It’s October 2013. A noticeably darker haired Adam Simpson fronts the media for the first time as West Coast Eagles coach.
The nervous Simpson is like an opening batsman at Test level on debut as questions are fired at him. He’s playing a straight bat and simply trying to get through the first over of the day’s play.
Watching the past press conferences of coaches can fill the viewer with a sense of superiority, particularly when a coach informs us about an exciting list or provides us with an estimation of the next finals appearance. The viewer knows what happens next.
“There will be things that I’ll take away from that organisation that I have to, because they’re exceptional at what they do,” he said.
“The main part about what Hawthorn do is they educate the players really well. So whatever you’re style of play is, if you can’t educate and teach it then you’re in strife.”
In the case of Simpson, his 2013 statements now appear to be more than just rhetoric. Simpson believed he had a playing list capable of a successful turnaround if he had the chance to apply his methods of man management; providing careful instruction, ongoing feedback to every individual, and developing a mutual respect within the group.
The former North Melbourne captain had spent years observing, learning and developing his own skills as an apprentice to the teacher of modern day coaches, Alastair Clarkson.
Like colleagues before him and after, Simpson had completed his Clarkson apprenticeship and it was now his turn to take the reins at an AFL club.
The West Coast Eagles showed glimpses of what they were capable of in 2014 but were one of the most inconsistent teams in the competition. This was highlighted by the fact that they never won more than three games in a row last season, including a stretch where they lost seven out of eight games.
They were frustrating participants in every AFL tipping competition across Australia.
Simpson maintained it was taking players time to adapt to the new gameplan he had introduced. At the time I wondered if he was investing too heavily in hope, the currency which has bankrupted the career of innumerable AFL coaches.
From the outside the forecast for West Coast Eagles in the 2015 season didn’t appear to be promising. On the back of an underwhelming ninth position on the ladder in 2014 the Eagles were dealt what potentially could have been knockout blows to this season before it had even started.
No Eric MacKenzie. No Mitch Brown. The Eagles’ backline was becoming a serious concern. No one would have begrudged the Eagles for not making finals again this year. It was going to be too difficult.
Simpson remained resolute and calm during this period. He said he loved to undersell and over deliver in an interview prior to the 2014 season. These words now seem prophetic.
Josh Kennedy, a man whose evolving goal-kicking run-up can now be likened to what it’s like to play a DVD with a small scratch on it, mostly smooth with the occasional stutter, has flourished with Simpson at the helm.
The pair, Kennedy and Simpson, has grown together as player and coach. Both have exceeded expectations this season and overcome adversity to give them a chance at a winning premiership on Saturday.
It was widely reported in May that Kennedy ignored the advice of doctors and refused to undergo surgery to repair tendons and ligaments in his elbow. Kennedy was informed that delaying the surgery until post-season could have career-shortening ramifications.
This was indicative of a team with unfinished business in 2015.
Many of the Eagles players have had career best seasons this year. But Kennedy in particular has been outstanding, securing a Coleman medal and All-Australian vice-captaincy.
In 2013 the Boston Red Sox created the blueprint for successful professional sporting turnarounds. A year earlier everything that could go wrong for a Major League Baseball team did.
Injuries, internal disputes and a complete lack of confidence resulted in the worst Boston Red Sox season since the 1960s. Baseball fans and experts were perplexed at how bad they were. It was an abomination.
Although the team acquired a new coach and some veteran players, predictions for the following season were not positive. They had been written off. The Red Sox, with John Farrell now in charge, were banking on a new gameplan, self-belief and cohesion to develop between players and coaching staff.
Fast forward to October, 2013 and the Boston Red Sox had won the World Series; the ultimate prize in American baseball.
Red Sox player Johnny Gomes was asked after the world series how the new coach could have such an impact in a short period of time. His response alluded to Farrell’s ability to harness the abilities of his players to align with a philosophy of continual learning and development.
“You don’t stress winning. You stress playing the game right. When you play the game right, you win. That’s where I think a lot of managers get it backwards. That’s something that John and the whole friggin’ staff has done an awesome job with,” Gomes said.
Prior to the commencement of the 2015 AFL season, almost without exception AFL experts had predicted the West Coast team to finish outside the top eight. It was going to be too difficult.
If Simpson was to reflect on the external predictions for his team this year before Saturday’s grand final, he would have every right to already feel validated.
He knows what happened next.
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