The Eagles haven’t been as calamitously crap as last season but are still firmly entrenched near the bottom of the ladder with just three wins.
A fan reacts during the round 13 match between West Coast and the Kangaroos at Optus Stadium on June 8.Paul Kane/Getty Images
But if you look at the West Coast’s run home,the club has only one winnable game against North Melbourne in round 22. Given the Roos have won four of their past five encounters against the Eagles you wouldn’t confidently pick West Coast in your office tipping comp.
And the way the Kangaroos tore apart the Eagles for three quarters a fortnight ago would be alarming for the club,especially given the Roos hadn’t won a game all season and had an average losing margin of 52 points.
If the Eagles don’t register another win for the season,the club is facing the real prospect of back-to-back wooden spoons for the first time in their history,which would almost certainly spell the end for Simpson.
It seemed like only yesterday half of WA had excessively and inaccurately predicted the 2018 premiership coach should be shown the door. How he despite winning just three games and getting thumped by 100-plus points in five is a testament to his survival skills.
When Simpson does exit stage right,he would make the perfect contestant on the seriesAlone Australia – his ability to survive in the AFL jungle has been staggering.
Reid has single-handedly disrupted the narrative around Simpson’s future so far this season because the 19-year-old wunderkind’s stunning performances have deflected the attention.
But the way the Crows mauled West Coast in round 10 had an eerily 2023 feel to it. After the 99-point drubbing Simpson casually swatted away the club’s away form with the poise and verbal dexterity of a coach not worried about his job.
Turn Optus Stadium into a fortress and all shall be well,was his take. The Eagles would get their game plan sorted in the next two home games against St Kilda and North Melbourne.
Whoops.
Simpson addresses his players at the break during the round 12 match against the Roos.Daniel Carson/ Getty
While West Coast’s form against the Saints and the Roos didn’t resemble the nightmarish horrors of last year,there is still a good chance the Eagles will win the same number of games as last season.
Simpson might want to update his LinkedIn profile.
The 48-year-old is now boasting a winning record of just under 51 per cent,down from an all-time high of 75 per cent the year the club won the flag.
The Eagles have only won eight of their last 59 games. Those numbers would barely be tolerated by a fledging franchise club,let alone an AFL powerhouse with a cupboard full of trophies.
In the past,the Eagles could’ve easily justified their fragile form as due to the number of injuries sustained. But now West Coast has one of the healthiest lists in the AFL. Of the five players currently listed injured,only captain Oscar Allen has missed most of the season.
There is no doubt West Coast have been more competitive this season with their senior players on the park. Intercept king Jeremy McGovern is bound to earn another All-Australian guernsey,and Jake Waterman’s revival has been remarkable.
The club’s most explosive player Elliot Yeo is 30 years of age and taking on many suitors,so he might not even be at West Coast next year. Even if the two-time All-Australian does stick around there is his ongoing soft tissue injury problem.
And apart from Reid the only other youngsters getting a regular game are Reuben Ginbey and Brady Hough. There is some upside,but the game has abruptly passed several veterans,most notably premiership hero Dom Sheed and Andrew Gaff.
It has become superfluous to mention trading or dropping underperforming forward Jack Darling as the Eagles clearly rate their four-time leading goalkicker.
So,if we subtract the Reid mania,we can no longer pretend the Eagles are going anywhere fast.
It has been an extraordinary effort by Simpson to last 10 years in an environment so unforgiving and brutal when a coach doesn’t produce the goods. It’s hard to imagine any other successful club in the world putting up with only a handful of wins over three seasons.
West Coast’s last game will be against the Cats at GMHBA Stadium,where the club have lost their last three games by an average of 80 points. If the Eagles are still sitting on three wins and get towelled up by Geelong,surely Simpson can’t survive the chop this time.
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