Hawthorn coach backs mentor Simpson to make AFL return
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Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell and Kangaroos counterpart Alastair Clarkson hope Adam Simpson finds a way back into the AFL system when the time is right, following the premiership-winning mentor’s departure from West Coast.
Simpson turned down the Eagles’ offer of a farewell game this week, officially ending an 11-year tenure that included the 2018 flag.
Mitchell played under the 48-year-old at both West Coast and Hawthorn, where Simpson was an assistant to Clarkson before landing the senior role at the Eagles.
Adam SimpsonCredit: AFL Photos
“Simmo’s got a great footy mind and there’s not many premiership coaches out there, so he’s done a great job,” Mitchell said.
“Right now everyone’s thinking about this little period, but he’ll be remembered as a premiership player and premiership coach.
“He’s got one of the great resumes, and you don’t want to lose the best people around.
“Hopefully he’ll come back to footy when the time’s right for him.”
Clarkson was also confident Simpson would return to the coaching scene when ready.
“Like all of us, when you first remove yourself from it or get removed from it, the best thing is just let the dust settle for a while,” he said.
“You’re just in so much overdrive, especially in season.
“So he and (his wife) Nicky and the kids will just have a spell for a little while and then I think he’s on record as saying Nicky wanted to kick him out of the house after a day, so I’m not sure how long he’s gonna last.
“But he’ll get back involved in footy I’m sure at some point in time. It’ll be a real asset for the game if he does continue to be involved.”
Simpson was informed on Monday night West Coast wanted to have a fresh start with a new coach after a rough three years, which included a bottom-two finish in 2022 and wooden spoon last year.
The Eagles won just 10 of Simpson’s last 70 matches in charge during that period.
Mitchell echoed Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley’s recent observation that intense pressure and scrutiny were part of an AFL coach’s job.
“It’s always someone’s turn in this game,” Mitchell said.
“There’s other coaches that have been under the gun and under enormous amounts of pressure this year even when their side are going reasonably well.
“That’s the nature of the media circle at the moment ... it’s the nature of the job and it’s what we get paid to do.
“You’re the face of the club, and when the club’s not going well you bear a lot of it.”
Swans defend Heeney for action that happens ’40, 50 times in a game’
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Sydney forward Hayden McLean says Isaac Heeney is “unlucky” to cop a one-match suspension for an action he says is common in the game.
Heeney’s Brownlow Medal hopes hang by a thread as the Swans head to the AFL’s appeals board on Thursday in a bid to reverse the tribunal’s decision to uphold his suspension for striking St Kilda’s Jimmy Webster.
The club’s failed attempt to overturn Heeney’s ban during a lengthy tribunal hearing this week leaves the star midfielder ruled out of Sydney’s clash against North Melbourne on Saturday.
On the edge: Swan Isaac Heeney.Credit: AFL Photos
A successful appeal would not only bring the 28-year-old back into selection for the game, but would also reinstate him in the race for the competition’s highest individual honour.
Swans key forward McLean defended Heeney ahead of the appeal, saying the swatting action his teammate used to break away from Webster was a common movement in the game.
Heeney had swung a backhand fend on a stumbling Webster, catching the Saints defender in the face.
Webster was treated for a bloody nose on the field, but wasn’t required to leave the ground and didn’t need any ongoing medical attention.
The key moment in question.Credit: Channel Seven
“We sort of joked about it, like, you do that probably 40, 50 times in a game,” McLean said on Thursday.
“You always try to get separation off your man, and it’s just that unlucky thing.
“He was a bit sorry at the time, and I was behind him at the incident. He just literally said ‘sorry, I didn’t mean it’.
“You do that many times a game, and it’s one of those things that just happened.”
McLean says Heeney remains optimistic ahead of the appeal, but has stayed clear of the hype surrounding the Brownlow race.
“I spoke to him yesterday and he just put his phone off. He’s off social media at the moment,” McLean said.
“He’s a very down-to-earth person and very humble and does what the team needs, so no, he’s not too much looking into (the Brownlow speculation).”
Sydney coach John Longmire has expressed frustration with the tribunal’s decision.
“First and foremost, Isaac is one of the fairest players that I’ve ever seen play the game,” he told SEN radio on Wednesday.
“When you sort of look at the circumstances and in this particular instance ... I just can’t accept that it was intentional.
“Given all that, what am I supposed to tell him and how can I coach him? How does a player get off a player?”
The Swans will argue their case to the appeals board on Thursday.
Under AFL rules, the club could argue there was an error of law during the tribunal hearing, that the decision was unreasonable, or that the classification of the offence or sanction imposed were manifestly excessive.
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