Carlton's coaching panel, Parkin moved to more of an overseeing role, with his senior assistant coach, Wayne Brittain, given a greater role. Under this structure, Worsfold was given responsibility for coaching the defence, including formulating the club's kick-in strategy. At the end of the 2000 season, with Carlton having lost to in a preliminary final, Parkin retired as senior coach, and was replaced by Brittain. Having maintained his role as a defensive coach under Brittain, Worsfold was again considered a strong candidate for several other clubs' vacant senior coaching positions during (and at the conclusion of) the 2001 season. After Damian Drum's sacking as senior coach of Fremantle midway through the season, Worsfold was approached to interview for the position, but refused, stating a desire to wait until the end of the season. He also stated in his interest in the position at , which was eventually filled by Grant Thomas, who had been serving as caretaker senior coach. After Carlton's season ended with a semi-final loss to , Worsfold interviewed with both Fremantle and his old playing club, West Coast, who had sacked Ken Judge. He was considered likely to take up the position at Fremantle, with Neil Craig considered a favourite to coach West Coast, but eventually leveraged his status at Fremantle into securing the West Coast position. West Coast Eagles senior coach (2002-2013) Worsfold went to apply for the senior coaching roles at both West Coast and Fremantle at the end of the 2001 season. Eventually, he was appointed to the senior coaching role at West Coast Eagles, when he replaced Ken Judge, who was sacked as West Coast Eagles senior coach at the end of the 2001 season. Worsfold was appointed coach to the club he had formerly played for, where he achieved some level of immediate success, taking the club back to the finals in his first season. After a string of early finals exits in 2002, 2003 and 2004, Worsfold finally took the club to the 2005 AFL Grand Final, where the Eagles were narrowly defeated by the Sydney Swans by a margin of four points with the final score Sydney Swans 8.10 (58) to West Coast Eagles 7.12 (54). In the 2006 season, the club finished on top of the ladder after the home and away series, and followed it up with a win in the 2006 AFL Grand Final, when West Coast