WEST Coast's spate of foot injuries has worsened, with midfielder Jack Redden forced out of Sunday's huge clash with Geelong due to soreness.
Redden's setback comes while key defender Tom Barrass is recovering from toe surgery on Thursday that could sideline him for between seven and 10 weeks.
SIMPSON SLAMS SURFACE Eagles may stop training at Optus Stadium
Young half-forward Daniel Venables comes into the line-up for his first appearance since round two to replace Redden, whose absence could open the door for Dom Sheed to spend more time midfield after a quiet fortnight.
Out-of-sorts big man Nathan Vardy remains in doubt to face his former side, with Adam Simpson failing to guarantee he would stick with an ineffective two-ruck setup.
The West Coast coach believed Redden's foot soreness was only a short-term problem and hoped the former Lion would be available against Gold Coast next round.
But Redden's issue has again raised concerns about the hardness of Optus Stadium, with the Eagles meeting venue officials this week to find a solution.
"It was more collaborative than we've ever been, so everyone is working really hard," Simpson said.
"We can't blame every injury on the stadium, so I'm not here to do that, but the injuries that we are getting are similar.
"We're working through all that, that's part of our management as well, where we train.
"I think it's three or four weeks in a row where we haven't had a player get to the line, where they would've in the past."
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AFL.com.au has contacted Optus Stadium for comment.
Barrass battled foot dramas last year and was carefully managed over summer but broke down before the Good Friday loss to Port Adelaide.
"He probably had six to 10 weeks off legs over pre-season and we avoided surgery and unfortunately it hasn’t quite gone away," Simpson said.
Dual club champion Elliot Yeo and valuable forward Jamie Cripps both went under the knife for similar issues during the off-season.
Veteran spearhead Josh Kennedy was delicately handled before the season due to foot soreness, while electrifying goalsneak Willie Rioli is a month away after falling victim to a foot stress fracture before round one.
Rioli was back running on Subiaco Oval this week but has some work to do building his conditioning.
"Very frustrated man at the moment, Willie. At least he's out with the boys, he's not the best cross-trainer," Simpson said.
Simpson was happy to wear the underdogs tag for the Cattery clash and put the heat on his side – which ranks 18th for contested possession differential – to get their hands on the ball against Geelong's powerhouse midfield.
"It wasn't too complicated (against Port). I don't think there was a massive strategic move we didn't handle," Simpson said.
"I just thought we got beaten up around the ball and we got outworked.
"Those things can be fixed pretty quickly, but if you don't bring that against Geelong (you're in trouble) because they're No.1 at that."
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Meanwhile, Simpson doubted star ruckman Nic Naitanui would be back before the round 13 bye as the Eagles take the conservative route following his second ACL reconstruction.
"We sat down yesterday and had a good chat about that … I suspect it will be after the bye, that will still be 11 months since he's done it, so that's still relatively early for us, we're not going to rush him," Simpson said.
"He's training, he's competing, he's ready to go (for full training) and he's been knocking on the door a little bit, which is a great sign."
