West Coast's new breed will face possibly its biggest test yet when it lines up on a white hot St Kilda outfit at Subiaco Oval this coming Saturday afternoon.
With captain Darren Glass relegated to the sidelines with a quad strain and emerging forward Josh Kennedy unable to be considered due to knee soreness, youngsters Tim Houlihan and Ryan Davis were also ruled out.
One of four changes, young gun Matt Spangher has earned a recall with his eye-catching efforts at East Fremantle and will make the most of his first opportunity to play for West Coast since the round five clash with Port Adelaide.
The key defender will be joined by Mark Seaby whose inconsistent form has seen him in and out of the senior side throughout the season. Seaby’s determination to improve with WAFL side West Perth has not gone unnoticed by selectors.
West Coast will also welcome the return of premiership forward Steven Armstrong and veteran Michael Braun who recently announced that this season would be his last.
In the absence of Glass, the most important defensive role in the game is likely to fall with one of Beau Wilkes, Eric Mackenzie or Spangher - if not a combination of all three – who are likely to front up to potential match-winner Nick Riewoldt.
It is an exciting opportunity for those players and will be a significant step in fast-tracking their development.
