West Coast could be boosted by the return of experienced midfielder Elliot Yeo and recruit Milan Murdock for Sunday’s Western Derby against Fremantle, with both players tracking well through training this week.
Yeo has been sidelined for the past two matches due to an adductor issue, while Murdock is pushing to return from a hamstring strain sustained in round two.
“We made the decision to not play Elliot last week and he is setting himself for this week,” Merriman said.
“Milan is ready to go this week and will look to complete his two main sessions in preparation to play on the weekend.”
Jack Hutchinson is also set to return to the field in the WAFL, with the 2024 mid-season recruit poised to play his first game of the season following ankle surgery late last year.
“Hutch has been tearing up the track and looks like he’ll be available on managed minutes in the WAFL this week and will be building minutes over the next few weeks,” Merriman said.
Fred Rodriguez is closing in on a return from a foot injury, with a short build planned before reintroducing match minutes.
“Fred will need to complete two main training sessions over the next 10 days and hopefully we’ll see him back next week playing some managed minutes,” Merriman said.
Following confirmation yesterday that he will miss the remainder of the season, Dev Robertson will undergo surgery after rupturing his ACL in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to Geelong at Norwood Oval.
“Dev has been through to see our surgeons and the plan is to wait for his knee to settle down,” High Performance Manager Phil Merriman said.
“That will likely mean he will be in for surgery late next week.”
Experienced Eagle Jack Graham hurt his shoulder against the Cats and will be assessed this week.
Key defender Harry Edwards has made pleasing progress as he continues through concussion protocols.
“Harry has progressed really well over the last week,” Merriman said.
“We’ll continue seeking specialist advice, but we’ll start to see him filtering back into training.”
Recruit Brandon Starcevich continues to build steadily following his calf injury.
“Brandon’s progressing as planned, steadily increasing his running loads and building his capacity in the gym,” Merriman said.
Draftee Sam Allen has entered a performance training block as he continues to recover from a knee injury, while Tyler Brockman remains without a set return date as the club continues to carefully manage his knee recovery.
Second‑year Eagle Jacob Newton has now undergone foot surgery and will be non-weight bearing for the next couple of weeks, while Noah Long has progressed to doing some exercises in the gym and is tracking well.
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