- Adam Simpson said goodbye to the West Coast on Sunday
- The Eagles coach was fired earlier this week.
- He said a few words to the fans at the Optus Stadium.
Adam Simpson enjoyed a lap of honour at Optus Stadium as he said goodbye to his adoring West Coast Eagles fans.
Simpson agreed to leave the AFL club earlier this week amid a miserable season in the competition, but leaves with happy memories of leading the Eagles to a premiership in 2018.
The football manager turned down the chance to coach the team for one final game in Sunday’s clash with Brisbane, but did say a few words to the crowd before the match.
“This is a little awkward,” Simpson said as he took the microphone.
‘Very quickly, on behalf of the players, the coaches and the football club, we would like to thank you for your support over the last 11 years. It has been an incredible run.
“We have had a lot of success… how good was ’18.
‘But we’ve been through some tough times too and I can’t thank them enough and show them enough appreciation for how they stuck by the lads, how they stuck by me and how they stuck by the club over the last 12 months.
Adam Simpson said goodbye to the West Coast Eagles on Sunday
The 2018 championship-winning coach hugged his fans for the last time
‘I’m part of you, I’ll be in the stands somewhere now, I just need to get a couple of tickets from someone.
“I’ll be keeping an eye out, can’t wait to see these lads play the next part of the journey and the football club thanks them for everything, keep going Eagles. Thank you.”
Simpson then handed back the microphone and walked to the center for the coin toss before receiving loud applause.
“Adam Simpson is going to pocket the coin at the end of the coin toss,” joked David King on Fox Footy.
‘He’s taken everything out of there over the last six, seven, eight, ten, twelve years; he’s just going to make one last raid on the West Coast Football Club and steal the coin after flipping it.
‘After doing a magnificent job, he also earned it.’