John Worsfold has no doubt Peter Sumich will one day become a successful AFL coach despite his right-hand man missing out on the role at Richmond.

Sumich, in his ninth season as an assistant at West Coast, was interviewed for the top job at the Tigers last Friday but failed to make the short list, with current caretaker coach Jade Rawlings, ex-Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley, Essendon assistant Alan Richardson and Port Adelaide assistant Damien Hardwick believed to be the men to have made the cut.

But Worsfold said Sumich, who is unlikely to apply for the top job at North Melbourne, was ready made to become a senior coach.

"I think if Peter Sumich was a senior coach of an AFL club he'd do a very good job," Worsfold said on Tuesday.

"He's got all the capabilities to be a senior coach.

"Clubs obviously have processes they go through and Suma's pretty clear on where he sits and what he's aiming to do.

"He won't apply for all jobs but there's times he'll apply where he won't expect to get on the short list but he'll go through the process for the experience of it and learn and push forward like that."

Sumich was also overlooked for the senior posts at Essendon and Melbourne in 2007.

Worsfold admitted Sumich's influence on the Eagles' playing group may be underrated by people outside of the club.

"He has a lot of responsibility," Worsfold said.

"The perceptions are hard to break.

"I can not go out on the training track at times so people can see what he does, but he does it anyway.

"I think his communication with players to get players on the same page to work together to achieve results (is his greatest strength)."

Sumich booted a club-record 514 goals during his glittering 150-game career with West Coast and played in the Eagles' 1992 and '94 premiership triumphs.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP