HIGH-profile West Coast recruit Lewis Jetta will need more than one good performance in the WAFL to win back his place in the Eagles' side given the form and health of the squad, says coach Adam Simpson.
Jetta was dropped last week after a quiet first six weeks at his new club. He responded by gathering 29 disposals for East Perth.
But the Eagles produced a 103-point thumping of St Kilda on Sunday and have no injury concerns heading into Saturday's pivotal clash with Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
Match preview: Port Adelaide v West Coast
Simpson said he was pleased with Jetta's efforts at WAFL level last week, but denied it was enough to earn the ex-Swan an immediate recall.
"He played well on the weekend," Simpson said on Wednesday.
"He just got his hands on the ball. 29 possessions in a team he'd never played in with different teammates, albeit guys he trains with a lot, and just going back and trying to play our way and play to his strengths as well.
"I think he ticked a lot of boxes in that area. To say it all turns around in one week is a little bit off. But that doesn't mean he's not available this week. We'll go through that process."
Simpson said it would be a difficult match committee meeting. The Eagles only have a six-day turnaround ahead of the trip to Adelaide but they had a full complement on the training track on Tuesday.
Xavier Ellis, Tom Cole, Tom Barrass and Jackson Nelson are also in the frame but it is unlikely there will be any changes.
The Eagles are 5-3 and sit seventh on the ladder. Their away form has been a source of consternation this season. They play only 12 games at home and 16 wins were required in 2015 to make the top four.
Simpson said he had not considered the ramifications of this week's clash in terms of making the top four.
"It's not something I'm really thinking about," Simpson said.
"In terms of trying to break the duck on interstate travel – (the media) can get on with some other questioning – that would be nice.
"But it is what it is. I'm not thinking about the bigger picture this week. It's purely whether we can back up a good performance with another good performance in a hostile environment."
Simpson also spoke emotionally about the news of Hawthorn's Jarryd Roughead being diagnosed with a recurrence of melanoma.
Simpson was an assistant coach at Hawthorn for four years between 2010 and 2013 and worked closely with Roughead. He said his thoughts had been with the Hawks forward over the past 24 hours.
"It's really sad news," Simpson said.
"My heart goes out to him and his family. I'm really fortunate to know him as a player and a friend as well. It's sad news but I'm sure he's up for the fight.
"I just sent him a text last night. To his credit, he would've had 1000 of those, he texted me back and said, 'I hope your family is going well', which shows the type of guy he is."
