Eagles reach out to club great as Simpson replacement search continues

WEST Coast have reached out to club champion and former Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna as the search for Adam Simpson’s replacement continues.

Sources in the west have confirmed the Eagles have held talks with McKenna, a former captain, two-time premiership player and triple All-Australian at the club.

However, it remains unclear whether West Coast officials view McKenna as a senior coaching option or in another role of what could be a revamped football department in 2025.

The Eagles are also searching for an assistant coach after Matthew Knights last month announced he was returning to Victoria.

McKenna has been off the AFL scene since leaving Essendon in 2017, but knows the WA footy climate intimately, having played 267 games for the Eagles across 13 seasons.

The former defender was the inaugural coach of Gold Coast, leading the expansion club in its first four seasons at AFL level.

The Eagles coaching search has been plagued by knockbacks, with Dean Cox, Ash Hansen, Nathan Buckley, Daniel Giansiracusa, Jaymie Graham, Josh Carr and others declining an invitation to be part of the process.