Simpson was singled out as the man who could have called for a head count during last Sunday’s match, and while such an act is virtually unheard of in the modern game, it could have resulted in the Swans losing the game.
But the Kangaroos skipper says he’s glad his teammates have been shielded away from the issue this week, even though his name has been dragged into the controversy.
“The club have handled it really well in terms of keeping the players away from the 19th man saga,” Simpson told the media on Friday morning at Melbourne airport.
“Obviously my name was brought up because I’m the captain, and looking at the play I probably should have taken a mark before we turned it over. I kept seeing it on TV thinking ‘I should have taken that grab’.
“But as far as we’re concerned it’s done with. I don’t know where the club’s at with it, but we’re fully concentrating on Adelaide and we’ve been like that since Monday.”
While Simpson admits with hindsight that the Swans’ extra man did impact upon on the final outcome, he says calling for a head-count would have had significant ramifications.
“It would have been a pretty big blow-up if we had [called for a head count],” he said.
“It was a mistake, a costly mistake from our point of view I suppose. But it was a week ago and now we have to concentrate on Adelaide. As a player and a captain, I’m only worrying about Adelaide.
“We know the rules now, and that’s just the way it is.”
The Kangaroos have lost their past six matches against the Crows, a run that stretches back to Round 1, 2004. In their past three games, the smallest loss was a 46-point hiding last year on the Gold Coast.
Simpson admits ending the streak will be a formidable challenge for his side.
“They’ve got a good record against us and have had the wood on us obviously ... our record at AAMI Stadium hasn’t been that great either,” he said.
“We’ve tried a few things that haven’t worked against Adelaide so we’ll have to go in with a different tack this week, and probably worry more about ourselves and get our game going the way we want it."
The cauldron at AAMI Stadium will be the scene for Josh Smith’s debut, with the 21-year old, 195cm key position player expected to slot straight into the forward line. Simpson is confident the first-gamer can have an immediate impact.
“He’s an exciting talent. He’s a big man, he’s got clean hands and he’s got a bit of presence about him which I’m sure you’ll see tomorrow night,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how he goes.”
