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West Coast coach Adam Simpson says Willie Rioli incident ‘disappointing’, fate to be decided in coming week

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Braden QuartermaineThe West Australian
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Adam Simpson and the Eagles have yet to decide on Willie Rioli’s future.
Camera IconAdam Simpson and the Eagles have yet to decide on Willie Rioli’s future.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson has described Willie Rioli’s latest transgression as “really disappointing”, revealing the club was likely to make a decision on his future in “the next week or so”.

It came as Simpson distanced the incident from the Eagles’ past drug culture and said the club would look to use the experience of board member Justin Langer in the Australian cricket team’s sandpaper saga to help guide their decision making.

Rioli yesterday escaped conviction after being caught with cannabis at Darwin Airport last month.

Speaking for the first time since news of Rioli’s court date broke this week, Simpson said the call on whether the 2018 premiership forward remained on the list wasn’t up to him.

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“It’s really disappointing,” he said.

“Obviously we’re working through it as a club and getting a bit more facts and speaking to all the stakeholders, and we’ll make the call on Willie’s future in the next week or so.

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“I think they might have had a meeting this morning, with the CEO (Trevor Nisbett) with a few of the stakeholders, and I’ll be having further conversations in the next couple of days.

“Talk to the players, see how they feel, and then also understand we’ve got a game to prepare for as well.”

Simpson said Langer would be an helpful resource to lean on in the wake of the Rioli setback.

“Loosely, yes. Dealing with the controversy he did when he came (as Australian coach) in after that (sandpaper saga).

“How do you indoctrinate a player back into the system is something that we spoke to him about with Willie and with the players.

“It’s not just get a player back and away you go. You need to start to rebuild the trust. So yeah, had good conversations about that.”

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Simpson described Rioli as “devastated” and “very remorseful” in the wake of the incident after speaking with him on the phone.

The coach said he could understand why some people believe Rioli has used up his chances and it wouldn’t be a great look for the club to retain him.

“Yeah, I can understand that,” he said.

“But obviously we have empathy for the situation. He hasn’t been under our wing for two years almost.

“So it’s hard to really grow and develop someone when they’ve been away from it for so long. And that’s self-inflicted. So we also understand that and he’s made a mistake.

“We need to weigh up all those decisions and then make a call.”

Asked if he was willing to forgive Rioli, Simpson said: “Well, it’s not up to me. It’s up to the club.

“So I’ll be part of that discussion and I don’t really want to divulge my personal opinion until the time is right.”

Adam Simpson faces the press this afternoon.
Camera IconAdam Simpson faces the press this afternoon. Credit: Nic Ellis/The West Australian

The forward had been due to head back to the club to train on June 20 ahead of a potential round 23 playing return date following his two-year backdated ban for tampering with samples in anti-doping tests.

But Simpson said it was unclear if that timeline would remain.

Asked if he would like to coach Rioli again, Simpson said: “Well I think everyone would.

“But there’s limits as well. We’re a pretty empathetic industry. People make mistakes. It’s just to what level.

“We think we’ve got a really strong culture. And it’s not built off one person and one person’s mistakes.

“But we’ve got to keep working on trust and having him around is a different situation as well. We just haven’t seen him for so long.”

VideoAFL: Embattled West Coast star Willie Rioli has avoided conviction after being charged with drug possession in Darwin.

Asked whether he would be able to trust Rioli again, Simpson said: “That’s up for discussion.

“Personally yes, but that doesn’t mean I represent the whole club on that position.”

Simpson spent time on the Tiwi Islands with Rioli and his family in 2017 and stopped short of saying he had been personally let down.

“Personally I have empathy for what Willie’s dealing with. But I also have understanding of the severity of his actions.

“So there’s a balance to me.”

Simpson fronts the media.
Camera IconSimpson fronts the media. Credit: Nic Ellis/The West Australian

Simpson said there was a limited impact the Eagles could have on Rioli’s behaviour on the Tiwi Islands amid his two-year suspension, during which time the player is not permitted at the club.

“No contact allowed. That’s where his family is. Obviously there’s some issues with the cultural differences up there, but that’s beyond our control,” Simpson said.

“His upbringing’s a lot different to ours. But he’s made a mistake as well. So we’ve got to acknowledge the fact that that’s happened and we’ll work through that as a footy club in the next week or so.”

Simpson shut down the suggestion of any link to West Coast’s culture issues of the early part of the century.

“I see them as two completely different situations. I don’t think Willie Rioli is connected to the past,” he said.

“And I think our culture has shifted. It’s pivoted a little bit. I think you’d agree with that.

“We’re talking about one individual who’s dealing with a serious issue.”

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