Eagles coach proud despite lack of De Goey payback

Justin Chadwick | June 7, 2023

West Coast coach Adam Simpson concedes his players missed a chance to “grab a jumper” after Jordan De Goey’s brutal bump, but he’s proud of the way they carried themselves.

Eagles players have been widely criticised for not flying the flag after De Goey flattened first-year midfielder Elijah Hewett with a late and high bump in last week’s 63-point loss to Collingwood.

De Goey was slapped with a three-match suspension at the AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night, while Hewett will miss Saturday’s clash with Adelaide due to concussion.

No Eagles players remonstrated with De Goey immediately after the first-quarter bump.

West Coast midfielder Greg Clark, who physically tried to rough up De Goey following the quarter-time break and at other points in the match, said it was embarrassing Eagles players didn’t immediately remonstrate with the star Magpie.

Simpson did his best to play down the lack of a physical response from his players, instead focusing on the fight they showed in closing to within 14 points despite only having two fit men on the bench.

“I was just really proud of how they responded with the way they played,” Simpson said on Wednesday.

“They might have missed an opportunity to grab a jumper but the most important thing is how we responded with the way we played.

“What we did in the second and third quarters in particular – that’s resilience, that’s strength, that’s toughness.

“There’s not too much you can do (to remonstrate) these days.”

Hawthorn great Jason Dunstall questioned why players even bother bumping anymore after the De Goey incident.

Hewett had just fired off a handball when De Goey came through and bumped him square in the face.

With the AFL cracking down on any tackles or bumps that put the head in danger, Dunstall pondered why players still decided to bump.

“I don’t understand why players bother bumping any more,” Dunstall told AFL360.

“Unless you’re running side by side and you’re trying to put him off balance and off the line of the ball you’re going for, coming from different directions there is zero to be gained by bumping.

“There’s no point.”

De Goey said he immediately regretted the bump after seeing it on the big screen and he sought out Hewett after the match to apologise in person.

When he couldn’t find Hewett on the bench, De Goey got the young Eagle’s phone number and texted him his apology.

Dunstall feels a three-week ban fits the crime, but he wondered why the AFL took remorse and an early guilty plea into account.

De Goey will miss matches against Melbourne, Adelaide and Gold Coast before returning for the round-17 clash with the Western Bulldogs.