West Coast coach Adam Simpson says he understands the frustration fans feel at the team’s poor form but admits there is no quick fix.
The Eagles slipped to last place on the AFL ladder after suffering a 108-point home loss to Carlton last week.
West Coast won just two games last season and a devastating injury streak over the past five weeks has dashed any hope of recovery this year.
At 1-6 and with the likes of Nic Naitanui, Jeremy McGovern, Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo, Jamie Cripps and Liam Ryan on the sidelines, West Coast are in grave danger of collecting just the second wooden spoon in the club’s proud history.
West Coast hit the draft hard last year after finally deciding it was time for a rebuild, but it’s widely thought it will be years before the club becomes a Finals force again.
Simpson has implemented a more attacking game plan this year but early progress was soon stifled by high injuries.
The 10th-year coach is under contract until at least the end of 2024 and says he is the right man to lead the rebuild.
“We’re chasing something that’s not unique to this week. It’s longer term,” Simpson told reporters Thursday.
“I know it has been frustrating for our fans and we understand that. Nobody is more frustrated than me.
“But we made some changes during the off-season. We went in a different direction.
“We got the draft, we want to play a certain way and by round three we had (only) four injuries on our list.”
Simpson said his players just didn’t put in enough effort against the Blues last week.
“That’s the starting point and the ending point – bring effort, bring intensity and we’ll keep working on the things that we think will pay off in the long run,” Simpson said.
“It’s just not a quick fix.
“There will be some ups and downs and last week wasn’t good enough.”
The story goes on
Simpson revealed he is likely to change captaincy in the coming weeks to give young leaders like Oscar Allen, Liam Duggan and Dom Sheed a chance.
Vice-Captain Tom Barrass has led the team while Skipper Shuey (ankle) and Vice-Captain McGovern (thigh) are both injured.
Sheed will return from a fractured larynx for Saturday’s clash with Richmond at the MCG to give the West Coast’s struggling midfield brigade a much-needed boost.
Despite the sinking and darkness surrounding the West Coast fighting, Simpson does his best to keep the spirits high.
He even shaved his head this week after losing a bet to freshman speedster Coby Burgiel.
“I have to apologize to my wife for this haircut,” Simpson said.
“I underestimated the intelligence of some of our players. Burgiel, he got me The Burger.”
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