West Coast could face $7m payouts to move on Adam Simpson and Trevor Nisbett this year
West Coast’s coffers could face a $7m hit if one of the club’s worst seasons on record results in two key staff members being moved on. MARK DUFFIELD reveals all.
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West Coast would face a payout of more than $7 million to part company with both coach Adam Simpson and chief executive Trevor Nisbett at the end of this season if the AFL opted to enforce the letter of the law on its soft cap penalty rules.
The payout figure would be a worst-case scenario because the AFL has previously shown flexibility which enables clubs to get coaches out if they believe they have run their race and it would benefit club performance.
But the Simpson payout figure would still be likely to be significant.
It could also require significant negotiation and legal argument over performance based aspects of his contract. Coaches often have bonuses for finals berths, top-four finishes and premierships.
The Eagles currently sit at the bottom of the ladder and are not expected to contend for finals next year, but Simpson and his managers could still argue that he had been denied the right to achieve his performance bonuses if terminated early.
The Eagles, 18th on the ladder with just one win for the season, are gearing for a round 20 clash with 17th-placed North Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
The tension that has enveloped the club for much of the season over poor performance in both 2022 and 2023, producing just three wins in 40 games, has the potential to explode if they lose to the Kangaroos.
North have won just two games this season and are, like the Eagles, are on a 16-game losing streak. Their form is so poor they are considered likely to receive 2023 AFL draft concessions to try and boost their performance.
Simpson had his contract extended until the end of 2025 in exchange for taking a pay cut in 2020. It allowed the club to negotiate the Covid-19 crisis when, at one point it was tracking mid-season towards a $14 million loss before clawing back to a break even position at the end of the season.
West Coast do not dispute the potential that the overall cost, including AFL penalties, of a pay out figure for Simpson could reach as high as $6 million if Simpson were to dig in and fight for all of his entitlements if terminated two years early.
But they are confident they would get help from the AFL with stretching the pay out over several seasons to limit the soft cap implications and penalties.
There has also been speculation that the club would part company with Nisbett a year earlier than the scheduled end to this contract at the end of 2024, which would leave them open to a $1 million pay out at least and more if Nisbett has any exit benefits after 35 years of unbroken service to the club.
He has been there either as football manager or CEO since 1989.
The Eagles have remained steadfast that both Simpson and Nisbett are safe — at least until the end of the season. West Coast chairman Paul Fitzpatrick reiterated again earlier this week there would be no decision on either at least until the season is over.
The club threatened to haemorrhage after the record breaking 171 point round 15 loss to Sydney at the SCG. Competitive home performances against St Kilda the following week and then against Richmond in round 18 appeared to steady nerves.
But a 9.5 to 0.2 opening term against Carlton before a rally later in the game opened wounds again and there has been speculation this week that at least one of and possibly both of Simpson and Nisbett will go at the end of the season.
Simpson, who had shown signs of tension and been testy with sections of the local media in recent press conferences, calmly declared he was not coaching for his career against the Kangaroos this weekend on Friday.
“I am not coaching for my job this week, I am coaching for the future,” he said.
He said he was coaching to win but: “whatever we are doing now we are doing for the future and it is the same as last week and last month, next week, next month. It won’t change. It is a long road we are on. I know there is some tension at the moment and I get that. It is all part of the job. But it doesn’t affect the way I go about it.”
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