The under-fire West Coast Eagles are reportedly planning a clean-out at the end of the season, with coaches and executives apparently expected to be in the board's line of fire.
The Eagles have put forth a dismal 2023 campaign, possessing just a solitary victory for the year and sitting dead last on the ladder; primed to pick first at this year's draft.
While senior coach Adam Simpson and the club as a whole have been publicly scrutinised numerous times, there have been no significant casualties to this point in time.
However, according to veteran journalist Caroline Wilson, West Coast is expected to cull a number of high-ranking Eagles, starting with the club's CEO.
"The first casualty I believe will be the CEO, Trevor Nisbett, despite the fact that Trevor is contracted until the end of 2024 and it's been written that he will leave at the end of 2024, my belief is that the board will move on Nisbett at the end of this season," Wilson declared on Monday's edition of Footy Classified.ย
"It will be a respectful parting of ways and I'm not even sure Nisbett would be hugely surprised that there has to be a scapegoat."
Wilson added she's 'not so sure' if Simpson will survive the Eagles' reported cleanout.
"The story all year, I guess, has been that it will be the coach or the CEO, there has to be one big scalp, I'm now not so sure Adam Simpson will survive," Wilson continued.
"I thought that he might because of his huge contract and the fact that they'd have to pay him out for two years and although they're a wealthy club, they seem unwilling to go over their soft cap in any radical way."
Wilson threw a number of senior players under the bus, naming multiple veterans who have been 'a huge disappointment' this season.
"I think the Carlton result (losing by 71 points on the weekend) almost made up the minds of some. This has just got to change. A huge disappointment on the senior players and I'm talking about guys like Andrew Gaff and Jack Darling and Elliot Yeo who have just been really disappointing this year. Nic Naitanui bizarrely will stay on the senior list, certainly to the start of next year's pre-season before they make a call on him," Wilson said.
Regarding others who may be in the firing line at the cessation of the season, Wilson surfaced assistants, as well as mentioned likely retirees.
"Several assistant coaches, I think we'll hear that Shannon Hurn will retire from footy in the coming weeks, and I'm not sure Luke Shuey is going to go on next year and I think the medical team is going to be looked at too and I know there's already been one big casualty in high performance, but I don't think that's over either," she continued.
"The big one is Trevor Nisbett, who has been there for a quarter of a century as CEO and was head of footy for the first premierships as well. I think in the end he has to pay the price for what has gone on."
The Eagles, currently having won just a single game this season thus far, have a genuine chance to add to that measly total this weekend, coming up against fellow strugglers North Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
