Mandurah boat crash: West Coast coach Adam Simpson to give grieving defender Rhett Bazzo as much time as he needs

West Coast coach Adam Simpson says he will give Rhett Bazzo as much mourning time as he needs following the tragic death of the young defender’s mother.

Kylie Bazzo, 52, was killed this weekend after falling overboard in a boating accident in Mandurah, south of Perth.

Fellow passenger Debbie Burdon, 54, was also killed.

Rhett Bazzo lost his father, decorated WAFL player Steve Bazzo, to cancer in 2015.

West Coast has embraced 19-year-old Rhett after the latest tragedy to hit the family.

“It’s quite a shock to Rhett and his family,” Simpson said Wednesday.

“They are dealing with that grief at the moment and the club is supporting them.

“We will give him as much time as he needs with his family. Football is not the priority for him at the moment.”

Simpson said the whole club was shocked by the incident.

“You know, because of the tragic nature and the shock, Monday was tough,” Simpson said.

“So we had to adjust that and provide a little bit of support to both the players and our staff. We made it through the day.

“We’ll play a bit of a scratch game today and we’ll keep moving forward, but understand that the sensitivity around it is always with our players as well.”