Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) coach Adam Simpson calls for AFL to listen to interstate clubs on fixture issues

Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) coach Adam Simpson has called for the AFL to listen to the non-Victorian clubs about fixturing as they try to mitigate an injury crisis sweeping the league as well as provide equalisation. It comes just days after his cross-town counterpart Justin Longmuir gave an explosive interview where the Walyalup (Fremantle) coach scolded the AFL for neglecting “a heartland of football” in WA. Equalisation had been at the forefront of the news in the AFL after it was revealed Victorian clubs didn’t believe the Eagles and Dockers were disadvantaged by their incredible travel requirements because they had 12 business seats available every flight. Simpson was quick to point out that they only have eight business class seats because of the planes they take interstate. Collingwood coach Craig McRae has called for shorter quarters to be introduced with reports the AFLPA is working with the AFL about the issue. Simpson was also asked about what had contributed to the current injury crisis sweeping the AFL and the 2018 premiership coach was quick to point out the Eagles had been experiencing the problem for more than two years but could not offer any solutions. “Having an opinion is great but I don’t want to shoot from the hip. I think we should just look into it,” Simpson told Wide World of Sports. “There’s definitely some fixturing things we can do to support interstate teams … probably just listening to us would be the first thing that they could probably do and actually act on some of the recommendations we have knowing that we’re not trying to get a competitive advantage. “We’re just trying to even it up a little bit.” Asked if he had any theories about why the injury toll in the AFL, Simpson said: “Well, it sounds like people are starting to care a bit more now it’s happening to them. “I don’t have an answer. I don’t have the science behind (whether) it’s the length of the game, people keep talking about these rotations, shortening them so they (the players) can fatigue more and perhaps score more. “But what build up does that do on the body over the journey of the season? We fatigue our players every week to open the game up but after four weeks we break down. “There are a few things we need to work on as an industry with what’s happening to our players, whether it’s pre-season, whether it’s days break between games, whether it’s the fixturing. I think we can do it better I just don’t know how.”