West Coast premiership coach Adam Simpson has hit back at critics who have suggested bloated coaching panels have harmed the game and restricted the freedom of AFL players.

Simpson knows there is pain coming in the form of reduced football department spending, with the soft cap expected to be slashed by around 30 per cent in response to the coronavirus shutdown.

But he rejects the idea that the wholesale culling of assistant coaches will see a rise in scoring and free up the game.

“That’s ridiculous … the No.1 priority we have as a coaching group is to get them to play to their strengths and make them feel like they’re good enough to do anything they can,” Simpson told SEN on Wednesday.

“I don’t buy into the (idea) that we’re restricting players from playing with more flair – we encourage it, we want it – a bit of freedom within a discipline, I suppose.

“The notion that you pull back the coaches and you’re going to score more or they won’t be able to defend as well … it’s not that restrictive, it really isn’t.

“We spend a lot of our time trying to get our players to play with freedom and flair.”

The AFL and its clubs have stood down around 80 per cent of their workers with the season in hibernation until at least May 31.

It remains to be seen how staffing levels will rebound in areas like recruiting and player development and welfare when the season resumes.

Player development and education roles have been the key driver of the growth of football departments over the past decade.

Simpson argues that expanded welfare capability has allowed clubs to take a punt on players that they previously might not have.

He used the example of a potential draftee who had come from a rough upbringing, whose parent had broken up and who struggled with learning difficulties.

“We’ll take that risk because we’ve got support for that player mentally and physically,” he said.

“The footy stuff is easy ‘Just get on the track, mate, and go’.

“But all the stuff around him, that’s what we’ve catered for over the last five to 10 years.

“That’s why (football) departments have grown because of our ability to take on diverse cultures and bigger risks because we can handle them a bit better.

“That’s the balance of reducing everything – can we still draft that kid?”