Adam Selwood named development coach as the Eagles upgrade three rookies
WEST Coast has appointed recently retired premiership player Adam Selwood as a development coach for season 2014.
Following the resignations of John Worsfold, Phillip Walsh and David Teague from the Eagles' coaching staff, along with the scaling back of Neale Daniher's responsibilities due to illness, West Coast has appointed Selwood to a new role under senior development coaches Gavin Bell and Adrian Hickmott.
"I'm pretty excited about the opportunity and after contemplating a number of options, this felt like the best fit and right for my transition into the next phase," Selwood told West Coast's website.
Selwood played the last of his 187 AFL games in round 23 against Adelaide but will line-up for East Perth in the WAFL Grand Final against West Perth on Sunday. Selwood will consider playing on for East Perth next year to help develop the Eagles-listed players playing for the Royals.
"We need to assess how the alignment with the Royals is working before making that commitment," Selwood said.
"The competitive juices still flow, I feel like I am capable of playing footy at WAFL level, but my work has to come first.
"I will try to stay fit, but my work with the boys playing at the Royals is most important.
"It appeals as a good pathway for me into coaching."
The Eagles have also announced the re-signing of forwards coach Justin Longmuir as well as the upgrading of rookies Simon Tunbridge, Jeremy McGovern and Jamie Bennell and the contract extension of Callum Sinclair.
Sinclair has agreed to a two-year contract extension after he was upgraded from the rookie list early in the season when the 23-year-old ruckman played five senior matches.
Sinclair's season ended prematurely due to a knee injury but he will be ready for the start of pre-season.
Tunbridge, McGovern and Bennell have all been upgraded to the senior list although Tunbridge was the only one of the three to play senior football this season.
McGovern, a 20-year-old key position prospect, had hip surgery in the middle of the year to be right for the pre-season while Bennell, who played 57 matches with Melbourne, played 12 league matches for Swan Districts in 2013 as he fights his way back from a knee reconstruction.
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