WEST Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett is advocating a mid-season trading period in the wake of his club's terrible injury run at the start of this season.
After Beau Waters retired on the eve of the season, the Eagles lost two key defenders, Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown, to knee reconstructions before round two.
Dynamic key forward Jack Darling is still over a month away from returning after struggling all pre-season with a stress fracture in his foot and rookie Murray Newman has been ruled out for two months after requiring surgery on his thumb.
They suffered further injuries with ruckman Callum Sinclair missing a month of the pre-season with a broken thumb although he is returning to the WAFL this week. Midfielder Mark Hutchings has missed most of the pre-season with groin issues and is still yet to return to play.
Vice-captain Scott Selwood is still experiencing on-going soreness with his troublesome ankle and has been ruled out of the clash with the Blues along with experienced defender Sam Butler (adductor).
Nisbett told The West Australian on Thursday that the AFL should strongly consider a mid-season trade period to allow clubs the opportunity to cover for serious injuries and also give players struggling to get an opportunity a chance to play elsewhere.
"I have always been one for a mid-season trading period rather than the draft," Nisbett said.
"There is an opportunity then for clubs to look at trading players who aren't getting a game while other players are playing different roles.
"They could possibly sit down over the two bye weekends to see what transpires. They are all things that the AFL will look at in the future.
"I think there is also the opportunity to roll in future draft picks (as part of trades) as well. The AFL has a sub-committee to look at those things and I guess they should be looking at that all the time because the game is always evolving.
"A couple of years ago Essendon lost all of their ruckmen and were playing a guy who was six foot three (190cm) in the ruck.
"We are perilously close to that position.
"We have to look at our list for the future too because we are going to have two guys coming off knee reconstructions next year."
But despite Nisbett's call for a mid-season trade period Eagles coach Adam Simpson said he was not looking for any sympathy as far as his injury list was concerned.
Simpson was firmly focused on dealing with the dwindling stocks that he has and left comment on a mid-season trade or draft period to others.
"I'm sure there is a committee somewhere looking at the possibility," Simpson said.
"At the moment I can't really dig too deep in my thoughts on that because I've just got to deal with what we've got now.
"Unfortunately we've got some injuries at the moment but we've just got to play our best side and make do with what we've got at the moment. I'll let the committees and others worry about what we should do in the future."
Simpson said the club needed to develop some key defenders given the losses they have suffered.
Will Schofield has been recalled to the side to play Carlton, but Simpson said there would be some changes made in the Eagles' WAFL affiliate East Perth in the coming weeks to try and develop some players.
"We have to plan at East Perth in the WAFL because we need to keep developing bigs," Simpson said.
"We have lost two key defenders for 12 months, so we have to look at our list profile and what we have to work on and adjust that.
"It does give opportunity to guys at East Perth to play down back.
"It would be silly of us to assume that the guys we have got playing tomorrow night (in the AFL) are going to hold the fort for the whole year.
"We have developing key defenders as well as guys we might have to throw back there to see how they go."
Young key defenders Tom Barrass and Rowen Powell have been playing in the East Perth reserves but it appears likely they will be promoted to the WAFL seniors to hasten their development.
Simpson also suggested that Sinclair and Fraser McInnes could be moved from their ruck roles and be trialled in defence as well.
