Adam Simpson was recruited by North Melbourne in the 1993 National Draft, making his senior debut against the West Coast Eagles in 1995. The following year he played in the Grand Final victory over Sydney, and then played a pivotal role in North Melbourne's 1999 Grand Final win over Carlton. In 2002 he won the Syd Barker medal for the club's best and fairest player and was named in the All-Australian team. He was club captain between 2004 to 2008, and played 306 games over a 15 year career, retiring in 2009. In 2010 he joined Hawthorn as assistant coach and was involved in the 2013 Hawthorn Grand Final victory. He was appointed coach of the West Coast Eagles in 2014, and went on to coach this Grand Final victory in 2018.