Elite-kicking recruit Alex Witherden is already making a strong impression at West Coast, according to gun defender Brad Sheppard.

Witherden only exited quarantine to return to training on Monday but the former Lion has looked right at home at Mineral Resources Park.

The 22-year-old is set to add another quality ball user to the Eagles’ defensive mix and his confidence with ball in hand has been noted during match simulation work.

“He’s looking good. I’ve only seen him for a couple of sessions; he was in quarantine for the first couple of weeks,” Sheppard told SEN.

“For the minimal time I’ve got to see him he moves well, he’s got a really good kick on him and is a really good decision maker.

“He’s going to fit in like a glove and our back six, seven. We probably need someone like him in our backline.

“It was a handy addition to be able to pick him up.”  

With quarters set to return to 20 minutes plus time-on in 2021, practicing skills under fatigue has been a focus so far this summer according to Sheppard.

Wednesday’s session involved ball movement drills where the squad split into three ‘teams’ to practice moving the ball down the field and defending the ground, with little break for the resting group.

“There was a high emphasis last year on speed in the training sessions,” Sheppard said.

“Obviously you always want your speed, but probably your time on your legs out on the training track, you’ve got to be able to cope with 120, sometimes 130, minutes of footy.

“Rotations are still going to be capped, so you’re going to spend long durations out on the ground, so it’s just trying to adapt your body to skills under fatigue is going to be a big one this pre-season.”

Sheppard, who is coming off an All Australian season, is among the senior core at West Coast who have helped propel the squad to six-straight finals campaigns.

But, after last year’s disappointing elimination final defeat, the 29-year-old believes it is the emerging Eagles who hold the key to a deeper push into the post-season.  

The likes of Oscar Allen, Josh Rotham, Jake Waterman, Jack Petruccelle and Jarrod Brander were exposed to more senior football last year, while Xavier O’Neill, Bailey Williams and Luke Foley each got a taste of the big time.

“We’ve got some really good young players coming through,” Sheppard said.

“We do have some senior players as well, but for the senior players now it’s about trying to educate these young guys as quick as we can because that’s where the improvement is going to come from.”