Work harder.

That was the simple directive that helped the West Coast Eagles shake their hub funk and register important wins over Sydney and Adelaide, according to Adam Simpson.

The senior coach told media today that his team’s fortunes had changed since they started doing the little things right, most notably upping their gut running and repeat efforts.

West Coast started the season all guns blazing with a comfortable win over Melbourne in round one, but they struggled to hit top gear following the season recess and relinquished three straight games to Gold Coast, Brisbane and Port Adelaide.

But now they are starting to find their feet again and Simpson hopes his charges can continue to bring the energy that helped them topple the Swans and Crows to this Sunday’s RAC Derby clash with crosstown rivals Fremantle.

“We knew we were a long way off in the first few weeks (after the season restart) in terms of the contest and our work rate to get to the contest was something we focused on in the last couple of weeks and I think that’s improved,” Simpson said today.

“It’s not actually the work in and around the ball, it’s been turning up and getting to the ball that is the one thing that has been looked at. That’s a mindset thing and something we’ve been focused on the last couple of weeks.”

While it has always been the case that teams get reward for effort, Simpson said it was especially evident in season 2020.

He believed the shortened quarters, introduced in case the fixture had to be compressed to complete the home and away campaign, did not allow teams to switch off for even a second.

“The game has changed for all of us to see,” Simpson said.

“With the shorter length in the game, it feels like there is so much more energy for the whole 100 minutes. The energy to defend doesn’t drop off . These games are so tight now, every mistake matters.

“But now I feel like we’re back in a space where we can compete for the full 100 minutes. We’ve tweaked a couple of things that we think are very important and we’ve had some good results, but at the same time I think the challenges are in front of us and obviously this week’s the biggest one we’ve got coming up.”

West Coast might be chasing a record tenth-straight RAC Derby win this weekend, but Simpson said his troops had plenty of respect for the way Fremantle were going about their football this year.

Much like the Eagles, the Dockers struggled to fire early in the Sunshine State, but they came to life the past fortnight and recorded a solid win against Adelaide and an even more impressive come-from-behind victory over St Kilda.

Simpson took particular note of their spirited win against the Saints.

“I think that’s been a reflection of their side for the whole year really,” he said.

“Even back in the Marsh Community Series I think we conceded four or five of the last six goals and lost the game at Joondalup (to Fremantle).

“That’s sort of their brand. They play with a lot of spirit and they’ve got a lot of talent coming through with a lot of senior, experienced players.

“They don’t stop giving up; that’s something to be proud of from their point of view.”