Worsfold yet to re-sign with West Coast - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Worsfold yet to re-sign with West Coast

By Justin Chadwick 23/06/2009 06:14:37 PM Comments (0)

West Coast coach John Worsfold claims he will step away from the Eagles at the end of his next contract if he doesn't feel he is the right man to lead the club to its next AFL premiership.

Worsfold also left the door ajar for former North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley to join the Eagles in some capacity next year.

Worsfold, out of contract at season's end, was offered an extension last Thursday but is yet to put pen to paper.

However, the 2006 premiership coach said only "minor stuff" stood in the way and expected the deal to be done by the end of the week.

In his eighth season as coach, Worsfold is unsure what his developing side could achieve in 2010 but hinted finals football was a must in 2011 for him to stay on in the role.

The Eagles currently sit in 13th place with a 3-9 win-loss record.

Since the departure of former skippers Chris Judd and Ben Cousins at the end of 2007, West Coast have won just seven of 34 games.

But Worsfold is adamant his developing list would be good enough to challenge for a premiership in the coming years and said he would "hand over the reins" if he felt he was no closer to grand final success by the end of his next contract.

"My focus is the next period, whatever that's going to be - two or three years - of improving the club and getting it to a point where it's on track to win a premiership," Worsfold said on Tuesday.

"That's the absolute focus.

"I would love to be the coach of the next premiership of the Eagles, with Darren Glass as captain, but if I'm sitting in the grand stand at the MCG cheering them on, I would feel pretty chuffed as well.

"My absolute aim is to get the club in a position to challenge for a premiership.

"If I'm still able to lead the club into that period (after my next contract), that would be great, but if not I would be comfortable to hand over the reins to a coach coming into a team that is on the cusp of becoming a very, very good and premiership-challenging side."

Worsfold said Laidley, who quit as coach of North Melbourne earlier this month after six-and-a-half years at the helm, would be considered for a post at the Eagles should he be interested.

"I know Dean pretty well because I played with him (at the Eagles) and coached against him," Worsfold said.

"He's a ripper bloke, he's as hard as nails and he's committed.

"He's done a very good job in all the things he's done.

"We always look at personnel that can potentially make the players better."

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