He was a fan favourite on the field during his time in the Hoops, and now Cats fans get the excitement of seeing Sam Simpson back in the blue and white, but in a slightly different role to what they are used to. 

Simpson returned to Kardinia Park after a stint in Western Australia, joining Geelong's AFLW coaching panel for the upcoming season, fulfilling the role as an assistant coach and also looking after the backline. 

He was one of the big changes in the offseason for the AFLW Cats, set to help lead Geelong into the campaign under new head coach Mick Stinear, and alongside fellow assistant coaches Elise Coventry and Ryan Pendlebury. 

With experience at AFL level and a valuable stint as both a coach and player in the WAFL, Simpson will bring a new dynamic to the Geelong side as they look to return to Finals for the first time since 2023. 

Speaking on this week's episode of 'To the Final Bell,' Simpson provided insight into his time out west and what he got up to in his time away from Geelong. 

"It has been great to be back here," Simpson said. 

"After finishing up playing, I went over to Western Australia. I was based out of Perth, played a bit of WAFL footy over there with the Perth Demons, a little shoutout to them.

"I had a few ex-Cats clientele over there as well; Charlie Constable, Brandan Parfitt and Blake Schlensog. It was great fun, it is nice to venture and do something different but to have a few familiar faces there as well.

"To keep the band together and keep that rolling was a bit of fun, so I can't complain there."

Simpson was selected by Geelong in the 2017 rookie draft, picked under the father-son rule and following in the footsteps of Sean Simpson, who played 114 games with the Cats between 1991 and 1998. 

He made his debut in Round 15 of the 2017 season against GWS, going on to play five games in his first season with the club and showing plenty of potential. 

Simpson's best season came in 2020, where he featured in three of Geelong's Finals and the Grand Final at the Gabba, but his playing career was largely interrupted by injury. 

After departing the club at the end of 2023, Simpson spent time in the WAFL and as he explained on the podcast, it provided his first taste of coaching and it took his career in a whole new direction. 

"When I was over in the WAFL, I had a few longer term injuries there and I got to dabble in the coaching, which was great," Simpson said. 

"Not in any official capacity, but that was great to try a few different roles and I really found a passion for it. I was pretty fortunate with the group over there, they were a really young crew. So that was really satisfying from a footy point of view, which then sparked that urge to start getting into coaching.

"That probably goes back as well, we were super fortunate having some great development coaches here. Working really closely with Shane O'Bree and Nigel Lappin coming through, trying to pick their brains a lot and even when I had some injuries, helping out with the Academy and things like that.

"I just really enjoyed it, so that is how the spark started and I was really fortunate with timing and everything. As you know, footy is a lot about those sliding door moments, so I was lucky enough that one opened up for me here with the women's program."

The new look coaching panel is set to give Geelong's AFLW team a spark heading into 2026, as they look to bounce back and make a push for Finals football. 

Despite showing some positive signs throughout the season, the Cats finished with a 5-7 record in 2025 which was good enough for 13th place on the ladder, their second consecutive year missing out on the post-season. 

But with a number of new faces both on and off the field, there is plenty of optimism and excitement about what lies ahead for the Cats, when they kick off their season in a little over a month. 

Simpson provided some great insight into the pre-season so far, while also noting a number of players to keep an eye on as the year unfolds.  

"I think first and foremost, when you are playing forward, you know what works well to play against so taking a few of those learnings," Simpson said. 

"But I have got a really great group to work with down there, they get around each other a lot so it is great to bring that excitement. There is a couple of new faces in there as well which we have brought in, either through the draft or via trade.

"We have got young Evie Cowcher who has come to us from WA, she was out of the Peel Thunder but you can expect to see some excitement from her. The way she attacks the footy aerially, she is so strong in that regard and then can kickstart our counter-attack from there.

"But the way everyone pitches in, whether it is those who have been here for a long time, now we have Nic Stevens over from the Saints as well. We are sort of just getting those little bits of everyone, which is making a really fun group to work with."