Adam Simpson says West Coast Eagles are frustrated but must stick together after North Melbourne loss

West Coast’s 2021 season has plunged into a full-blown crisis after they added a 10-point loss to last-placed North Melbourne to successive smashings from the Western Bulldogs and Sydney.

After a week of soul searching, coach Adam Simpson asked the public to judge his team after seeing their effort against the Roos.

They led by 11 points during the last quarter but couldn’t match North Melbourne when it mattered and lost 10.10 (70) to 8.12 (60).

Making matters worse, star midfielder Elliot Yeo spent the final quarter limping after injuring his ankle.

West Coast are still inside the eight on percentage and don’t face a team above them until round 21, but are in serious danger of missing the finals.

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Simpson admitted the team is low on confidence but refused to concede it was the end of their successful era.

“I still think there’s a bit more to give,” he said.

“Our best players aren’t playing their best footy. Their talent hasn’t gone so we’re going to keep working on that.

“We’re not going to give players free rides. We need to give some opportunities to our youth as well but they’re still good players. Effort was better tonight. Work rate was better but we still got exposed at stages as well.

“We need to look at the side and see if we can mix it up a little bit going forward and try to get players to perform better for longer.”

Camera Icon Adam Simpson Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos

In a sign of the pressure on the team, the Eagles lacked discipline, conceded multiple off-the-ball free kicks and one 50m penalty. Simpson said those free kicks would be addressed during the review of the game.

But he was adamant the entire club needed to stay united.

“It’s understandable that we’re all frustrated,” he said.

“On paper we look good. Performance wise we’re not. That’s our challenge. That’s the players’ challenge and it’s ours to get better.

“There’s no magic wand or dust I can sprinkle. We just need to work hard, show the good stuff and be honest with the bad stuff.

“We’ve got to stick together. I’ve got their backs. We’re part of the solution as well as being honest with them.”

In stark contrast, North Melbourne coach David Noble declared the win a landmark day for his club’s re-build as they do everything in their power to avoid the wooden spoon.

“I don’t want to finish on the bottom,” Noble said.

“I’m pretty clear. We want to win every game. That’s a fundamental staple.

“What can we achieve in the back end of the year? I’m not sure. Would I like to finish off the bottom? Absolutely.

“We’ll probably look back in 12 months time and maybe this will be the marker from where we move off from.”