WEST Coast coach John Worsfold is confident Dean Cox will be fit to take on Melbourne on Saturday, but concedes his star ruckman will need to prove himself on the track this week.

Cox missed the Eagles' 20-point win over Hawthorn at the weekend with a groin strain that emerged a fortnight earlier. 

The four-time All-Australian trained lightly on Tuesday morning, but for periods was leading at close to full pace and kicking over medium distances.

"We're confident that he'll get up," Worsfold said from Subiaco Oval on Tuesday morning.

"It was a very minor strain and one that we would expect would have healed by now,  (but) you're always just making sure that there's nothing else other than that as well.

"There's no caution taken into account. If he's fit he'll play."

Worsfold covered the loss of his star big man against Hawthorn with Quinten Lynch and second-gamer Nic Naitanui, and their performances leave the coach with a solid back-up option against Melbourne this week if Cox isn't fit.

Lynch lead the ruck with aplomb, finishing with 23 hit-outs and 26 possessions while Naitanui played a thrilling final-quarter cameo that netted three goals and won West Coast the match.

"I thought Lynchy played a very strong game for us," Worsfold said.

"We certainly though that the conditions meant that he would be able to play a strong role as a ruckman for us in that game.

"Lynchy's done a number of jobs for us in different roles in the past. It's the first time he's actually probably led the ruck. But he did it with the intensity that we would have expected from him."

Chad Fletcher is also making a charge for selection after a best-on-ground performance for WAFL side Subiaco at the weekend.

The 30-year-old hasn't played for West Coast since round three, but the veteran had 38 possessions, 11 marks and two goals against Peel Thunder to push his claims for an AFL recall.

"His form over the last probably six weeks has been nearly as good as it could be," Worsfold said.

"We want to pick players that are in good enough form to come in and play well and we think Chad could do that. So we're weighing that up versus a lot of the other criteria we look at when we select the side this week."

After announcing his two-year contract extension last week, Worsfold said seasoned players would inevitably be overlooked as he gives opportunities to his batch of young draftees.

The coach said Fletcher, Tim Houlihan, Brett Jones and Ash Hansen were all frustrated, but his youngsters would not be dropped based on comparisons with their more senior teammates. 

"The basic argument could be, well if Tom Swift only gets 10 touches and you know Chad Fletcher can have 25, why don't you play him?

"But Tom Swift is getting less ground time and playing different roles, and we're happy with what he's doing and we think he's living up to our expectations.

"So therefore he stays in the side."

Mark Nicoski (back) will have to prove his fitness to face Melbourne this week, while Adam Hunter continues to struggle with a shoulder complication.