Veteran ruckman Dean Brogan will play his first match for Greater Western Sydney in Sunday’s AFL clash with West Coast in Blacktown.

GWS coach Kevin Sheedy confirmed Brogan, who missed the Giants’ entire pre-season campaign with a back injury, will be one inclusion to the side that lost by 129 points to North Melbourne in Hobart.

“He will play,” Sheedy said on Wednesday.

“We’ll make two or three changes and Brogan’s alright. He’s played quite well against West Coast in the past according to Mark Williams, his former coach (now an assistant at GWS).

“But we need that knowledge and that experience. They’ve got a great side … the best thing about playing West Coast out here is that they could be in this year’s grand final.”

Brogan, who was tempted out of retirement after ending his career with Port Adelaide, proved his fitness in a scratch match on March 29 and was listed as an emergency for his side’s game against the Kangaroos.

Sheedy suggested his charges’ attitude was still upbeat despite the hammering dished out by North.

“They’re not down at all. When you look back I think we’ve been on the road for most likely four or five weeks of the last month and a half,” he said.

“So having a game here (in Blacktown) will be perfect for us.”

The master coach and GWS co-captain Callan Ward presented Blacktown mayor Alan Pendleton with a signed jersey ahead of GWS’s first AFL match at their training base.

Ward was upbeat the western Sydney venue would provide his side with a genuine home ground advantage as they prepare to take on one of the season’s early pacesetters.

“I hope so. It’s big travel for the Eagles this weekend, I think they’ve got to travel four and a half hours on a plane and then catch a bus out there,” Ward said.

“That might help us a bit.”