 years that make it seem like we arent
 
We dont have more kids ready for games... This shit takes time, doesnt happen overnight.
Its only Hall who was still wearing a wrist brace the other week and is a first year inside mid, and Burgiel who has had a heap of injuries with inconsistent form who are anywhere near close to getting regular games.
I think Dewar fits into this category also.
 
It's all right guys, thankfully we are focusing on the tough task at Essendon at their home ground by training with the women. This will provide us good preparation to really sharpen our skills and become tougher around the contest.
 
We dont have more kids ready for games... This shit takes time, doesnt happen overnight.
Its only Hall who was still wearing a wrist brace the other week and is a first year inside mid, and Burgiel who has had a heap of injuries with inconsistent form who are anywhere near close to getting regular games.
Just because we have a bunch of premiership players doesnt mean theyre still playing like they are now, all the guys 30+ are past their peaks, the grand final was 6 years ago...
If we cant trade out players for picks what do you actually want here? We are stuck with the hand we have been dealt, this is the list we have got. In the last 2 years there is nothing obvious that we should have done better, you just have to wait it out now.

We ARE going fine, its impatient people who have a whinge that we are out of finals for more than 2 years that make it seem like we arent
When you choose to play gaff I stead of a young player you're not in a rebuild mindset.

You're in a save my job mindset which is what Simpson appears to be in.
 
It's all right guys, thankfully we are focusing on the tough task at Essendon at their home ground by training with the women. This will provide us good preparation to really sharpen our skills and become tougher around the contest.

Are you also outraged about being able to see Ella Roberts' ankles?
 

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