Co-captain Oscar Allen is set to return in Sunday’s clash with Hawthorn at Marvel Stadium, West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has confirmed.
Allen was managed for the Eagles’ narrow loss to Essendon on Good Friday following back-to-back six-day breaks with travel.
“Oscar’s good. He’s going to play this week, train today. Great to have him back in our team,” McQualter said.
“He’s doing really well. We gave him a few days off last week, as we mentioned.
“His body’s in a good space and we can’t wait for him to be back this week.”
The Eagles face a huge challenge against the Hawks, who are among the flag contenders and will be determined to get back on the winners’ list.
“We’re going to prepare as best we can to win this game of football,” McQualter said.
“Hawthorn are a good team. I know they’ve had a couple of losses the last couple of weeks but they’ve played some good football still.
“We’ll keep trying to improve our game as well.”
Sunday’s Anzac round clash pits premiership Eagle Tom Barrass against his former club for the first time since his trade last October, adding some extra intrigue.
“These guys played a lot of football together. It’s also that there have been so many instances now where people have played against former teammates,” McQualter said.
“I think it’s no longer an issue for the players to deal with. I don’t need to talk about it with our players.
“Once that first ball is bounced, everyone just plays and competes and tries to win for their team.”
The Eagles confirmed on Tuesday that star midfielder Elliot Yeo was set to consult a specialist following lingering ankle symptoms from a pre-season injury, with a timeline for his return to play to be confirmed.
“He’ll see a specialist next week. He hasn’t been able to progress as much as we’d like,” McQualter said.
“I probably can’t comment too much further. I’ll wait until he gets a bit more of an opinion from someone far more qualified than me.
“Elliot is doing OK. It’s frustrating for him, it’s frustrating for us, but it’s the nature of the beast.”
In good news, versatile tall Callum Jamieson will play his first match since last June when the WAFL Eagles face Claremont on Anzac Day.
