Senior coach Andrew McQualter says West Coast are unfazed by the unusual early start time as the Eagles prepare for their round three clash against Port Adelaide this Sunday.

The Eagles will travel to Adelaide on Friday and adjust their body clocks, with McQualter confident his group is well‑prepared after playing multiple pre-season matches in the same morning slot.

The Eagles take on the Power at 9.30am AWST, or 12pm in Adelaide, and have subtly tweaked their sleep routines this week to prepare for the match.

“It is what it is,” McQualter said.

“We’re probably fortunate because we played two or three of our pre-season matches at that time anyway, so our guys are pretty accustomed to getting up early and performing.

“We'll go over tomorrow and have a couple of days to get our body clock sorted.

“We've been doing that already this week. It's part of preparation of AFL footy.”

Selection will again be closely watched, with key defender Sandy Brock needing to complete main training to be available, while injuries to Harry Edwards and Milan Murdock have opened the door for opportunities elsewhere.

“We are a little bit thin in our key backs, we understand that,” McQualter said.

“Sandy’s got main training today and we’re hopeful he gets through.

“Jobe Shanahan has shown he can play both ends, and we know we’ve got flexibility if we need it. We’ll pick the best mix to match up on Port’s forwards.”

McQualter also praised the competitiveness of rising draftee Cooper Duff‑Tytler after his breakout performance last week.

Duff-Tytler collected 12 touches and kicked two majors, displaying his incredible agility for a 200cm big man when he snapped his first goal in the AFL.

“Cooper’s aerial game is strong and he competes really hard,” McQualter said.

“That first goal he kicked was pretty special, the ground level follow up.

“It's going to be difficult for him at times, even on the weekend they tried to be aggressive with him, but he just kept going about his job.”

Port Adelaide’s midfield weapon Jason Horne‑Francis looms as a key challenge this week, with McQualter acknowledging his game-breaking power.

Horne-Francis kicked three goals and had 26 disposals as the Power demolished Essendon in round two.

“He’s a star and he’s not easy to stop,” McQualter said.

“We’ll need to have plans for him because he can hurt you in the midfield and deep forward. He’s a match winner.”

Reflecting on last month’s pre-season hit out against Port, McQualter said the Eagles learned important lessons that will help them this week.

“We clearly weren’t at our best that day, but there were still parts of the game we quite liked,” McQualter said.

“We had 30 odd front-half turnovers but let them score too easily. Whether you win or lose, you learn lessons, and our job is to implement them.”

Despite coming off a 17‑point win over North Melbourne, McQualter stressed the need for consistency rather than celebration.

“The scoreboard gives you belief, but we’re not getting carried away,” McQualter said.

“We reviewed the game the same way we always do. We played far from a perfect game and we’ve got a long way to go.

“We've got to have that amount of effort every week to be able to compete against AFL teams, so let's reset the clock and go again.”