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West Coast coach Adam Simpson insists the Eagles are owning their “weak” AFL loss to Geelong and ready to emerge from Perth’s lockdown.
The Eagles have been licking their wounds after capitulating to their worst loss in 12 years and Simpson’s heaviest defeat in eight seasons as coach.
The 2018 premiership coach described his team’s 97-point loss at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday as “embarrassing” and “weak” in a damning post-match press conference.
The performance saw critics take aim at West Coast’s record away from Perth, with the Eagles winning every home game this season while dropping all three matches in Victoria.
Simpson said West Coast could not shy away from the disaster in Geelong ahead of Sunday’s Western Derby against Fremantle.
“I think we’ve got to be pragmatic about it all,” Simpson told 3AW.
“We’ve got to own it, that’s what it was. That’s what it felt like watching it and talking to the players they did exactly that and let themselves down.
“We just didn’t find a way to stay involved in the game and once we got to the point of no return, I thought our players found it really difficult to re-engage.”
The Eagles quickly returned home after the round-six game, despite Perth entering a snap three-day lockdown on Saturday.
West Coast will be allowed to resume training as normal on Tuesday after WA premier Mark McGowan announced the end of the lockdown.
“We got back to Perth on Saturday night, (I) had a couple of scotches and went to bed pretty quick,” Simpson said.
“All our meetings have been on Zoom and (on Tuesday) it’s business as usual, except wearing masks.”
Star defender Jeremy McGovern is still unsure how severe his adductor injury is after he failed to finish Saturday’s game and was subbed out in the first quarter.
© AAP
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