Flag win adds to Gaff’s pain
WEST Coast coach Adam Simpson has consoled a distraught Andrew Gaff after the suspended winger missed an AFL premiership.
Gaff, serving an eight-game ban, was in tears in the Eagles rooms after his teammates pipped Collingwood by five points in Saturday’s Grand Final.
The 26-year-old is fielding offers to join rival Victorian clubs but Simpson is uncertain of his star wingman’s intentions.
“This is not the time to talk about it,” he said after hugging Gaff in the rooms post-match.
“But you can only imagine how Eric MacKenzie, Brad Sheppard, Nic Naitanui and Andrew Gaff are feeling.”
Naitanui, MacKenzie and Sheppard were all injured and unavailable for the Grand Final.
“‘Gaffy’ will be a bit different because it was selfinflicted and he needs to own that,” Simpson said.
“But from the minute that happened we have obviously recognised he did the wrong thing, but tried to give him as much support as we can.
“That won’t change. No matter what he does, he is one of us.”
Gaff was suspended for a punch which broke the jaw of Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw in a Round 20 fixture.
He has missed six games and will serve the remaining two matches of the ban at the start of next season.