West Coast have capped a banner week in Adam Simpson's outstanding AFL career by appointing him as their new senior coach.
The Eagles made the announcement on Thursday night, five days after Simpson was a key member of the Hawthorn coaching panel that masterminded the grand final win over Fremantle.
It is the 37-year-old's first senior coaching appointment and he will front the media on Friday morning in Perth.
Simpson has served the perfect apprenticeship - a 306-game playing career at North Melbourne that featured two premierships and five years as captain, following by four years as an assistant under widely-respected Hawthorn senior coach Alastair Clarkson.
He won the job ahead of a strong field that featured current Eagles assistant Scott Burns, Fremantle deputy Peter Sumich and Sydney assistant Leigh Tudor.
Simpson and Sumich were considered the frontrunners.
Sumich was a star forward at West Coast and also served there as an assistant coach before going to the Dockers two years ago.
Like Simpson, he has been considered a senior coach in waiting.
Simpson will have a three-year deal and he takes over from Eagles legend John Worsfold, who coached them for 12 years before leaving the job early last month.
"I am grateful for this opportunity and I look forward to moving across to Perth with my family and settling in to the challenge ahead," Simpson said in a club statement.
"I have always admired West Coast from afar and I believe the list has an exciting mix of senior and emerging young players."
Simpson, a star midfielder, worked at Hawthorn as their stoppages coach from 2010-12 and this year was in charge of their forwards.
He singled out Clarkson and Hawks football manager Chris Fagan for the help they gave him.
"Hawthorn have been fantastic for me in the last four years and it was certainly a great experience to be a part of the coaching group as the club achieved the ultimate success last Saturday," he said.
"Being so closely involved from a coaching perspective has provided me with a sense of the hard work which has to be done to achieve a premiership.
"I obviously enjoyed that feeling as a player, but it is different as a coach.
"I will move across to Perth as soon as possible and I look forward to meeting the players and working with them from the start of pre-season."
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said in a club statement that Simpson was ready for the senior coaching hot seat.
"In his four years at Hawthorn, Adam has fostered a terrific relationship with the playing group and displayed a high level of excellence across all facets of his coaching duties," Clarkson said.
"He is well-placed for the transition into senior coaching, which is thoroughly deserved on the back of an impressive coaching apprenticeship and a distinguished playing career."
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