- Eagles have won just five games in the last two seasons
- Coach under pressure despite winning the championship in 2018
- Players have sent messages saying they want a new coach
West Coast coach Adam Simpson says he will talk to his players but will not launch a “witch hunt” despite a report suggesting players have been sending text messages saying they want a new man in charge of the Eagles.
Simpson appeared before the media at his weekly press conference on Friday after a local newspaper published detailed text messages from three players to people outside the club in which they stated they wanted Simpson to leave.
The revelations follow West Coast’s shock 61-point home defeat to Hawthorn last weekend, compounding the woes of a team that has lost six games by more than 50 points in 2024 and has won just five games in the past two seasons.
Simpson, who led the Eagles to the Premier League in 2018, has a contract until the end of 2025. If he is sacked, the club could pay him up to $6 million in compensation.
But the coach is stubborn and insists he still has the support of the players. A ‘disgruntled’ minority is nothing new at a club that does not win.
“It’s not ideal, but it’s not uncommon,” Simpson said.
‘It happened when I was under Denis (Pagan), when I was working with Clarko (Alastair Clarkson) – it happens all the time.
“I’m not going to check everyone’s phone, let me put it that way.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson under increased pressure after reports of player unrest
Simpson won’t conduct a ‘witch hunt’ to find out which players sent the text messages
“We have 15-20 players who don’t play a game every week, and there are probably 10 players who are off the roster at the end of the year,” Simpson continued.
“So there are always people who are unhappy. That’s just part of the job. We can’t apologize for trying to get better, but I think I still have the players (support).”
Simpson said he would speak to all the players to keep the story “as low profile as possible” when they met at the airport on Friday afternoon before the team flew to Melbourne for Sunday’s match against the Demons at the MCG.
“I’ll talk to the guys because I’m not on a witch hunt,” Simpson said.
‘It’s not that at all. It’s a little sloppy from the newspaper’s point of view, but that’s fine. You do your job and I’ll just do mine.
‘You’re exaggerating a bit, just because you see three players texting each other.
“It’s our life, we live it every day. I’m just going to talk to the players today and we’ll try to unite and be better at the weekend.”
Simpson said he was ‘committed to the development’ and had no intention of leaving the club.