West Coast defender Jacob Brennan and forward Fraser McInnes are in line to make their AFL debuts this week as the Eagles deal with injuries and suspension.

Ladder-leading West Coast will be forced to make at least three changes for Sunday’s home match against North Melbourne, with replacements needed for key forward Josh Kennedy (ankle), Mitch Brown (eye) and Will Schofield (suspended).

Key defender Eric Mackenzie, who missed last week’s win over Richmond due to an ear infection, will be an automatic swap for Brown.

But Eagles coach John Worsfold is still weighing up options to replace Kennedy and Schofield.

Kennedy requires surgery on his ankle and will miss up to three months of football.

Worsfold said 18-year-old McInnes, who impressed during the pre-season, and 203cm ruck/forward Scott Lycett were the leading candidates for promotion should the Eagles opt for a like-for-like replacement for Kennedy.

“Fraser’s been very impressive with his start at the footy club,” Worsfold said.

“He’s a big strong boy who’s still only very young but is going to grow into a very strong key forward.

“He reads the game really well. A really natural footballer and has already performed really well for Perth as a key forward.”

Brown, whose best position is in defence, is another alternative to fill the void left by Kennedy once he recovers from an eye injury.

Brennan, the son of former Eagles premiership vice-captain Michael Brennan, has been in solid form in the WAFL, and will battle the likes of Patrick McGinnity, Brad Sheppard and Koby Stevens for a berth in the backline.

“He’s got really good pace. He’s got an unbelievable competitiveness right at the elite level to never be beaten,” Worsfold said of Brennan.

“Jacob’s developed a lot of areas of his game that have taken him to that level where he’s right up for selection.”