Adam Simpson: West Coast Eagles coach shows he’s a true survivor by keeping his job amid horror run

Adam Simpson just won footy’s version of Survivor. He spent months being stranded on a desert island with sharks all around him and has emerged without a scratch. He’s Tom Hanks from Castaway. Or Gilligan and the shipwrecked crew of the S.S Minnow. Or maybe he’s Steve McQueen from the Great Escape or Captain Chesley Sullenberger, whose miraculous landing of a plane in the Hudson River inspired the movie Sully. He’s done what nobody thought was possible. He’s gone from a man who looked certain to be sacked as West Coast coach and retained his job for next season. It’s like a miracle. West Coast’s board have backed their premiership coach despite only five wins from the past 49 games. It’s despite losing seven games by more than 100 points, another two by more than 90 and three by more than 80 in that span. Nine of the lowest 20 scores in club history have occurred in the past three years. The Eagles conceded 17 unanswered goals to Fremantle and lost by 171 points to Sydney. But Simpson survived. His premiership history wasn’t forgotten. Simpson asked for clarity on his position after the derby defeat. The board wasn’t able to meet on short notice but booked in a date the following Monday. By then, the team had beaten the Western Bulldogs. Anger was gone. Heads were calm. That delay now appears crucial. Everyone, including Simpson, was behaving like he was gone in the days between the Dockers loss and the Bulldogs win. That victory saw fans jump back on board. It saw the board gain confidence. It saw powerbrokers publicly declaring support for the coach. The tone of the debate totally changed. What began as anger for the thumping losses and an expectation that Simpson would lose his job turned into empathy for the coach who it looked like was being hung out to dry. It felt wrong to delay the decision for the sake of delaying a decision. But when D-Day came, Simpson remained coach and the pain became temporary. He still has two years remaining on his contract but will know that he’s coaching on a knife’s edge. West Coast cannot afford to get routinely thrashed again next season. The Eagles have talked about the impact of COVID and injuries in 2022, and the horrible run of injuries they had this season. They’re due for a change of luck in that department, but they simply must perform. If they don’t, we’ll be having these same debates next season.