WEST Coast draftee Bo Allan is guaranteed a full game at some level this week after two weeks of minimal game time as the substitute, with a hamstring injury to premiership defender Tom Cole creating an opening at AFL level. 

Allan was injected into last Sunday's clash against North Melbourne with eight minutes remaining and played just 16 per cent game time the week prior against Geelong, with coach Andrew McQualter conceding the lack of game time for the developing defender was a mistake. 

The Eagles are also considering their options to replace Cole, with mid-season recruit Tom McCarthy also an option after two WAFL games and his first main training session with the AFL group on Thursday. 

"Coley's going to miss a little while, we're not quite sure how long yet, which is unfortunate for him. But as it always does, it will provide an opportunity for someone else," McQualter said on Thursday. 

"It's been challenging for Bo the last few weeks being sub and getting such small game time, so we're going to play him a full game somewhere this week. 

"He won't be sub, so we'll just work through that. There's potential that there is a spot there in the backline for him."

McQualter said the Eagles would consider McCarthy to make his AFL debut, but the club was also focused on setting him up for a long career and ensuring he was across as much of the team's game style as possible."

"It's a fine line between how much you smash these guys with education," he said.  

"We've given them a lot over the last couple of weeks, but to fill in what the other guys have learned over eight months now, it's just not going to happen in a couple of weeks. 

"We don't expect them to be at the same level, but we do want to set them up to succeed."

With vice-captain Jeremy McGovern awaiting his meeting with the AFL concussion panel and Cole injured, the Eagles are relying heavily on the experience of Liam Baker and co-captain Liam Duggan in defence. 

McQualter was pleased with the progress key defenders Harry Edwards, who will play his 50th game this week, and Sandy Brock are making. 

With Carlton spearheads Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay looming this week, the coach said pressure on the ball would be vital after a significantly improved tackling performance against North Melbourne. 

The team's biggest issue against the Kangaroos was conversion, kicking one goal from 39 inside 50s in the first half, with McQualter putting a focus on efficiency in this week's review. 

"We showed the players the first three quarters of the game and what we did well, and we were able to have 50 odd entries (55) up to three-quarter time, which is a monster number," he said.

"We worked on some reasons why our efficiency was a bit down, and then we worked our way through the last quarter and what happened and had some really honest conversations in the room, which were great and will hold us in good stead.

"It's something we'll keep just internal but there were some great conversations around the room. We've got guys in different stages of their career sharing experiences, which is really important so I'm sure we'll be better for it."

The Eagles have made significant gains since their 71-point Gather Round loss to Carlton, which saw a young midfield get dismantled in clearances (40-18) and contested possessions (136-77), losing the inside 50s by a massive margin (73-35).  

Having reshaped the midfield since then and become highly competitive over the past month, McQualter said the Eagles would have "really strong plans" to produce a better showing at the coalface. 

"The last time we played Carlton, we got beaten by -60 in the contest. It was a performance we weren't proud of, so we've already spoken about it this week," he said.

"It's going to be a big battle this week, we know that they're an incredibly experienced midfield with multiple ways that can hurt you, so it's going to be a very important part of the game.

"We'll have some really strong plans, we'll train it hard today, and it's a work in progress for us."