Ex-Collingwood player Shannon Cox has been sentenced to over 10 years' jail for a head-on highway crash which killed two women in their 80s.

Cox had taken methamphetamine at the time of the crash on the Brand Highway in Cooljarloo, Western Australia in June 2024, the court heard, while also on community-based orders for previous convictions for driving with the drug in his system, according to reports.

His daughter was in the passenger seat during the fatal accident and sustained minor injuries.

In March he pleaded guilty to manslaughter in relation to the crash which killed two friends, aged in their 80s.

Cox has been sentenced to 10 years and six months.

The sentence is backdated to October last year.

The court heard Cox had only a few hours' sleep the night before and may have fallen asleep at the wheel of his four-wheel drive.

According to ABC, Cox's lawyer said the former footballer has been "forced" to drive from Geraldton to Perth and pick up his wife who had just been released from custody.

Justice Stephen Lemonis said the result of Cox's action was "devastating".

His vehicle collided with a road train before hitting the vehicle carrying Coral Seinor and Thelma Clausen. The pair died at the scene.

"They were taken from us in an act that was completely avoidable," the daughter of Ms Clausen said, The West Australian reports.

The court reportedly heard Cox had a significant criminal record and a history of drug use.

Cox will be eligible for parole after eight and a half years served, and is disqualified from driving for four years post his release.