The struggling West Coast deny asking coach Adam Simpson for an extended break at the end of the season after Alastair Clarkson and Damien Hardwick both walked away from football
- The West Coast is bottom of the AFL scale with a 1-9 record
- Adam Simpson is under contract until the end of the 2025 season
- The Eagles finished with a 2-20 record last year in a dismal campaign
The West Coast has flatly rejected reports that manager Adam Simpson has been asked to take an extended break at the end of the AFL season.
Simpson is under contract until 2025, but there are growing calls for him to step down due to the team’s ongoing struggles.
The Eagles are last on the scale with a 1-9 record and a searing 55.4 save percentage.
It follows last year’s torrid 2-20 campaign.
Reports emerged on Wednesday evening that West Coast had recommended Simpson take a three-month break at the end of the current campaign.
The West Coast has denied reports that manager Adam Simpson has been asked to take an extended break at the end of the AFL season
The AFL club took to Twitter to dismiss reports that Simpson might step down from his role
West Coast took to Twitter to dismiss the reports.
“Reports that senior manager Adam Simpson has been asked to take a three month break at the end of the season are incorrect,” the club tweeted.
“No such discussion took place.”
The rumors swirling around Simpson come on the heels of a tumultuous time for two of the game’s most high-profile coaches.
Richmond manager Damien Hardwick shocked the footballing world this week when he stepped down, effective immediately.
It came less than a week after North Melbourne manager Alastair Clarkson quit due to the emotional toll of being in the spotlight for the investigation into alleged historical racism at Hawthorn.
The West Coast is currently mired in the darkest period of the club’s proud history.
Simpson is determined to lead the club through reconstruction, but club great Glen Jakovich says the 10th-year coach should have quit after Sunday’s 116-point loss to Hawthorn.
The West Coast are bottom of the AFL ladder with a 1-9 record after finishing 2-20 a year ago
The West Coast injury curse has been their biggest downfall this season.
In last week’s loss to Hawthorn, West Coast were missing 10 of their top 15 players.
Elliot Yeo and Shannon Hurn have a chance to feature in Saturday’s clash with Essendon after returning from groin injuries, while Tom Barrass is also in contention after recovering from illness.
However, Luke Shuey, Nic Naitanui, Jeremy McGovern, Liam Ryan, Jamie Cripps, Jack Darling and Tom Cole remain sidelined.
Simpson is under contract with the Eagles until the end of the 2025 season.
Simpson, speaking on the club’s website this week, says he now mostly avoids digesting what is being said about the West Coast in the media.
‘I used to [take it in] when we were winning,” he said.
“About two years ago I realized how unhealthy it is. I disconnected from it, to the point of not really reading or watching anything anymore.
“It probably made me more balanced as a person, more present at home and really caring about the people that matter.”
