{"id":708918,"date":"2026-06-01T20:16:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T20:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/708918\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T20:16:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T20:16:15","slug":"adam-simpson-rules-himself-out-of-essendon-coaching-race-ahead-of-carlton-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/708918\/","title":{"rendered":"Adam Simpson rules himself out of Essendon coaching race ahead of Carlton search"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adam Simpson has ruled himself out of the Essendon<\/a> coaching race. <\/p>\n

The West Coast<\/a> premiership coach had drawn criticism for joining the selection panel to find Michael Voss\u2019s replacement at Carlton, given he was seen as a possible candidate to go for Brad Scott\u2019s old job at the Bombers. <\/p>\n

But Simpson, who has also been a coaches\u2019 mentor at the Blues in a part-time capacity this year, has scoffed at the suggestion he could use his inclusion on the Carlton selection panel<\/a> to his own personal advantage elsewhere. <\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI am really not interested in coaching at the moment. In the short to medium and possibly long-term,\u201d Simpson told SEN on Monday. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I haven\u2019t made that clear, that\u2019s where I sit at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since leaving the Eagles at the end of 2024, Simpson has dipped his toe into footy media with appearances on SEN and Fox Sports. <\/p>\n

He says that, along with choosing Carlton\u2019s next coach, is his priority at the moment. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was never going to be putting my hand up for a position for Essendon, so once I made the decision around the Carlton piece, it was like, \u2018Nah, I want to try to get good at this (media)\u2018, to be honest,\u201d Simpson added. <\/p>\n

\u201cGetting some miles in your legs with the media stuff, I think it takes a bit of time to get the craft right. So I\u2019m working on that. <\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a coaching point of view, I\u2019m not really in that space to be applying for jobs and I don\u2019t think I will be for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ex-WestEx-West Coast mentor Adam Simpson says he won\u2019t be seeking the Essendon coaching job. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n

Simpson is among a group of former coaches, including John Longmire, Ken Hinkley and Nathan Buckley, who are seen as potential candidates for future positions at second clubs. <\/p>\n

Given that context, there was a view that Simpson could be interviewing the same Carlton candidates against whom he could then be competing with for the Essendon job, and therefore use their IP against them.<\/p>\n

Gerard Whateley said that Simpson, as a premiership coach in his own right, should \u201cbe insulted\u201d at the suggestion he would even need to draw on prospective first-time coaches\u2019 IP, if he did want to coach Essendon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sort of semi understand the question around that, but that\u2019s the way it is,\u201d Simpson responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you present for a position, you\u2019re all in, you\u2019re not holding anything back because someone might take your IP. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is IP? For me, from a coaching point of view \u2014 and I think this works in business as well \u2014 I think 90 per cent of what we do is the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all doing the same things. It\u2019s that last 10 per cent, that your point of difference, and that\u2019s more about the person. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s your values, your leadership style, the way you connect, your belonging \u2014 all those type of things, they\u2019re the intangibles. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not really looking to steal anyone\u2019s IP in that space. That\u2019s how I look at it. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s really a conversation. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor anyone out there who\u2019s looking for this coaching position at Carlton, don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not going to steal anything. Hopefully that puts it to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AdamAdam Simpson will be involved in the search for Michael Voss\u2019s replacement. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n

It\u2019s common for assistant coaches to bounce between clubs to build their breadth of experience before going for a senior job, which spreads clubs\u2019 IP naturally. <\/p>\n

Simpson, Luke Beveridge, Chris Fagan, Damien Hardwick, Brett Ratten, Leon Cameron, Brendon Bolton and Adem Yze all worked under or with Alastair Clarkson at Hawthorn, for example, before going on to coach other clubs. <\/p>\n

\u201cThink about IP \u2014 everyone knows it. Everyone knows what everyone\u2019s doing. You all steal it off someone,\u201d Simpson added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went for the West Coast job, I\u2019m taking all of Hawthorn\u2019s stuff; \u2018This is what I learnt at Hawthorn\u2019. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Clarko knew that, and everyone who worked through Clarko\u2019s system took a bit of what he did. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, 90 per cent of what we do is very, very similar. I\u2019m looking at the 10 per cent: what makes you different?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what people need to understand: what makes you different? Because if you don\u2019t know, then you haven\u2019t done enough work on yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Essendon assistant and staffer quit after Brad Scott sacking: \u2018Gee whiz\u2019<\/p>\n

2 min read<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Fresh questions asked over premiership coach\u2019s role at Carlton <\/p>\n

3 min read<\/p>\n

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