Adam Simpson is still weighing up whether or not he’ll coach a farewell game for the West Coast Eagles, following a public offer from Eagles CEO Don Pyke in his farewell conference yesterday.
The soon-to-be former Eagles coach confirmed that he has been axed by the club with a ‘mutual understanding’ after a horror run of games over the last several seasons.
However, when Pyke publicly said Simpson would be offered the chance to coach the Eagles’ Round 18 clash against Brisbane, Simpson was notably frosty with his response.
“We’ve requested that Adam consider coaching the side for one final time this weekend,” said Pyke.
“Yeah, we haven’t made that call yet Pykey… thanks mate,” Simpson replied, once Pyke handed the conference over to him.
His decision on the final game is still to be confirmed as of Wednesday morning, with AFL360‘s Mark Robinson saying that he “wouldn’t do it” if he was in Simpson’s position.
Adam Simpson. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“I don’t know if our opinion counts for anything, but I wouldn’t do it,” said Robinson.
“He said it. It’s over. I’m done. The time is right.
“I just think he knows it’s done, and I don’t know what one more game will do. He wouldn’t do it just for himself.
“Pyke’s got a lot of respect for what he’s done… but you can’t go into a press conference the night after you’ve sacked the coach and then put it on him… or not put it on him, they’ve spoken about coaching [the last game], but then bring it up publicly, without having an answer.”
Senior Eagles assistant Jarrad Schofield is set to serve as caretaker coach until the season’s end at the Eagles, following whenever Simpson chooses to depart.
Carmichael calls time
Collingwood player Josh Carmichael has been retired from Australian football on medical grounds.
The 24-year-old has continued to experience concussion symptoms following a head knock sustained during the club’s Round Six VFL match against the Southport Sharks in May.
Carmichael has not returned to training since and has been managed in line with the AFL’s concussion protocols.
After a recent assessment the Independent Medical Panel, convened by the AFL, advised that Carmichael medically retires from contact sport.
Carmichael said in a statement: “The past couple of months have been a difficult and uncertain time for me but I have comfort now knowing the direction of my future, and disappointingly that is not playing Australian football.
“Footy has been a huge part of my sporting life over the years and I have loved being part of the Collingwood Football Club, but my priority is on my future and ensuring I live a full and healthy life.
“I’d like to thank the Club, my coaches, teammates, and staff for all their support throughout my playing career at Collingwood and to everyone who has supported me along my football journey.
“I never imagined getting drafted to an AFL club, especially one like Collingwood and I’ll be forever grateful. I have made so many lifelong friends along the journey which is what footy is all about. As for the learnings, opportunities and experiences during my time here, I will forever cherish these and hold the memories close to my heart.
“To my family and friends, thank you so much for your love and support during this time. Not only recently but the whole journey. Always believing in me. No matter what.”
Carmichael, who played eight AFL games, became the second Collingwood player to retire due to concussion this year after Nathan Murphy.
Heeney Brownlow blow
Sydney star Isaac Heeney is ineligible for the Brownlow Medal, after his one-match suspension for his high hit on St Kilda’s Jimmy Webster was upheld at the AFL Tribunal.
He will miss the Swans’ clash with North Melbourne on Saturday afternoon in Round 18.
Later, Izak Rankine’s four-match suspension for a bump that concussed Brisbane’s Brandon Starcevich was also upheld, following a brief and unsuccessful attempt from Adelaide to downgrade the ban.
Heeney attempted to push away from the Saints defender but clipped him in the face, with Webster left bleeding from the nose as a result.
The incident was graded as intentional conduct by Match Review Officer Michael Christian due to an AFL rule change in the off-season specifically prohibiting off-the-ball facial contact from players – previously, such an incident would have been deemed ‘careless’ conduct instead.
That meant a grading of ‘low’ impact and high contact from Christian was enough to trigger the one-match ban.
While Heeney’s hearing took considerable time, Rankine’s was one of the briefest in Tribunal history, needing just 44 minutes to confirm his four-game ban would stand.
In explaining upholding the verdict, the Tribunal deemed the incident as an ‘intentional strike’ from Heeney.
“The swing of Heeney’s arm was forceful, and it was more than a swatting motion,” a statement reads.
“Having looked carefully at the vision, we find that it falls comfortably within the language of clause 4.3(b), the guidelines, in that he was intending to forcefully push or fend off Webster to gain separation for the purpose of contesting the ball.
“We do not find that there is anything about the circumstances of this offence that would reasonably characterize it as other than usual, given the natural language of the provision and the evident purpose of the provision.
“Heeney’s swing of the arm was a forceful blow, and he intended that blow to make contact with Webster, albeit not to his face. We are not satisfied that he intended only to make contact with Webster’s hands.
“This was an intentional strike resulting in injury, and accordingly, we consider a one-match sanction is appropriate.”
The Swans and Heeney argued that the contact was ‘at worst’ careless, with the star midfielder claiming he was ‘trying to get separation’ from Webster, who was holding onto him, to be able to mark the ball.
He also said the hit was an attempt to ‘swat his [Webster’s] hands away’ from his body.
“I’m just trying to swat his hands away. I don’t want to be held,” Heeney said.
“He’s taller than me and just where his hand on my back was is where I was swatting.”
Heeney also noted he showed immediate concern for Webster by turning his back to the play briefly, having not intended to catch him high.
He argued he performs a similar act ’50 to 100 times’ in games, describing it as ‘forward craft’.
After saying he did not realise Webster had lowered his head momentarily in the contest, bringing his face in line with Heeney’s hand, the Swan disagreed with the AFL’s assessment that he would have been able to see the Saint in his peripheral vision.
“It would not be expected… that someone in Heeney’s position would expect he’s going to find someone who’s a couple of inches taller than him in a position below his chest height,” Swans counsel Duncan Miller added.
In response, AFL counsel Andrew Woods argued the rules regarding off-the-ball high contact being graded as ‘intentional’ are clear.
“He either saw the head was there or should have known the head was there,” Woods said of Heeney, while also claiming the hit was an intentional strike and not accidental contact.
“The arm is not only raised, but is flung back quite forcefully.
“You simply look at the footage and decide: is it forceful pushing or fending off of Webster and is it a strike?
“It’s clear enough on that footage it was a strike and was intended to be so.”
As a closing statement, the Swans brought forth the controversial ‘good bloke’ defence, saying Heeney’s excellent behavioural history, having only twice been fined across a 207-game career, is grounds for the case to be considered as exceptional circumstances.
The Crows attempted to have Rankine’s charge downgraded on the grounds that his first contact on Starcevich was not the head, but rather the body.
“If this bump had gone as planned, it was the sort of bump – admittedly off the ball – that you might see hundreds of times each weekend,” was Crows counsel Andrew Culshaw’s assessment of the incident.
Culshaw would then describe the bump as ‘not deliberately unreasonable’.
The AFL’s response was brief and emphatic, with Woods arguing the incident was ‘such a long way from being lawful conduct and it’s precisely the sort of conduct that the rules attempt to stamp out’.
In upholding the original ban, the Tribunal agreed, saying Rankine ‘forcefully bumped Brandon Starcevich a considerable distance from where the ball was trapped in a stoppage’.
“In our opinion, it is clear that Rankine intended to engage in conduct which was unreasonable in the circumstances,” their statement reads.
“It was not reasonable to stop and forcefully bump Starcevich when Rankine must have known Starcevich was not expecting to be bumped.
“Play had stopped, and although the bump was almost simultaneous with the umpire’s whistle, the Crows fairly accepted that neither player could reasonably have expected that the ball was about to come their way.
“Rankine moved low and bumped in an upward motion. Starcevich was running at the time, he didn’t expect the bump and did not have the opportunity to protect himself.
“Rankine must have known all of these matters, and it follows he intended to engage in conduct that was unreasonable in the circumstances. We were satisfied that this was intentional, rough conduct.”
Rankine will miss the Crows’ matches against St Kilda, Essendon, Hawthorn and Geelong.
Cripps calls for Brownlow rule change
Brownlow Medallist Patrick Cripps wants the AFL to review the award’s eligibility rules at the end of the season.
The Carlton captain, who won the league’s most prestigious individual award two years ago, made the call just hours before Sydney star Isaac Heeney faced the AFL tribunal.
Heeney was one of the top favourites for the Brownlow until he received a one-game ban for striking St Kilda defender Jimmy Webster during the Swans’ upset loss against the Saints on Sunday.
Heeney’s remains ineligible for the Brownlow after he was unsuccessful in having the charge downgraded at the tribunal.
The midfielder/forward was taken out of Brownlow betting minutes after the incident.
Patrick Cripps celebrates a goal. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Cripps found himself in an identical scenario in 2022, when he was suspended for two games after a bump on Brisbane’s Callum Ah Chee.
But the Blues were able to overturn the ban in a marathon appeals hearing and Cripps went on to win his first Brownlow, in one of the most thrilling counts in history.
Hours before Heeney’s tribunal hearing, the Blues superstar felt the AFL should review eligibility criteria to keep up with modern standards.
“It’s obviously been a rule since it (the Brownlow) started,” Cripps said on Tuesday ahead of his 200th AFL game.
“I feel like how we’re protecting the head and little incidents, I feel like it’s definitely a thing that needs to be reviewed at the end of the year.
“Because you’d hate to see someone like Isaac, if he did win, miss out on the chance. He’s had a great year and he’s a great player, and I feel like he plays the game the right way.”
Prominent AFL commentator Gerard Healy, the 1988 Brownlow winner, also has called for a review of the eligibility rules.
Schofield takes over at Eagles
Departing West Coast coach Adam Simpson says there’s no reason why the club can’t follow in the footsteps of Collingwood and enjoy a quick turnaround in fortunes.
Simpson’s 11-year reign as Eagles coach will come to an end in a matter of days, with the club keen for him to lead the side in Sunday’s home clash with Brisbane before walking off into the sunset.
When Simpson departs, assistant Jarrad Schofield will take over as coach on an interim basis.
Former Eagles ruckman Dean Cox is the early frontrunner to replace Simpson on a full-time basis, with Schofield, Ash Hansen and Jaymie Graham among the many others who could be in the mix.
West Coast are in the midst of the biggest rebuild in the club’s history.
They’ve hit the draft hard in recent seasons, bringing in the likes of Harley Reid, Reuben Ginbey, Brady Hough, Clay Hall, Elijah Hewett, Callum Jamieson, Noah Long and Jack Williams.
Although the hardest part of the rebuild has already been done, there’s still set to be more pain ahead before the Eagles become a finals force again.
“I feel like whoever the new coach is, the platform is there,” Simpson said. “It just evolves. You don’t stay down for too long. Whoever goes for this job – I think it’s the best club in the league.”
Adam Simpson. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
The arrival of No.1 draft pick Reid and the return to fitness and form of Elliot Yeo helped breathe new life into West Coast earlier this year.
Upset wins over Richmond, Fremantle and Melbourne had fans believing in an earlier-than-expected rise from the ashes.
But the harsh reality of West Coast’s plight has been laid bare during the club’s current six-match losing run, which started with a 99-point defeat to Adelaide and more recently involved limp losses to Hawthorn and Melbourne.
West Coast (3-13) are still in danger of collecting their second consecutive wooden spoon.
But after seeing Collingwood’s dramatic resurgence under Craig McRae following the exit of coach Nathan Buckley in 2021, Simpson says there’s no reason why West Coast’s fortunes can’t turn around quickly.
“When Bucks left, I’m sure they weren’t talking about Collingwood the way they’re talking about them now,” Simpson said.
“It’s a very tight competition. It’s never as good or as bad as it seems.
Collingwood Magpies
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“I’ve got optimism for our players and what they can do.”
On the injury front, West Coast midfielder Hewett has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a new foot injury.
Hewett, who was due to play his first game of the year this weekend, has developed a minor bone stress reaction in his foot. The Eagles say it’s separate to the sesamoid bones area he underwent surgery on in March.
Defender Jeremy McGovern has been ruled out of Sunday’s game due to a fractured rib and a punctured lung. Matt Flynn (ankle) and Dom Sheed (hamstring) are chances to return.
with AAP