By Justin Chadwick
West Coast coach Adam Simpson is confident Nic Naitanui won’t require surgery to fix his ongoing Achilles tendon injury, but the star big man is still at least several weeks away from making an AFL return.
Naitanui struggled with Achilles soreness during the pre-season and he will miss a third straight game when the Eagles take on Fremantle in Sunday’s western derby.
Sean Darcy contests a ruck with Nic Naitanui during the last western derby, in August 2022.Credit:AFL Photos
No timeline has been set for Naitanui’s return with the Eagles meeting medical staff on Friday to determine the best course of action.
“I don’t think surgery is part of the conversation,” Simpson told reporters on Friday morning.
“I think he’ll play this year but I can’t comment (on when) until I get the full details. We’ll release something when the time is right, but he won’t be playing for a few weeks.”
The absence of Naitanui has left West Coast lacking firepower in the ruck department.
The 201-centimetre Bailey Williams is leading the ruck division while Naitanui is sidelined and 192-centimetre forward Jake Waterman was his back-up in last week’s win over GWS.
The duo are set to be severely tested during Sunday’s western derby when they confront star Fremantle pair Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson.
“It’s probably the biggest challenge in the AFL. They’re No.1 for hitouts,” Simpson said.
West Coast premiership midfielder Elliot Yeo will miss another game with a calf injury, but he’s a chance to return for next week’s encounter with Melbourne at Optus Stadium.
Jackson is set to be unleashed as a big-bodied midfielder on Sunday as coach Justin Longmuir attempts to spark his misfiring on-ball brigade into gear.
Luke Jackson.Credit:Getty Images
The Dockers are 0-2 after opening the season with shock losses to St Kilda and North Melbourne.
The common factors for Fremantle across those two games were a malfunctioning forward line and an inability to win the contest and stoppage battles.
Jackson, who made a big-money move to Fremantle at the end of last season, has come under heavy criticism after taking just one mark and failing to kick a goal while playing predominantly as a forward across the opening two rounds.
The former Demon spent a small stint in the midfield against St Kilda in round one, but he’s slated to play a much bigger on-ball role against West Coast.
“I think sometimes we get caught up in the stereotypes of what big men should do,” Longmuir told reporters on Friday.
“He (Jackson) is a very good ground level player and a very good pressure player, which is what you need to be a midfielder.
“We’ll need his aerial presence down forward and we think he can turn that around, but he also offers us a lot at ground level.
“We need to start winning the contest around stoppages and he can assist in that area.”
It’s not only Jackson who will be sent into the midfield to add spark, with goalsneak Sam Switkowski another option.
Highly rated youngster Matthew Johnson will also get his chance after being named for his AFL debut as the tactical sub.
“I just think we need to do a few more of those things, change the energy, change the dynamic, not be as predictable,” Longmuir said.
“At the moment, we’re not really focusing on being a dominant midfield, we just need to make sure we break even in there.”
Longmuir said Jackson has been handling the criticism well.
“Like he said to me the other day, he’s played some average games at Melbourne as well,” Longmuir said.
“So he understands the ups and downs of the AFL and he understands where he’s at in his career.
“He’s creating enough opportunities. He had three shots on goal against St Kilda, he created some more marking opportunities last week.
“The final piece of the puzzle is to take [those opportunities].”
Two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe fell just short of proving his fitness in time for the derby, but Longmuir is optimistic the 31-year-old will be fit for next week’s clash with Adelaide.
AAP
