West Coast coach John Worsfold predicts defender Shannon Hurn will miss around two months of AFL action due to a serious ankle injury, while Scott Selwood might miss a month with a thumb complaint.
And veteran wingman Andrew Embley will also miss Thursday night’s clash with Essendon in Perth after being offered a one-match suspension for kneeing Hawthorn’s Ben Stratton.
Hurn is almost certain to need surgery on his damaged right ankle, with Worsfold saying the club was bracing itself for the worst-case scenario.
“It is some sort of tendon that he has torn in his ankle, not a ligament,” Worsfold said on Monday.
“Most strained ankles are ligament strains, not a tendon, so this is more serious.”
West Coast are still determining the full extent of Selwood’s thumb injury, but Worsfold predicts the 23-year-old could miss up to four weeks.
The Eagles face the fight of their life if they are to reach this year’s finals.
But they were given a much-needed dose of good news on Monday when it was confirmed forward Mark LeCras had re-signed for a further four years, tying him to the club until the end of 2017.
Worsfold said Embley’s off-the-ball knee to the chest of Stratton was ill-disciplined.
“It’s just one of those, a bit of a throwback for the past. They used to happen all of the time,” Worsfold said.
“They are not malicious, they are not there to cause injury, they are just there to tell people to stop holding on to you.
“But with the coverage of today’s game and the rules that are in place, you pay a price. Andrew will pay a price and we move on.”