- The coach was almost dismissed at the end of the 2023 season
- Simpson led the team to the flag in 2018
- The last few years have witnessed a series of horrible results.
West Coast have sacked coach Adam Simpson after a string of dire results in recent years.
The Eagles released a brief statement Tuesday confirming the split.
It was not confirmed whether Simpson would leave immediately or receive a farewell game.
Simpson was nearly fired late last year, and he knew the pressure was on him again.
The club now faces paying him close to $1 million to terminate his contract.
West Coast issued a surprisingly brief and blunt announcement about the sacking, considering everything Simpson has done for the club.
“West Coast and senior coach Adam Simpson have mutually agreed that his 11-year tenure at the club will come to an end,” it read.
‘One of only six senior coaches in the club’s 37-year history and one of only three to lead the club to premiership glory, Simpson achieved ultimate success in 2018 by joining Michael Malthouse (1992, 1994) and John Worsfold (2006) in bringing the cup to WA.’
Adam Simpson was sacked by the Eagles after guiding the club to the flag in 2018
However, he has also led the club through one of the darkest periods in its history, results-wise, with West Coast winning just eight of their last 57 matches.
The 48-year-old is one of six senior coaches in the team’s 37-year history.
“We went through this last year, didn’t we?” Simpson said on the Seven Network on Monday night.
“We’ll work it out. We’ll keep the conversations pretty open.
“We will continue to move forward. I’m sure we will make a decision.”
Asked if he would like clarity on his position, Simpson replied: “I haven’t really thought about that.
‘I’m just trying to do my job the best I can and try to explain what we’re… trying to improve.
‘I think we had some really good results at the beginning of the season.
“There have been some games in the last month that were quite disappointing, so I can understand the rhetoric around them.”
Simpson has been in charge of West Coast since 2014, guiding the club to the 2015 grand final and the 2018 flag.
The Eagles have won just eight of their last 57 matches, and the pressure has intensified following lackluster losses to Hawthorn and Melbourne in the past two weeks.
West Coast will take on the Brisbane Lions at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Star defenseman Jeremy McGovern is almost certain to miss the game due to a fractured rib and a possible punctured lung.
