West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson says his team’s pre-game mindset won’t change ahead of Richmond clash
Adam Simpson says West Coast’s pre-game mindset won’t shift despite facing their most winnable match on paper this season when Richmond call on Optus Stadium on Sunday.
The Tigers have just one victory through five games this season, but it came against premiership fancies Sydney less than a fortnight ago.
The victory came at a cost for Adem Yze’s side, with big men Tom Lynch (hamstring) and Noah Balta (hamstring) sustaining injuries in the game to join a list of sidelined key players that includes Dion Prestia (hamstring), Jacob Hopper (knee) and Josh Gibcus (ACL).
Meanwhile, the Eagles are in a stronger position than recent seasons in terms of player availability, and while they won’t start as favourites, they are considered by bookmakers to have their best shot at victory since their last win at their round 20 win against North Melbourne – their most recent win on home soil.
Speaking at West Coast’s training session at Optus Stadium on Thursday, Simpson said the team’s mindset wouldn’t change despite facing a lower-ranked opponent.
“I’m not sure. Richmond beat Sydney … it’s funny, we go into every game thinking we can win,” Simpson said.
To claim their first win of the season, the Eagles will need to stop an in-form Shai Bolton, who has dominated them in recent meetings and is coming off a four-goal haul against St Kilda at Gather Round.
“I suspect every team has a plan and he seems to get around it every week,” Simpson said.
“He’s done a lot of damage on us over the years and we’ve got to put some work into him.
“He (Bolton) spends so much time up the ground as well so that’s when they get you. You think you’ve got them covered and they go on-ball for a bit and do some damage there.”
Simpson has found himself with a difficult juggling act at the selection table as he tries to weigh up the balance of picking a side capable of winning while also introducing their younger players to the AFL landscape.
“Where we’re at with the build we’re on we want to expose some our younger players to the game where they’re perhaps not quite ready, but also respect the integrity of match committee as well,” Simpson said.
“We will still look at form as the main priority but also got an eye on the future. To put in context, if we’ve got a senior player struggling who is quite young, we’ll back them in a bit more with where we’re at.”
