WEST Coast will blood its eighth debutant this season when it hosts Greater Western Sydney on Friday night, with coach Andrew McQualter confirming exciting small forward Malakai Champion would play his first AFL game as the substitute at Optus Stadium.

Champion, who was recruited out of the Eagles' Next Generation Academy and is a fast and agile goalkicker who applies defensive pressure, has produced excellent and consistent form at WAFL level to earn his chance. 

McQualter said the 19-year-old's elevation would be the only change to the team that competed hard against ladder leader Collingwood, with Champion replacing wingman Jayden Hunt for the clash.  

"It's a really special story with Malakai. He's been on a journey and we took him as part of our Next Generation Academy," McQualter said on Thursday.   

"He came to the club at the start of this year and probably wasn't ready for AFL footy. He'd be the first to admit that, but he's worked really hard this year and really hard on his game. 

"He's got himself fit, he's really consistent with the role he's playing at WAFL level, and he's just put consistent performances together, so it's a great opportunity for him to play.

"I don't love it, but he is going to start as the sub tomorrow night. I appreciate it's not ideal for a debutant, but he still seemed pretty happy when we told him.

"Our 22 played some pretty good footy last week, so we liked a lot of what they did and we wanted to be consistent and keep the team the same. But we wanted to reward 'Mally' as well."

Champion joins recent debutants Jobe Shanahan and mid-season recruit Tom McCarthy, who have launched their AFL careers in the past fortnight. Draftees Hamish Davis, Bo Allan and Tom Gross, second-year tall Archer Reid, and pre-season addition Sandy Brock have also made their debuts. 

McQualter said it was promising for the club that such a big batch of young players was forcing its way into the team through form. 

"It's quite a lot of debutants in a year, but every one of them has earned their spot," he said. 

"We're just going to keep rewarding that and I think every taste you get of AFL footy you get a bit of an idea of what it's about.

"We got to play the team on top of the ladder last week and see how they go about their business, and you learn some stuff from that. 

"Our young midfield has now put probably six or eight consistent games together, and the more they play together the better they'll get.

"We'll just keep rewarding the players in form and picking teams that we think can win each week."

The Eagles have been highly competitive since their only win of the season against St Kilda in round 10, producing an excellent first half against the Magpies to lead by eight points at half-time. 

Asked what was required for his young team to turn competitive performances into more wins, McQualter said the Eagles needed to get better at containing opposition scoring when momentum was against them. 

"For us it's just about consistency across four quarters. We've probably just battled to put a whole game together at this stage," he said.  

"There's been periods of a game where we've played really quite well and had the game on our terms. 

"It's just those momentum swings where we've struggled to contain team scoring. So we're working hard on that."

McQualter confirmed that premiership defender Tom Cole (hamstring) and experienced recruit Matt Owies (calf) would return through the WAFL this week after overcoming injuries. 

He said exciting draftee Shanahan would continue to play forward after an eye-catching debut against the Magpies, even if his best position could eventually be as a defender. 

"I really think Jobe could play either end of the ground and be a really good player, but we'll continue in playing him forward for a little while," McQualter said. 

"But if the game needs it, I'll swing him. That's the beauty of what Jobe can bring. 

"I thought he competed really well. Every time he's in a contest he looks like he just floats and he can do some things, but he's a young player that's going to take some time. 

"We're excited for what Jobe can bring, but we have to be patient with young players as well."