Near enough is good enough, especially if you’re as talented as West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui.

Naitanui will make his first and only appearance of the AFL pre-season in Sunday’s clash with Fremantle at Domain Stadium.

Back-related tightness ruled Naitanui out of West Coast’s first three pre-season games, and the Eagles are set to resist the temptation of giving the 24-year-old more match time in the WAFL next week.

Coach Adam Simpson is confident the hit-out against Fremantle will be enough for Naitanui to be ready for the season opener against the Bulldogs on April 4.

“He’s done 80-90 per cent of the pre-season,” Simpson said.

“He’s only missed four sessions.

“He’s probably a game off being absolutely cherry ripe.

“But we think a good hit-out this week, we’ll see how he pulls up, and then get him (ready) for round one.”

Midfielder Scott Selwood (ankle) will also return for the Eagles after making it through 58 minutes in a practice match for East Perth last week.

Forward Jack Darling (foot) is set to return to full training soon, but Simpson said the 22-year-old’s AFL return could be anywhere between rounds one to six.

The Eagles’ finals hopes were dealt two severe blows during the pre-season when Beau Waters (shoulder) was forced to retire and defender Eric Mackenzie suffered a year-ending knee injury.

But there was plenty of optimism at the club’s season launch on Tuesday, with Simpson embracing the high expectations set on the team.

“You’ve just got to deal with injuries. Mackenzie’s a big loss for us, but we’ve got to get on with it,” Simpson said.

“We can’t dwell on the fact we’ve lost our best and fairest winner.

“We’re in a phase where we are building our list and building our experience.

“But we have ambitions to play finals just like every other team. I think the competition is going to be really tight this year. Anyone is capable, and we’re in that boat.”

The Eagles used the season launch to unveil their new No.1 ticket holder – Formula One ace Daniel Ricciardo.

Simpson played down any talk the club’s new slogan – The West is Ours – was in reference to putting the squeeze on cross-town rivals Fremantle.

“I wasn’t part of the marketing process for that, but I think it’s about the fact we’re trying to embrace the community and (create) an inclusive environment,” Simpson said.