West Coast coach Adam Simpson says he understands the frustration followers are feeling within the wake of the workforce’s woeful kind, however concedes there isn’t any fast repair.
The Eagles sunk to final on the AFL ladder after copping a 108-point dwelling loss to Carlton final week.
West Coast gained simply two video games final season, and a devastating run of accidents over the previous 5 weeks has crushed any hope of a bounce again this yr.
At 1-6 and with stars equivalent to Nic Naitanui, Jeremy McGovern, Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo, Jamie Cripps and Liam Ryan on the sidelines, West Coast are in grave hazard of gathering simply the second picket spoon within the membership’s proud historical past.
West Coast hit the draft arduous final yr after lastly deciding it was time to embark on a rebuild, however it’s broadly tipped it would take years earlier than the membership turns into a finals drive once more.
Simpson has carried out a extra attacking recreation plan this yr, however the early progress was quickly stifled by the heavy harm toll.
The Tenth-year coach is contracted till a minimum of the tip of 2024, and says he is the correct man to steer the rebuild.
“We’re chasing something that’s not just about this week. It’s the longer term,” Simpson informed reporters on Thursday.
“I know it’s been frustrating for our fans, and we understand that. No one is more frustrated than me.
“But we have made some modifications within the low season. We’ve gone in a special route.
“We’ve hit the draft, we want to play in a certain way, and up until round three we (only) had four injuries on our list.”
Simpson stated his gamers merely did not carry sufficient effort in opposition to the Blues final week.
“That’s the start point and the finish point – bring effort, bring intensity and we’ll keep working on the things that we think are going to pay us back in the long term,” Simpson stated.
“It’s simply not a fast repair.
“There’s going to be some ups and downs, and final week wasn’t ok.”
Simpson revealed he will likely rotate the captaincy in the coming weeks to give young leaders like Oscar Allen, Liam Duggan and Dom Sheed a chance.
Vice-captain Tom Barrass has been leading the side while skipper Shuey (ankle) and vice-captain McGovern (hamstring) have been out injured.
Sheed will return from a fractured larynx for Saturday’s clash with Richmond at the MCG in a much-needed boost to West Coast’s struggling midfield brigade.
Despite the doom and gloom surrounding West Coast’s struggles, Simpson is doing his best to keep spirits high.
He even shaved his head this week after losing a bet to first-year speedster Coby Burgiel.
“I’ve to apologise to my spouse for this haircut,” Simpson stated.
“I underestimated the intelligence of a few of our gamers. Burgiel, he obtained me, ‘The Burger’.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
