Revealed: The stunning reason why West Coast would be mad to sack coach Adam Simpson despite the Eagles suffering through the worst season in club history
- West Coast Eagles won’t be moving Adam Simpson on
- Would cost the embattled club a staggering $7million
- Fed up fans want Simpson gone, wooden spoon beckons
- Last weekend were hammered by 171 points by Swans
The West Coast Eagles have a very good reason not to sack Adam Simpson despite the club suffering through its worst season ever under the embattled head coach.
Plenty of fed-up supporters have called for Simpson to be axed, but it can now be revealed the team would face an incredible payout if it did so, because the AFL luxury tax stands at a whopping 200 per cent on anything $500,000 over the soft cap.
That means if the Eagles sacked Simpson it would cost them a staggering $7million – and that doesn’t factor in what West Coast would then have to fork out for his replacement, according to Channel Seven.
Simpson’s team are near certainties for the wooden spoon, having won just once this campaign.
Losing to the Swans by 171 points last weekend at the SCG was the final straw for some fans – but Simpson shouldn’t be the fall guy, according to skipper Luke Shuey.
Struggling West Coast Eagles are unlikely to sack head coach Adam Simpson – despite the club’s nightmare 2023 season
Captain Luke Shuey (centre, after the loss to the Swans last weekend) pointed out Simpson ‘isn’t the one conceding 200 plus points on the field’
‘We are in this together,’ he said. ‘We have his back.
‘What can he do from the coaching box? … Adam isn’t the one conceding 200 plus points on the field.’
Simpson is contracted until the end of 2025, and the club is publicly supporting him to coach on beyond the current crisis.
The 47-year-old – who was a revered figure with Eagles fans after winning a premiership in 2018 – says he understands calls for change.
‘No one likes what happened on the weekend, and no one’s hurting more than me. So I understand the frustration,’ Simpson said.
‘I just know how big the journey is and how big the job is. ‘It’s not an easy one. It’s not for everyone. So you’ve got to be up for some bumps and bruises along the way.
‘I’m not in the depths of despair. I knew that the journey that we are on is a big one.
The Eagles were thrashed by 171 points last weekend at the SCG (pictured), which was the final straw for some fans
‘We didn’t want a game like that (against Sydney), or the game we had against Adelaide (a 122-point loss), but we have.
‘So it’s about how resilient can you be and what can you do to get out of it. It’s not a quick fix.’
Simpson added it is crucial he builds the confidence of the besieged playing group.
‘We need to get them fit and available and get the best out of them. That’s my priority,’ he said.
The Eagles have the chance to earn back some respectability on Sunday, July 2 when they host St Kilda at Optus Stadium.
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