Kane Cornes' brutal Adam Simpson call amid 'alarming' West Coast reality

Kane Cornes says he can't see how Adam Simpson can survive as West Coast coach after a record-shattering 171-point defeat to the Sydney Swans that the Eagles boss described as "embarrassing". A bullish Simpson answered "yes" when asked if was the right man for the job, despite labelling the 31.19 (205) to 5.4 (34) AFL mauling - the heaviest loss in Eagles history - as "unacceptable".

"We have just got to accept it and make the most of it, and try and be more competitive because it was unacceptable tonight. It was embarrassing," Simpson said. "I'm not accepting it, but there's not much we can do outside of keep rolling up our sleeves, train as hard as we can and try and get better."

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A solemn Simpson revealed that he had not spoken to the Eagles players in the immediate aftermath of the historic drubbing but refused to share publicly where any conversations would head. Speaking on AFL Media’s The Round So Far, Cornes said he believed the result would spell an end to Simpson's tenure as coach.

“It’s alarming. I’ve said from about Round 3 this year that you can’t survive – and the coach won’t survive – a record like this and performances like this will put a full stop to that,” Cornes said. “Whether that’s this week or in the coming weeks, unfortunately for Adam Simpson, his time is coming to an end.

“They need to change things up because what we are seeing on the field, regardless of who is available – and they’ll keep referencing that and he did that again – the effort levels, they are not trying. And it’s their senior players who aren’t trying.”

Adam Simpson's future questioned after record loss

Simpson is contracted until the end of 2025 and has stated his desire to lead the club through a re-build. Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson said Saturday night's humiliation against Sydney - in which he called out Eagles players for lacking effort - raised serious questions over Simpson's future.

“If they decide he is the right man to take this club forward in the coaching position, then things need to change pretty quickly,” Johnson said. “I think they need to have a really strong discussion internally about who’s bringing the energy to this group going forward.

“If they 100 per cent categorically come out (Sunday) and say ‘he’s our man, and that’s what we’re doing’... then the shift’s got to come from the players in some of these other areas.”

Sydney's stunning win was the second-highest score ever for the club but of more concern for West Coast, it was the club's fourth loss by more than 100 points this season. Inevitably, the backlash against Simpson has been swift, with fans flooding social media to call for the coach to be sacked.

Last-placed West Coast crash to new low

The bottom-placed Eagles have now lost their past 12 matches to stand at 1-13 for the season with a dire percentage of 47.3. West Coast have been hit hard by injury throughout much of the season and only had two AFL-listed players available to play in their second-tier WAFL side.

Veterans Shannon Hurn and Jamie Cripps are expected to be available to face St Kilda next week, though Jeremy McGovern is likely to miss as the Eagles are again forced to call on their younger players. "We have just got to keep giving these young players opportunities, they're going to learn the hard way," Simpson said.

"A lot of those guys with the full list, senior and younger players wouldn't be playing. We haven't got much of a choice. "But there's some positives in that. I know it looks like the end of the world at the moment, but the exposure these kids are getting, it's going to pay us back.

"Not tomorrow and probably not next week, but keep exposing (young players) to playing at the SCG, playing against last year's grand finalist, playing in different positions, trying to build some resilience. That's what it's all about. This will pass. It just hurts a lot at the moment."

with AAP

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