WEST Coast will face the unfamiliar prospect of playing without Shannon Hurn after the durable skipper was ruled out of the trip to face Sydney at the SCG due to a low-grade hamstring strain.
It will be just the second game Hurn has missed since assuming the captaincy at the start of 2015.
The ever-reliable defender last sat out in round 15, 2017, the week after a heavy collision with Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney left him battling concussion.
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Hurn made a surprise appearance during a light training session at Subiaco Oval on Tuesday morning, jogging laps alongside Andrew Gaff and kicking off both feet in a brief stint before heading indoors.
Scans have revealed the 31-year-old has a minor strain which kept him sidelined for the entire last quarter of the 61-point belting of the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.
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"It's a very low-grade strain that we've diagnosed," general manager football Craig Vozzo said.
"On doctor's advice we're going to take the week off, get him right and have him available post-bye (in round 14)."
The Eagles are likely to recall either Jackson Nelson or Josh Rotham to replace Hurn at their bogey ground this Sunday.
West Coast has not won at the circle-shaped venue since 1999, losing seven straight to the Swans by an average of 34 points.
The reigning premiers' overall record at the SCG is a woeful three wins from 18 games.
West Coast can solidify its spot inside the top four with victory over Sydney, and will have some big-name reinforcements on the way after the bye.
If the Eagles follow their plan last time Nic Naitanui returned from a ruptured ACL, the star ruckman is likely to make his comeback in the WAFL on June 22 before coming under AFL consideration.
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Full-back Tom Barrass is also three to four weeks from playing football again after a foot stress fracture.
Barrass was put through a series of sprints and leapt onto the marking bag on Tuesday, showing promising progress after seven games on the sidelines.
"The (medical) boys have accelerated his program, he's doing more and more on-ground running," Vozzo said.
"He did some training yesterday with the main group, at this rate we're anticipating he'll be back main training in the next week, to two weeks, and not that far away from playing."
The Eagles could soon face some positive selection headaches with their big men with ruck recruit Tom Hickey set to return this weekend after an ankle complaint and vie with Nathan Vardy to partner Naitanui after the bye.
West Coast's WAFL team should welcome back Francis Watson (shoulder) and Hamish Brayshaw (toe) against West Perth this Sunday.
Meanwhile, young forward Daniel Venables still doesn't have a return date after copping a heavy concussion three weeks ago against Melbourne.
