WEST Coast is bracing for the loss of pressure forward Jamie Cripps to a nasty ankle injury, while Sam Mitchell appears in serious doubt to play in his first Western Derby on Saturday night.

Cripps hobbled off the MCG after landing awkwardly on his left ankle in the dying minutes of Sunday's horror loss to Hawthorn and was on crutches in the rooms post-match.

The speedy goalkicker has started the season strongly with nine goals in five games but looks set for an extended stint on the sidelines in a major pre-Derby blow.

"It could be a longer-term injury that one. It's a high-grade ankle injury and we'll find out with scans," coach Adam Simpson told Channel Seven. 

Mitchell missed the return bout against his old side due to his own ankle problem and the 34-year-old is battling to prove his fitness to face Fremantle.

"He's got a bit of a walk/jog tomorrow, we'll see if he trains on Wednesday and we'll make that decision later in the week," Simpson said.

"I don't think it's as good as we would've liked at this stage, but you never know." 

The stakes for the first Derby of the season have gone up a notch since West Coast's defeat to the previously under-siege Hawks. 

The Eagles have copped a public hammering after their fifth loss from six starts at the home of football, and Simpson conceded the club couldn't shy away from the criticism. 

"The conversations about the ground is one thing, but for us to play the football we want to play, regardless of where, we need to be better than that," he said.

"There is something to do with how we travel and how we prepare, but I think there's some other issues there we've got to get right." 

West Coast was battered and bruised by Hawthorn and had salt rubbed into their wounds when the flight home from Melbourne was delayed by more than an hour. 

"It just topped-off a pretty ordinary day, to be honest," midfielder Andrew Gaff said.

"They made up a bit of time on the flight, so that was good.

"But to be getting to bed at about 3am is probably not ideal."

Gaff tweaked an ankle and was hobbling post-game on Sunday but declared he will be fit to face the Dockers, who have their own injury concerns after gun onballer Stephen Hill was ruled out for up to a month with a hamstring strain. 

Both sides enter the clash, which will be giant Freo ruckman Aaron Sandilands' 250th game, with a 3-2 win-loss record.