Eddie McGuire's bombshell revelation amid Adam Simpson furore at West Coast

Eddie McGuire has made the explosive claim that West Coast's board is about to take a "broom" through the embattled AFL club, with CEO Trevor Nisbett set to depart and coach Adam Simpson facing the axe. Simpson's future has been a hot talking point this season, with the club and players consistently throwing their support behind the long-time coach, despite his side only winning two games all season and suffering five absolute thrashings by more than 100 points.

The proud club's nadir undoubtedly came in the embarrassing 171-point defeat to Sydney in round 15, which sparked calls for Simpson's head from many quarters. The premiership-winning coach has maintained he's the right man to lead the club out of its most challenging period but the reality is the Eagles are almost certain to claim their second successive wooden spoon in 2023, and just the third in their 37-year history.

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Saturday's 101-point derby loss to Fremantle was the Eagles' biggest ever defeat to their fierce cross-town rivals and appears to have been the final straw for the club's board. Speaking on Channel Nine's Footy Classified on Wednesday night, McGuire revealed that long-standing CEO Nisbett would not be seeking an extension on his role at the club.

West Coast Eagles CEO and coach in the firing line

Nisbett has been a part of the West Coast club since 1989 and served as chief executive since 1999. McGuire claimed he's set to stay in the role until the Eagles board finds a successor, before adding that Simpson's head coaching job is also on the chopping block.

“The big story is the broom is going through West Coast,” McGuire said. “Tonight I can tell you the board is contemplating whether to sack Adam Simpson. That is the situation.

“Things seemed to be going along alright after the Essendon game, they thought everything was hanging together. But the total humiliation of what happened on the weekend against the Fremantle Dockers has now got this before the board – and Adam Simpson knows this, because he’s actually said: ‘I want to know sooner rather than later.’

“He’s a proud man, he’s a great coach, he’s a fantastic person and he deserves to get a quick answer – if, in fact, they have one.” The situation at West Coast is further complicated by the fact Simpson still has two more years to run on a contract worth a reported $800,000 per season, meaning the Eagles would have to cough up a massive payout to let him go.

Following the Eagles' crushing derby loss to Fremantle, Simpson brushed aside questions about his future. “I can’t control that... what will be will be, but we definitely took a step backwards today," he said.

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Triple premiership legend Jimmy Bartel insisted the number of horrendous defeats suffered by West Coast over the past two seasons are "just not acceptable" and suggested heads must roll at the club.

“When it comes to December 1 when everyone comes back to training, you’ve got to imagine all the players and staff lining up – and you can‘t have all the same people facing back at them. You look to those (loss) numbers, that is not a one-year injury thing – that’s over two years. Seven 100-point losses, it’s just not acceptable and it becomes a pattern of behaviour," he said on Footy Classified.

Essendon great Matthew Lloyd added: “This is a five-year build, this is a long journey – and no one could say Adam is up for five years. He might go, ‘well I am’, but I just think if you’re a player... you need a broom to come through.”

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