WEST Coast coach Adam Simpson has confirmed that Sharrod Wellingham will play his first game of the season against the Sydney Swans on Saturday after overcoming a knee injury.
Wellingham has not played any senior football this season after suffering a knee injury at training in early March. His recovery took a lot longer than was initially expected.
He played 70 minutes in the WAFL for East Perth on Saturday and gathered 17 disposals. Simpson said that was enough for him to come back into the side to face the Swans at the SCG.
"If you ask him...he was ready two weeks ago," Simpson said on Wednesday.
"Seventeen possessions in 70 minutes and he set up the backline really well. So he'll play."
Simpson also confirmed that Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis would play after getting through training on Wednesday.
Priddis missed last week's win over Richmond with a groin strain.
Midfielder Andrew Gaff failed to train on both Monday and Wednesday due to soreness, but Simpson said he would play.
"Gaffy didn't train, but he'll play," Simpson said.
"He's a tough little bugger. He's had lots of little big injuries that he's managed to keep quiet and play with. I don't think he's missed a game.
"He's got our record for most (consecutive) games played. So he can play with injuries. He probably feels better this week than last week."
The Eagles will be without ruckman Scott Lycett on Saturday due to suspension. Simpson said it was disappointing for Lycett and the club, but it presented an opportunity to others.
Simpson said Jonathan Giles, Fraser McInnes and Jeremy McGovern were the three options but the match committee had yet to make a decision on which way to go.
The Eagles prefer to use a specialist second ruckman to support Nic Naitanui.
"He's (Naitanui) at his best when he plays 70-80 per cent of game time in the ruck," Simpson said.
"To get maximum output, he can't just ruck all day. He's not like some of the other guys in the competition. We rely on his power and explosiveness. That drops away if he has to carry the can all day."
Giles is coming off a strong performance for East Perth in the WAFL, which Simpson watched closely last Saturday.
"He kicked three (goals) and rucked really well," Simpson said.
"He's progressively getting better every week. His form warrants an opportunity. It's just whether we see if it's the right fit or not."
Simpson conceded that using McGovern would be the most unlikely option.
"It's a risk, McGovern going in as a second ruck," Simpson said.
"I feel like we've just got him back as a defender at the moment. I don't want to get too tricky on things. We've got a pretty good system in place. So it might just be a role for role."
Simpson said it was good to have some depth to choose from.
"It's a good problem to have," Simpson said.
"We haven't had it for a while. We've got some selection questions we need to answer ourselves. It'll come down to match-ups and who we think is in better form but there will be some stiff players (to miss out) this week."
The Eagles have not played at the SCG since 2010 and have not won there since 1999. Simpson said it was one of the biggest tests in the AFL and he conceded his team needed to be at their absolute best to give themselves a chance.
