WINGED West Coast ruckmen Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett have been placed on the long-term injury list, paving the way for rookie-listed big man Drew Petrie to face former club North Melbourne on Sunday.
With Naitanui expected to miss most, if not all, of the season due to a knee reconstruction, Petrie has been upgraded to the senior list as his replacement ahead of round one.
The 34-year-old is set for an emotion-charged return to face his ex-teammates after being axed by the Roos, who he represented in 316 games, at the end of last season.
Lycett is set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines after dislocating his shoulder in his comeback from a PCL reconstruction on March 11.
The Eagles revealed on Tuesday that the 24-year-old is yet to undergo surgery, but his recovery timeframe to return has shortened to 8-10 weeks.
No rookie has been named to replace Lycett, however the Eagles have several possible candidates who could be upgraded if required.
Tall forward Fraser McInnes is a back-up ruck option, while dashing defender Francis Watson – a category B rookie – has impressed coach Adam Simpson over pre-season.
Watson collected 24 possessions in the first half playing in East Perth's season-opening WAFL loss on Saturday night.
Young defender Tom Cole didn't play for the Royals due to a quad setback, which is set to sideline him for 1-2 weeks, while forward Matthew Allen is facing a month on the sidelines with a hamstring strain.
"Matty had a minor setback with his hamstring and because it’s a secondary strain we are treating it really cautiously," football manager Craig Vozzo told westcoasteagles.com.au.
"He’s had good early signs on ground over the last week and I suspect that will continue and we will assess where he’s at in a fortnight."
Meanwhile, Willie Rioli has travelled to Darwin for the birth of his son, Willie Jr., and will return to the club next week.
The exciting 21-year-old forward is continuing his rehabilitation from hamstring tendon surgery and is expected to be out of action for another 5-6 weeks.
