Cooper Simpson deserves permanent spot in Fremantle’s side after impressing with his forward craft on debut
He might not have stuffed the stats sheet, but everything Cooper Simpson brought on debut suggested he’s in for a long Fremantle career. As ELIZA REILLY writes, he should even become a senior regular this year.
Fremantle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Fremantle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir can’t guarantee that debutant Cooper Simpson will keep his spot in the side to face Richmond on Sunday.
But if the Dockers are serious about injecting more spark up forward, then Simpson must stay in the team — not only this week but for the rest of the season.
The return of Fremantle’s famous #29 at Optus Stadium against the Western Bulldogs was both historic and justified.
Ever since Simpson arrived at the club in last year’s draft, it’s been a matter of when not if he’ll debut. And with each training session, intra-club and Peel Thunder match, that timeline shortened.
It’s not hard to see why Simpson won the Dandenong Stingrays best and fairest last season. His skills, sidestep and game sense speak to that.
In late January during a scratch match, he won the footy and slotted a goal off one step from 45 metres out.
In the WAFL a fortnight ago, he kicked 2.4 from 19 disposals.
Then on debut, he received the ball inside 50 from fellow first gamer Pat Voss and not a second later, he’d somehow found a way past Bailey Dale despite barely touching the ground. You’d be hard-pressed to find a faster sidestep in the history of the AFL.
how about this little flash of skill from Cooper Simpson 👀#foreverfreopic.twitter.com/ae4CWcctzt
— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) April 28, 2024
Simpson’s debut came a touch earlier than anticipated. Named initially as substitute, he was injected into the game at the start of the second quarter when Josh Draper’s hamstring needed a rest.
He finished with six disposals, five kicks and a handball which set up Andrew Brayshaw for a shot on goal. Four of them led to scores. One was a direct goal assist, setting up Bailey Banfield for the matchwinner with a delightful chip kick at full speed.
Those numbers don’t jump off the page. But they yielded Simpson 8.4 ranking points.
That’s 0.2 less than Michael Frederick (10 disposals, two goal assists, 2.0), 1.8 more than Michael Walters (16 disposals, six score involvements, 1.1) and more than double Tom Emmett (four ranking points from seven disposals, four tackles).
Minimal disposals, maximum impact. You hear it often and Simpson has that in spades. Now just imagine what he could do in a full game and with greater confidence.
It’s a good problem for Fremantle to have.
“We’re not going to rest anyone,” Longmuir said when asked about Simpson’s chances of retaining his spot. “It’ll be a bit of a squeeze in our forward half.
“We want to keep trying to give him some opportunities. We think he’s got AFL qualities with his finish and it’s something we’re missing in our front half so we need to get our balance right.
“Freddy came back in last week and did a good job. Tommy (Emmett) and Banners (Bailey Banfield) are playing good footy as well.
“It’s a good problem to have. We’ll see how it unfolds at selection.”
Simpson is still just 19-years-old. He’s far from the finished product and will still have his down days as he finds his feet at the next level.
But it’s more pertinent to focus on what Simpson can do rather than what he can’t.
He can kick goals and given Fremantle’s forward line has struggled to do just that at times this season, that’s worth its weight in gold. If he’s not kicking them, he’s helping set them up.
He’s the class that can complement Frederick’s pace. The composure that can make the most of Sam Switkowski’s pressure acts. The finishing to rival even Jye Amiss.
Simpson will play a lot of AFL football for Fremantle. So given that he doesn’t look out of place at the level, what’s stopping the Dockers from giving him consistent opportunities now and reaping the short and long-term reward?
One game down, 352 to go until he catches Matthew Pavlich.
Originally published as Cooper Simpson deserves permanent spot in Fremantle’s side after impressing with his forward craft on debut
Tribunal: Fyfe, Uwland learn fate after challenging bans
Gold Coast’s Bodhi Uwland and Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe both fronted the tribunal on Tuesday night. SIMEON THOMAS-WILSON has the details on how they went.
Heated derby results in 18 charges as Eagle banned by ‘Maynard rule’
An incredible 18 charges were handed out from Saturday night’s Western Derby, with the ‘Brayden Maynard rule’ finally resulting in a ban, while Nat Fyfe has also been rubbed out.