ADAM Simpson hopes Sunday's thrilling five-point win against North Melbourne can ease the scrutiny on the last-placed West Coast and help the club finish the season without the external pressure that has followed it for months.
The Eagles held on for an emotion-charged win at Optus Stadium and snapped a record 16-game losing run after denying the Kangaroos the last goal they needed to cap a 32-point fightback in the final quarter.
Simpson was level-headed post-game and underlined that the work was still ahead of the club, but he hoped the final month of the season could be attacked without the high levels of public and media scrutiny that had accompanied the second half of the season.
EAGLES v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats
"Maybe there won't be cameras parked in front of the club … maybe that just settles a little bit and takes, not the pressure, but the attention off a bit and lets us continue to do our work," Simpson said.
"It won't really change other than a bit of a smile on my face now. The work is still in front of us.
"I'm trying to get more emotive on the whole thing. I know it's been a heavy two-and-a-half years, but it won't change what I do, really. But it's pleasing to have a win, I'm not going to lie."
Simpson said it was exciting for the Eagles to find themselves in a competitive match late in the game and they would learn plenty from the final quarter, which saw North pile on four unanswered goals to cut a 32-point lead down to five with one minute to play.
Substitute Elliot Yeo, who was injected into the game for defender Rhett Bazzo as a tactical move before half-time, was influential with a defensive mark and a contested possession at critical late moments.
"He was available for 60 minutes, so it was either start him and sub him or take a risk and start him as a sub," Simpson said of Yeo's return.
"He was a bit rusty early, and then the last quarter he did some things that were important."
Asked about the significance of finally getting a win, Simpson said it was "for the fans as much as for us", with the coach empathising with their frustrations over two poor seasons.
He paid tribute to the club's leaders, including young star Oscar Allen who was the stand-in captain on Sunday, kicking two goals and taking a sensational contested mark.
"They've been carrying a heavy load, so I thought all those guys stood up today," the coach said.
"He (Allen) has been banged up for a while … he was our captain today, I thought he led from the front and he had a corky."
North Melbourne coach Brett Ratten ended his 10-game tenure as stand-in coach with a fourth loss by eight points or less as he prepares to hand control back to Alastair Clarkson on Monday.
He joked about his tenure being cut short just shy of the 200-game coaching milestone following his previous senior roles with Carlton and St Kilda.
"I'm on 198 [games], so [England wicket keeper] Jonny Bairstow just ripped the bails off and I’m that short," he said.
"I will miss some things, but I have really enjoyed my time because of the respect that they've shown me.
"I've seen some growth in players and sometimes it was hard to put players back into the reserves or not elevate them, but I think we’ve seen some growth from individuals.
"Hopefully they grow from it and become a bit sharper and get the game right. That’s some of the things that I’ve really enjoyed in this period."
On his future prospects now as a senior coach, Ratten said: "It felt a bit like the Dumb and Dumber scene where he looks at the good-looking girl and says I'm a chance – one in a million.
"That's what it feels like going forward. But I think it would be very surprising, and I've really got not that much ambition to be a senior coach."
