Miller’s Guide: Simpson a breath of fresh air

Some coaches punch walls and some talk in riddles.

Others have been known to take out their frustration on the media, take a sly dig at the umpires or give their views on which AFL rules are – and aren’t –working that week.

And then there’s Adam Simpson.

In an AFL environment where some of the game’s biggest and fiercest personalities dominate coaching ranks, the Eagles senior coach is making his mark in more subtle ways.

Simpson is still in the early days of his tenure at West Coast, just seven matches into his second season at the club.

But his approach to the caper is not only refreshing, it seems to be yielding the on-field results that Eagles fans would have been desperately hoping for.

Simpson is as honest and up-front a figure as the media could hope for in an AFL coach.

Last Friday – little more than 24 hours before his side was due to host Gold Coast at Domain Stadium – Simpson said Jeremy McGovern needed a fitness test to play and wasn’t guaranteed to get up.

“It’s more how he pulls up,” Simpson said at the time.

“It’s just a corkie, but a six-day break — we need every minute.”

Simpson wasn’t foxing. Ninety minutes before bouncedown, McGovern was pulled out of the game and replaced with young defender Jackson Nelson.

Adam Simpson has been refreshing in his short time as Eagles coach. Pic: Getty Images

There are other examples.

Simpson said in the countdown to the club’s round six match against Port Adelaide that spearhead Josh Kennedy wouldn’t be having surgery on his injured elbow.

“He’s not in a position where he needs an operation,” Simpson said. “We’ve now got to make a decision on whether he plays this week.”

Kennedy has played both matches since and kicked five goals. If his reaction to being subbed out against Gold Coast in the third quarter was anything to go by, he won’t be missing any time soon.

When faced with the hugely difficult task in his first season as coach of handling the retirement of a club champion in Dean Cox, Simpson also managed that with as much aplomb as anyone could reasonably muster.

Point of difference No.2 – Simpson is modest. The team’s success is about the players rather than him.

The shock win over the Power elicited a rare and strong showing of emotion in the box, with the coach pumping his fists in delight.

But afterwards, he sought to deflect the attention away from his game day persona.

“I know a lot of people focus on game day and that’s fine,” he said. “But I’m more focused on winning rather than getting my personality out there on game day.”

Eagles forward Mark LeCras is tackled by Gold Coast's Dion Prestia. West Coast thumped Gold Coast by 92 points. Pic: Getty Images

Point of difference No.3 – Simpson isn’t afraid to apologise.

He admitted to getting angry in the box at West Coast’s clearance work against the Suns. For the record, the Eagles lost the count 54-33 despite winning the match by 92 points.

But Simpson quickly recognised post match that he might have overreacted.

“I was looking at the negatives and I didn’t realise we’d scored like we did,” he said. “So I did apologise to the coaches after the game, that I got a little bit frustrated when I didn’t need to.”

How many coaches apologise for letting off a little match day steam?

Point of difference No.4 – Simpson is still trying to earn his stripes.

Asked last week to comment about potential changes to the AFL fixture starting from next season, the Eagles coach said big picture issues were not on his radar.

“I just don’t live in that space,” he said. “I don’t have the time at the moment. Maybe down the track I might have more strong opinions about these things.”

Under Simpson’s leadership, West Coast are sitting second on the ladder with a 5-2 win-loss record and the best percentage in the league.

And players like Elliot Yeo, Brad Sheppard, Sharrod Wellingham, Sam Butler, Chris Masten and Jamie Cripps are excelling in roles both new and familiar.

Simpson won two premierships as a player for North Melbourne and captained the club for five seasons in a clear sign that nice guys don’t always finish last.

With a little more luck on the injury front, the genuine good guy now in charge of West Coast might just prove that adage wrong a second time.

Fantasy Fodder

If you listened to my advice last week, then well done. While my team’s own Fantasy form has been yo-yo like so far this season, the tips to trade in Luke Parker ($530,000), Elliot Yeo ($442,000) and Clancee Pearce ($448,000) were all on the money. Parker was dynamite with 166 Fantasy points courtesy of 31 disposals and five goals and is still below his expected market value. Don’t hold off for another week. Similarly, Yeo surprised even me by posting the third best individual score of the round with 150 points. Pearce continued his emergence as one of the best Fantasy defenders with 105 points. The Docker has not dipped below 100 points over his past three matches, which is exactly the type of consistency needed in any Fantasy backline. Putting the gloating to one side, Matt Priddis ($566,000) is a worthy consideration for coaches. His scores have not dropped under 100 points for the past four matches and, with games against St Kilda and Geelong on the immediate horizon, the Brownlow Medallist could continue to cash in. If you’re looking for a downgrade option to score some extra cash, consider the potential value offered by Blues ruckman Matthew Kreuzer ($244,00) and St Kilda’s Eli Templeton ($213,000). Kreuzer finally looks ready to return to the AFL line-up after time in the VFL, while Templeton scored a handy 79 points in his AFL return against Adelaide last weekend. Both have real potential to climb in value over coming weeks.

Port Adelaide need a quick upturn if they are to justify the pre-season hype. Pic: Getty Images

The Heat’s On ...

It would be natural to say Mick Malthouse, but the Carlton coach is easy pickings at the moment. So let’s put Port Adelaide under the microscope. Sitting second in premiership betting at the start of the season, the Power have slumped to a 3-4 win-loss record. Two defeats on the trot against West Coast and Brisbane have been more than unexpected and left Port with a mountain of work to do in the back end of the season if they are to surge into two-four contention. The Power don’t seem to be working as hard defensively this season. Other teams have also done their homework and are closing down Port’s preference to move the ball quickly through the corridor. The team’s famed fitness program is also being matched by plenty of their rivals. Sunday’s game against Richmond at Adelaide Oval, which will represent Kane Cornes’ farewell match, is a MUST win. They can still set themselves up with matches to come before their bye against Melbourne, the Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Carlton, but the return to form needs to start this weekend.

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The retired Adelaide great pays tribute to Cornes, who is bowing out after playing his 300th AFL game against Richmond at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.