Outgoing West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett says his decision to leave the club next year wasn't linked to the retention of coach Adam Simpson.
Nisbett, who was appointed West Coast's football manager in 1989 and became the club's chief executive 10 years later, announced on Wednesday he will leave at the end of next season.
The Eagles have already begun the search for a new chief executive, with the exact date of Nisbett's departure yet to be determined.
During Nisbett's 34 years at West Coast, the club won four flags, played in seven grand finals, featured in 24 finals campaigns, and grew to more than 100,000 members.
But his position has come under increasing scrutiny over the past two years following the Eagles' dramatic fall from grace.
West Coast only won two games in 2022, and they collected the wooden spoon this season following a disastrous three-win campaign.
Speculation has been rife that either Nisbett or Simpson - or both - would be sacked.
Simpson looked gone following the club's 101-point loss to Fremantle in round 22 - the club's fifth triple-figure defeat of the season.
But a hard-fought win over the Western Bulldogs a week later, and a groundswell of support from the club's fan base, was enough to convince the board to stick with Simpson, who is contracted until 2025.
Nisbett said he had been talking to the board about his own future for the past few months, and that his decision to leave next year had nothing to do with Simpson staying on.
"They’re not linked. They’ve never been linked, even though it seemed to be linked at times," Nisbett said.
"My time is now, so it’s time to go."
Nisbett played a pivotal role in guiding West Coast out of the mire when their toxic off-field culture in the early 2000s - spotlighted by the high-profile downfall of stars including Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr - finally caught up with them.
More recently, Nisbett had to deal with the saga involving Willie Rioli, who was banned for two years for tampering with a urine sample during two separate drug tests in 2019.
"They're awful things to have to deal with," Nisbett said of the off-field controversies.
"Some of our staff, along with me, have had to deal with those things on a weekly, monthly and sometimes yearly basis.
"Sometimes we've made mistakes that we've had to go back to square one.
"After 2007, we pared it back. We finished last in 2010 and rebuilt the team again, and our results showed after that.
"I'm proud of the things we've been able to bounce back from."
