SCOTT Lycett is not guaranteed a return to West Coast’s senior side in their next match, despite the Eagles struggling in the ruck without him and the injured Nic Naitanui in their 49-point win over the Brisbane Lions.

Lycett was omitted from the Eagles' line-up due to disciplinary issues.

Coach Adam Simpson said Lycett was playing for East Perth in the WAFL at the time of the press conference, and said the club would take their time to come to a decision. 

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“We’ll just weigh it up, and it happened so late in the week, we’ll take a deep breath from that and have a chat to him,” Simpson said. 

The Brisbane Lions won the hit-out count 56-25, with Stefan Martin returning to form as a solo ruckman after Trent West was omitted.

Simpson was happy with the efforts of replacement ruckmen Jonathan Giles and Fraser McInnes, but said his midfielders had to adjust to their structures at stoppages due to the reduced ball supply.

“Other than the last 10 minutes, I was really happy and proud of 'Gilesy', the way he went about it," Simpson said.

“Fraser has been playing mainly forward at East Perth, so to come in and do a job for us was pleasing.

“I think the hit-outs differential, hit-outs to advantage, was probably the opposite to what we see most weeks, that’s why we had to change a few things around the ball and how we go about it.”

Five talking points: Brisbane Lions v West Coast

Lewis Jetta had a quiet match after coming in from the WAFL for his eighth game of the season, and Simpson said he still had work to do.

“He can play better, he’s not alone though," he said.

“We’re working with him, he knows he’s got another gear to go to, that’s for sure.”

Simpson suggested Mark Hutchings could be a future tagger for the club after his work on Daniel Rich after quarter-time, keeping the midfielder to just seven disposals in the final three quarters.

“Daniel Rich was really getting away from us too in that first quarter around the ball," he said.

“I was really happy with 'Hutchy’s' job after quarter-time, he shut him down, and that’s something we need to explore going forward.”

Simpson said the bye couldn’t have come at a better time, with his team showing signs of tiredness against the Lions.

“We’re not banged up, we’re just tired. That’s no excuse, but that last quarter we were a bit heavy-legged,” he said.

While the Eagles weren’t playing at their best, conceding the last three goals and having several lapses in concentration throughout the match, Simpson was happy to come away with the win.

“We were disappointed with the last 10 minutes, but we still had a 49-point win away from home, so we’ll take that, put it in our back pocket, and get on with it,” he said.