Eagles coach puzzled by lethargic loss to Crows

Which is why he's puzzled after copping a 99-point away drubbing from Adelaide on Sunday.

"You have got to be honest, pragmatic, a sense of understanding that some days you're not going to have great days," Simpson said.

"But I thought we were sort of past these type of losses."

The Eagles, in their heaviest defeat this season, were hammered from the start by Adelaide, who booted seven goals to none in the first quarter.

"The way we started was indicative of the game," Simpson said.

"We just looked lethargic when we started the game and there's no excuse for that, so we have got to own it."

The Eagles' hapless display followed three wins in their past six outings, including a stirring 35-point home win over perennial finalists Melbourne last weekend.

After finishing bottom last year with three wins, and 17th with two wins in 2022, the triumph over the Demons was hailed by some as an end-point to the club's struggles.

"Obviously with West Coast, we're a big club, we had a really good win last week, so handling that is always a challenge for us," Simpson said.

"But I don't think anything can be an excuse for what we did today.

"It's not like we did a lap of honour on Monday, but we had a good win and we didn't back it up."

Australian Associated Press