West Coast Eagles great Peter Sumich will coach Western Australia's under-18s from next season.
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In the latest chapter in the two-time Eagles premiership star's coaching endeavours, Sumich will head the state's important pathways youth program in the annual national championships series so vital to emerging AFL draft hopefuls.
His appointment is expected to be for two years.
He has rejected approaches over the past month to be an assistant at Adelaide in support of former Eagles premiership teammate Don Pyke from next season as well as an offer to work alongside West Coast senior coach Adam Simpson.
Sumich, 48, was beaten to the Eagles head coaching position when Simpson was appointed at the end of 2013 when Eagles premiership coach John Worsfold quit after his 12 years in charge.
Sumich was midfields coach with Worsfold when West Coast won the 2006 flag.
He is tipped to retain a contract clause with the WA Football Commission for release if a senior AFL coaching or assisting position became available that Sumich wanted to take at the end of next year.
The former Eagles goal-kicking sensation is believed to still have hopes of a senior coaching appointment in the future.
Sumich quit his assistant and development coaching role at Fremantle under Ross Lyon at the end of this season after five years at the Dockers.
He spent 11 seasons as an assistant to before crossing to the Dockers in what was considered a significant recruiting coup to join Lyon when he took over Fremantle at the end of 2011.
Sumich is understood to have been willing to return to West Coast with Simpson if an appointment had a senior coaching attachment to it.
He was offered the vacant midfield coaching position with the move of Brady Rawlings into running Eagles list and player retention management.
West Coast announced this week that champion ruckman Dean Cox will take over coaching its midfield.
Simpson swung further changes, with East Perth and development coach Jaymie Graham moved to handle Eagles forwards and elevated Justin Longmuir into a senior assistants post.
Sumich is completing an elite coaching training program to secure a Level 4 accreditation with intentions to firmly keep open prospects of a senior appointment.
