Relief, pride and reward.
Those were the overwhelming thoughts of West Coast coach Adam Simpson in the moments after watching his side upset Collingwood by 13 points at Marvel Stadium.
Not only was it the Eagles’ first win for 2022, but it was a testament to the resilience of the club for pushing through a challenging phase of injuries and COVID-19 concerns to kickstart the campaign.
“Really proud of our players. We stuck fat all year really. I think we’ve handled the situation as best we can, tried to get on with it and stay resilient as a club,” Simpson said post-match.
“I think that paid us back in the last quarter, rather than the numbers that you see.
“Obviously the shots at goal, a lot of indicators point that we’ll lose a lot of games if we dish up the numbers.
“But the will to win, you can’t underestimate that and I think that’s the players and the leaders.
“The backs stood up really well. We must have conceded 60 inside 50s. These games don’t go your way very often and when they do it takes something special.
“I think everyone stood up when they needed to and everyone tried to play their role as best they could.”
Simpson praised “pretty special” star Jeremy McGovern and defensive partner Tom Barrass, plus veteran spearhead Josh Kennedy and magical goalsneak Willie Rioli after both kicked three goals in the 14.3 (87) return.
But overwhelmingly it was about the collective, after nearly 40 players have pulled on the guernsey in the opening four games and contributed to the sense of unity and spirit at the club.
“It’s relief obviously and a bit of reward for the resilience we’re trying to show,” Simpson said.
“Sometimes you don’t get wins when you’re working through these situations.
“We’re alive.
“We’ve played 38 or 39 players in three weeks, hopefully we’ll get some real positives from individuals in the next month or two, or next year or two.
“You’ll see some players, (Patrick) Naish and (Hugh) Dixon today, they weren’t at the club five weeks ago and they were important for us tonight.”
The Eagles’ decimated midfield should be bolstered by Good Friday’s home game against Sydney, with skipper Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo – who got through a WAFL return on Saturday - and Tim Kelly potentially in the mix.
But the experience gained by the likes of Xavier O’Neill, Luke Edwards, Connor West and Naish piloting the engine room alongside Jack Redden and Nic Naitanui will be invaluable down the track.
“(Assistant coaches) Matty Knights and Jarrad Schofield took over that,” Simpson said of organising the midfield. “They went to work. The roles don’t change, just the personnel did.
“A few hairy moments throughout the game, but they would have learned and grown.”
