Scott Selwood was used as a substitute against the Saints at the weekend with the Eagles’ hierarchy continuing their conservative approach to his return to AFL football.

The glint in Selwood’s eye was obvious when he ripped the green sub vest off early in the third term, and it didn’t take him long to get into the thick of it, laying one of his four tackles almost immediately.

Teammate Luke Shuey told the West Australian Selwood is a welcome addition to a midfield that is improving with each week.

“It’s a really important inclusion for us,” he said.

“He just gives us that tough edge around contests and we’ve missed him.

“Despite how many games we’ve won over the last month, we’ve still missed him in the midfield.”

Selwood slots into a much-improved midfield alongside Shuey, Priddis, Duggan, Masten, Gaff, LeCras and the relatively new addition of Elliot Yeo, who has been a revelation since making the move full-time a month ago.

Shuey says Yeo is providing the team with some flexibility, which is high on Adam Simpson’s priority list.

“He’s a very versatile player, which is important for us,” Shuey said.

“He can go forward and take a clunk and he’s hard as nails as well, and he’s clean.

“He’s a great inclusion for us in the midfield and we feel we’re starting to get some reasonable depth now.”