WEST Coast coach Adam Simpson hopes his decision to relegate Andrew Gaff to the sub role for Sunday's clash with Richmond will help the out-of-form wingman regain his mojo.
There were huge calls for Gaff to be dropped to the WAFL this week after the two-time All-Australian tallied just six disposals in last Saturday's 81-point loss to Brisbane at the Gabba.
It continued a remarkable fall from grace for Gaff, who is still one of West Coast's highest-paid players but has been a shadow of himself this year.
Instead of dropping Gaff to the WAFL, Simpson is giving the 31-year-old another chance at AFL level – albeit it as the sub.
When asked whether Gaff could return to the player he once was, Simpson replied: "Absolutely, yeah.
"He's working so hard on all that. We've still got a lot of faith.
"'Gaffy' will be the sub this week. We'll pull that lever to try and help him get back into a bit of form.
"You guys are going to treat this like the biggest thing in the world.
"It's just part of what players go through in their careers, and it happens across the competition."
In his past four matches, Gaff has posted possession tallies of 16, 13, 21 and six.
It's a far cry from his career average of 26 possessions per game.
Gaff's penchant to kick sideways or backwards this year has also been a big talking point.
Simpson believes the side's poor form has played a huge role in Gaff's reduced output.
"The way we're playing if you're an outside player it's going to be pretty difficult to contribute," Simpson said.
"He's done everything he can to get the best out of himself throughout his whole career.
"Even in the off-season he came back super fit, fully committed. And he's desperate to play well, so he's doing everything he can.
"It's just not coming together on game day. And I suspect part of it is the way we're playing. But there's also some confidence that we're trying to rebuild."
West Coast will welcome back captain Luke Shuey and defender Shannon Hurn against the Tigers in a massive boost to their hopes of ending a club-record 14-match losing streak.
Jake Waterman, who spent more than a week in hospital last month after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, made an appearance on the training track earlier this week in a heartening moment.
"It's a long road back," Simpson said of Waterman, who is unlikely to play again this year.
"He's still got a bit of weight to put on. So it's not really about footy at the moment, it's just about getting healthy."
