West Coast coach Adam Simpson at peace with ‘football mortality’ but determined to see rebuild through

Adam Simpson has said he is at peace with his ‘football mortality’ should the end come for him after a nine-goal loss to Melbourne on Sunday, but wants to continue to lead the Eagles.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 07: Adam Simpson, Senior Coach of the Eagles talks to his players during the round 17 AFL match between Melbourne Demons and West Coast Eagles at Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 07, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

Embattled West Coast coach Adam Simpson is at peace with his “football mortality” but insisted he was still up for the huge challenge of rebuilding the Eagles and turning them into a power again.

His team copped another thumping on Sunday, this time by 54 points at the hands of Melbourne, and they have now lost 57 of their last 65 games in what is one of the worst extended stretches of poor form in VFL/AFL history.

West Coast remain on track for an unprecedented third consecutive bottom-four finish, with a woeful 3-13 record so far this year to sit 16th on the ladder after 17 rounds.

Reports of disunity emerged late last week as it was revealed by The West that three players had sent text messages expressing their desire for Simpson to be moved on at the end of the year. But Simpson is contracted until the end of 2025, and he is hellbent on seeing out both the 11th and 12th years of his reign.

Adam Simpson speaks to the Eagles at the three quarter time break. Picture: Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

“I’m here to do a job as best I can and I’ll do that until I get tapped on the shoulder,” Simpson said post-game.

“I know how long the road’s going to be. I’m up for it, but if the club’s not, they’re not.

“So that’s fine. I’m OK with my football mortality. It’s OK.”

Simpson maintained he was not concerned about another heavy defeat occurring so soon after those damaging reports of players being unhappy.

“There’s always unhappy players, especially when we’re out of contention so early for finals,” Simpson said.

“So there’s out-of-contract players, there’s guys playing reserves. There’s always someone who’s disgruntled and we can’t apologise for trying to get better.

“So I would be pretty upset if everyone was happy. So we’ll keep working on it, we’ll stay resilient, try and lead as best I can.”

Simpson said his mindset hadn’t changed as the losses continue to pile up.

“I’m not throwing my hands in the air,” he said.

“We’re not on a linear path here. We finished last (in 2023).

“The last couple of weeks it (basics of the game) has been down but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. We can’t ride that wave. So whether it’s me or someone else, it doesn’t matter. It’s going to take time.”

In a concerning footnote to West Coast’s latest loss, star defender Jeremy McGovern had to be taken to hospital to have his ribs and/or lungs assessed after coming off second-best in a collision that occurred in the dying minutes of the game.

As of Simpson’s press conference, the club wasn’t sure if McGovern would be able to fly back home with the rest of the team.

It’s the second time in two months that McGovern has suffered such an injury. In Round 9 against Collingwood he was also sent to hospital, but was able to line up for the Eagles the next week.