West Coast coach Adam Simpson hopes the battle to keep away from this 12 months’s picket spoon, regardless of the possibility to have the coveted No.1 draft choose, will finish all debates about tanking into the longer term.
The Eagles completed the season on the underside of the ladder after North Melbourne ended a 20-game dropping streak by beating Gold Coast on Saturday.
That victory got here only one week after West Coast upset the Western Bulldogs to leap off the underside of the desk.
It was the primary time since 1967 that backside spot on the ladder modified in each of the final two rounds.
There was loads of commentary from soccer consultants this 12 months in regards to the significance of re-building golf equipment having access to highly-rated teenager Harley Reid because the No.1 choose.
The Eagles have been accused of not doing sufficient to beat Essendon in spherical 21 when it appeared they have been set to complete final.
But Simpson mentioned the final two rounds confirmed each the Eagles and Kangaroos have been extra fascinated by successful than getting the highest choose.
“You guys talk about tanking – we don’t and North doesn’t. The general commentary is disrespectful to footy clubs because we play to win every week,” he mentioned.
“These guys don’t think about the draft or the draft picks or what might happen next year. They don’t.
“So we’ve got to stop talking about that because it’s disrespectful to the players and to the coaches and clubs involved.
“You look at North. They’ll take that any day of the week, and us last week. We’ve just got to be careful what we say because it does challenge your integrity when you question whether we are trying to win or not.”
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson identified the folly in believing a primary draft choose would assist to vary a membership’s premiership probabilities.
Luke Hodge, Drew Banfield, Des Headland and Tom Boyd are the one No.1 picks to win a flag.
Hodge and Banfield didn’t go to a picket spoon workforce and Boyd left GWS to play in a premiership with the Western Bulldogs.
“That’s not a real big incentive to pull in the number one pick,” Clarkson mentioned.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
