265: Adam Simpson (Part B)
4/15/20261 hr 5 min
He really has experienced it all in footy. A two-time premiership player, a premiership coach, even a wooden spoon… and now a man watching it all unfold from the commentary box.
Simmo really has lived every layer of the game. Simmo opens up on the brutal reality of being sacked, when the noise gets loud, the pressure turns personal, and even your own kids are asking, “how haven’t you got the sack yet?”.
But this episode isn’t just about those BIG moments, it’s full of gold. From the legendary $10K Mad Monday cash splash after the 2018 flag, to the coaching mistakes that shaped him, and the lessons every aspiring AFL coach needs to hear. There’s the Shinboner spirit of the 90s, wild stories of a different era, and deep reflections on legacy, leadership, and what success really means when it’s all said and done. It’s candid, funny, and incredibly insightful, the full journey of a man who’s truly seen it all.
It’s honest but packed with perspective (and wit!). From leading at the top to fighting through the bottom, and the powerful life lessons that come with both.
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Clips
Showing 10 of 12Transcript preview
First 90 secondsAdam Simpson· Guest0:00
[upbeat music] A listener production.
Mark Howard· Host0:04
[gentle music] You are listening to episode 265 of The Howie Games Part B featuring Adam Simpson. On we go. Coaching. Let's get into the nuts and bolts of coaching, 'cause I love listening to you talk about coaching on the footy or on 360s. Like, i- if you, I'll put you on the spot. [sighs] This could be a 14-hour answer, I get that. [chuckles] What, what's the three keys to being a successful coach of a group of 45 young men?
Adam Simpson· Guest0:37
I don't know if it's three keys- Okay ... but I, I, I, the way I treated it, w- rightly or wrongly, is I treated it like I was the captain. So when I got the job, so I went... I met every- everyone I could when I was playing about what's the list management, all that sort of stuff. And then I got... I was so lucky, I went to Hawthorn. And, um, I think I might, I, I had an opportunity maybe to go to Richmond with Dimma. And I was like, Dimma, who just left Hawthorn, and in his first year, or Clarko, um, where Dimma left from. And, and, um, you know, for, it was, the Hawthorn decision was important, but, you know, who knows what would've happened if I'd have gone the other way. But- Yeah ... you go to a club, and every assistant coach now that wants to be a senior coach, you've sort of got to be in a su- successful environment. To get to the next level, you gotta go, "On your CV, listen, I've been part of this. I've seen it."
Mark Howard· Host1:28
Hmm.
Adam Simpson· Guest1:28
So going to