West Coast coach Adam Simpson isn’t feeling the heat despite his team’s struggles, and says he doesn’t regret recruiting veterans Sam Mitchell and Drew Petrie to the club.
The Eagles are in danger of missing the AFL finals after Sunday’s shock loss to Collingwood saw them fall to ninth on the ladder.
West Coast might need to win as many as four games from their final five rounds in order to finish in the top eight.
It’s by no means an easy feat given they’ve got tough games against St Kilda (away), GWS (away), and Adelaide (home) to come over that stretch.
West Coast possess the oldest squad in the league, and the team has been plagued by final-quarter fade-outs all season.
The recruitment of 34-year-old duo Mitchell and Petrie has magnified West Coast’s lack of pace.
Mitchell is likely to retire at the end of this season in order to move into a coaching role at the club, while Petrie is also set to hang up the boots.
Petrie has played a critical role as a back-up ruckman while Nic Naitanui (knee) and Scott Lycett (shoulder) have been sidelined.
Mitchell, who was rested against Collingwood, has established himself as one of West Coast’s best ball winners.
Simpson said the duo were important stop-gap measures for the club this season.
“We’re really comfortable with where we sit with those guys,” Simpson told the Seven Network.
“They’re part of the transition. We weren’t trying to steal a premiership or anything with those two in the side. It was more to help our future really.”
The future of Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis is also in the spotlight, despite the veteran recently signing a one-year contract extension.
Priddis has reached the 20-disposal mark just once in his past four games, and gathered just 16 possessions against Collingwood.
Simpson said he would work through the issues with Priddis in a bid to get him back into form.
With the Eagles’ premiership hopes seemingly done and dusted, the heat is being applied to Simpson.
But the fourth-year coach said he wasn’t feeling under any extra pressure.
“No. It’s part of the job,” Simpson said.
“Wins are losses are part of the senior job. So (I’m not feeling the pressure) at all.”
West Coast will start as hot favourites for Sunday’s home clash with lowly Brisbane.