West Coast Training Notes: Several injured Eagles still sidelined, defender set to take on Port Adelaide

West Coast are in the final stages of their preparations for the upcoming season with their last pre-season game this Sunday against Port Adelaide. Here’s what we saw at main training in the lead up. Injury Watch Several players are racing to be fit for the start of the season but there was some positive signs during the session for a couple of winged Eagles. Co-captain Liam Duggan continues to be restricted to running as he recovers from a concussion, while both Reuben Ginbey (foot soreness) and recruit Tylar Young (managed) also didn’t train with the main group. However, rookie Fred Rodriguez is out of the moon boot and was walking laps alongside forward Tyler Brockman who recently had minor surgery on an ITB issue. Second-year Eagle Tom Gross was on light running duties alongside assistant coach Luke Shuey as he recover from a serious hamstring strain. Leaders Jack Graham (hamstring) and Brandon Starcevich (calf) are slowly integrating back into main training, while defender Brady Hough (ankle) appears to be on track to put their hand up for selection to take on Port Adelaide in their final pre-season game at Mineral Resources Park on Sunday. Boots’ Ball Shuey took centre stage as he worked on specific stoppage structures with his new-look midfield group. Senior coach Andrew McQualter was happily playing the role of boundary umpire as the former Eagles skipper walked the players through how they need to set up from the throw ins. Shuey looked to have an emphasis on positioning and how to create space as they look to improve their work at the stoppages. It comes after the Eagles were the worst clearance side last year, averaging only 31 a game. However, the fresh faces in there of Deven Robertson and last year’s mid-season draftee Tom McCarthy as well as the return of premiership star Elliot Yeo are set to strengthen their midfield. Interestingly, Elijah Hewett was left out of the group and was instead working alongside the half-forwards and wingmen. Tylah Time There is rightly a lot of hype around West Coast’s trifecta of first-round draftees in Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler and Josh Lindsay. And it has meant that Next Generation Academy product Tylah Williams has relatively flown under the radar. The teenage forward is quietly putting together a solid pre-season and with the season-ending injury to Noah Long, he has gone up in the pecking order for a role in attack. Williams looks to have increased his endurance and worked hard on his running patters as a forward and while he has a long way to go to be a complete AFL player, there are signs he is headed in the right direction.