Dual Australian Kane Cornes has doubled down on his stance that West Coast coach Adam Simpson has “let the standards slip for a long period” after star midfielder Tim Kelly recorded a career-high four dismissals in defeat to against St Kilda on Sunday.
With that, the Eagles fell to 2-16 on the season, meaning the 17th-placed club, who have as many wins as North Melbourne, are on course for their worst ever record, with 4-18 in the campaigns of 2008 and 2010. .
Kelly was covered by St Kilda first-year player Marcus Windhager on Sunday, despite playing 84 per cent of game time, and did not register any involvement other than his four touches. Kelly has only recorded single-digit possessions twice in his 99-game career and once with the Eagles.
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Speaking on Channel 9 ranked footy, Cornes, who earlier this season hammered West Coast standards, including Elliot Yeo’s fitness, returned to target the club after Kelly’s reassurance.
“That says it all to me, it says Adam Simpson has been too fake of his players. He’s let the standards slip for a long period of time, we talked about that with Elliot Yeo earlier, it was an elephant in the room and Andrew Simpson got dirty in it,” the Port Adelaide great said.
“He has to ask himself: is he driving his players as hard as he can? Andrew Gaff hardly touched it (against the Saints), he had 17 disposals for a full game of footy.
“Their players disappeared at the weekend, they are not fit enough, too many players are overweight, and that is down to the manager as well as the support structure around him. But ultimately the manager drives the standards, and if Simpson asked himself honestly, I think he’s been very relaxed with his players for a number of years.”
Eagles midfielder Tim Kelly (Photo by Dan Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
Considered one of the best midfielders in the game, Kelly was traded from Geelong to the Eagles for family reasons after a career-best 2019 season, in which he also finished fifth in the Brownlow Medal and was in second place in a row. the fairest finishes.
Kelly was so highly rated that West Coast coughed up picks 14, 27 and 37 in the trade, which the Cats used to help land Jeremy Cameron, handing the player a lucrative six-year deal reportedly worth about $800,000 per season. .
But the 28-year-old has struggled to return to his former best in the West in a big-money move the Eagles have drawn criticism for.
Footy Classified Host Craig Hutchison questioned whether Kelly’s four-possession haul was the “most underwhelming” stat this season, with Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd calling it “absolutely amazing”.
“I’d love to know what’s going on in Perth with the pressure they’re under … I trained Windhager last year at Haileybury, to hear he held Kelly to four positions just amazes me,” Lloyd said.
“And to think of a player (Windhager) who had never played the role before.
“Imagine (if Windhager played) Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, they would have their 25-30-40 (strikeouts), a kid. That just shows how far he (Kelly) has fallen.
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West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson insisted after the game that there was “nothing wrong with Tim” and denied he had been affected by injury.
And speaking on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Monday night, Simpson said his players have not “given up” and that the club currently has a better environment than previous years of success.
“It would be pretty harsh to accuse Tim of not being ready … he had a bad day, but he’s been pretty solid for us all year,” Simpson said. AFL 360.
“Collectively we’ve had (previously) a poor environment with more success than what we have now, where we don’t have that, but the environment is quite positive and growth and clarity.
“I feel like we’re in the right space off the field with where we’re going, it’s just on the field that we’re not getting rewarded. This is the challenge for us.
“From what I have seen the players have not given up on the investment they are investing in the club, and they are our leaders, it is very important that we get the best out of them.
“We’re having a tough year, but it’s not a year where the boys have given up, that’s for sure.”
The Eagles face Gold Coast, Adelaide, Fremantle and Geelong on their run home.