Adam Simpson has been buoyed by West Coast players and staff members’ attitudes towards entering a Gold Coast hub, but concedes there is some anxiety not knowing how long they will remain on the eastern seaboard.
The Eagles will train at home next week as they finalise preparations for the AFL season restart, before departing to play four games in south-east Queensland.
The fixture beyond round five remains up in the air and with WA’s strict border restrictions remaining in place it could be several weeks before West Coast knows how the season will unfold.
Speaking to media on Friday, the senior coach insisted the Eagles weren’t keen on staying away from Perth for more than a month, or relocating to Melbourne after the Gold Coast.
“We don’t want to be doing that. That’s probably the biggest concern we have on a personal note, just how long we’re going to go for,” Simpson said.
“Ideally it’s four weeks and we’re back here and the border (restriction) gets lifted, or there is some sort of hub situation over here.
“That’s probably the biggest thing our players and staff are grappling with, the anxiety of ‘we don’t want to be there for the whole year’ and I don’t think that’s fair on anyone, and I think everyone agrees with that.
“But if it’s four or five weeks and we have to do the right thing for the competition then bring it on.
“As quick as we can get a return date for our families the better for us.”
Simpson expected most, if not all, of his players would travel east, while he was confident the AFL would allow the club to take more than the 25 staff initially mandated.
But he understood each individual was working through different circumstances before agreeing to the trip.
"It's up to the individual and their personal circumstances, we've got lots of players with young children," Simpson said.
"I know it sounds like 'Just get on with it and get over there and play', but everyone's got a different situation, including staff.
"There's a fair bit of organising you've got to do and that's obviously with your family and financially how you sit and what you've got going outside the club.
"Someone like Will (Schofield) is going to weigh those things up, (he has) a young family, we respect that and there's no pressure to do anything other than what he needs to for his family."
The majority of West Coast’s squad will be fit for round two against the Suns, although Mark Hutchings (knee) and Jarrod Cameron (pubic bone stress) won’t be available.
The Eagles were put through their paces in close to an hour of match simulation on Friday morning and youngster Oscar Allen was among those who impressed after benefiting from the suspension suspension.
Allen battled ankle and hernia issues before round one but is firing again and in the mix to back-up star ruckman Nic Naitanui.
“He is going quite well and today he had probably his best session – he’s only been back for a week but he was good today.” Simpson said.
“He was just chasing the clock a little bit going into round one. We’ve got a number of players who have really benefited from the extra eight weeks of pre-season and I think across the competition you’re going to see pretty healthy lists to begin with.
“He’s in the mix with probably four or five options really with (Nathan) Vardy, (Tom) Hickey, Oscar and Bailey Williams was going pretty well until he hurt his hamstring.
“That second ruck position, Hickey held that round one, but that’s the one that is probably up for grabs and he knows that.”