WEST Coast spearhead Josh Kennedy isn't worried that talk North Melbourne should target coach Adam Simpson could become a distraction during the Eagles' premiership defence.
Simpson played 306 games for the Kangaroos and the highly respected West Coast mentor was immediately raised as an ideal replacement for Brad Scott, along with former teammate and Sydney coach John Longmire.
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But Simpson, who boasts a 65 per cent winning record in 128 games at the Eagles helm, was locked away before last year's flag triumph until the end of 2022, and Kennedy holds no doubts the 43-year-old will remain in the west long term.
"He just built a massive house in City Beach, so I don't think he'll be going any time soon - he needs to pay it off," Kennedy joked.
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"Simmo's a fantastic bloke, fantastic coach, so I have no doubt other clubs would love to have him.
"We're lucky enough that we do have him locked down for a few years.
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"It's just hearsay. Simmo's a pretty honest bloke with us. It wouldn't affect him and it wouldn't affect us, so it's all good."
Saturday's gripping 12-point triumph over Adelaide was West Coast's 83rd victory under Simpson and rates among the best.
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The Eagles had their backs to the wall trailing by 33 points in the third quarter but dug deep on the road to clinch a crucial fourth-straight victory.
Kennedy hailed the players' resolve, and West Coast is building a reputation for never being out of matches after another gritty win.
"You put yourself in those situations and we were able to win a few and come back and I suppose you do build a little bit of belief," Kennedy said.
"But it's probably just the calmness I think. A lot of guys in their heads probably these last few years guys have been in those situations and are pretty calm and collected in terms of what we need to execute to build back to gain momentum or get a few goals on the board.
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"We've been able to prove we've been able to do that these last couple of years.
"It's great as a group to be able to know we can do that."
Kennedy booted three goals against Adelaide, taking his tally to 21 from nine appearances.
Forward 50 supply has been scarce in 2019 but the Eagles' efficiency in attack has been a major factor in their 7-3 win-loss record.
"It's great to see 'Yeoy' (Elliot Yeo), (Jack) Redden, and these guys, Luke Shuey, in the midfield really step up (against the Crows) because they're really key to us getting it moving forward and inside 50s," Kennedy said.
"For me and Jack (Darling), we love the supply. If they can keep doing it, it works in our favour."
The Eagles face the Bulldogs and Swans before the bye, and battle-scarred 31-year-old Kennedy could also look for a rest in the second half of the season coming off a limited summer due to a foot problem.
"It's probably something we'll look at depending how the body is going," Kennedy said.
"But the guys have been able to manage my minutes in games and training, so that's made a massive difference."
