Elliot Yeo is making progress in his recovery from groin soreness but West Coast coach Adam Simpson concedes the midfield bull is in doubt for round one. 

The majority of the Eagles squad is fit and firing in the build-up to pre-season matches starting, with Yeo the main concern as he works his way back from an osteitis pubis complaint which cut his 2020 season short. 

“His progression is coming along, it’s still pretty slow though. It’s still touch and go for round one.” Simpson said.

“We’re not ruling it out at this stage, but it’s currently looking more unlikely than likely.

“But, we’re still quite positive we’re going to get a good result in the early part of the year.”

Several players are working their way back from a few niggling pains, some picked up last week while away from the club during five-day lockdown.

Star forward Josh Kennedy has pulled back his training to overcome a minor calf complaint and Jake Waterman is on the mend following a back issue.

Skipper Luke Shuey and Andrew Gaff have returned to the main training group in a positive sign less than a month out from the Eagles' AAMI community Series clash with Port Adelaide on March 7. 

With the big-name duo absent recently, it has handed opportunity to others, including backman Liam Duggan and last year's draftees, to spend more time training with the midfielders. 

“We’ve had a really good opportunity to train up our younger midfielders. Gaffy had a tight quad and Luke had a calf,” Simpson said.

“Even the kids we’ve drafted, you know, Zane (Trew) and Luke (Edwards) and 'Issy' (Isiah Winder), they’re all training in the midfield in their first year – but they’ve had more exposure than ever.

“We missed a few sessions (during lockdown), but that’s okay. Jake has had a bit of a tight back for a few weeks, 'JK' has a tight calf.

“It’s just a few little tweaks and niggles, nothing that significant. Just a few things that perhaps we could’ve dealt with better if we were at the club.

“These guys are like racehorses, they’re that delicate with their bodies.

“We lost a couple, normally you lose one or two anyway, so that’s pretty much par for the course."

Meanwhile, young ruck Bailey Williams is also sniffing an opportunity in the team’s starting 22 after impressing at training.

“For every negative there’s been a positive. The young guys are getting a lot of exposure," Simpson said.

“Nic (Naitanui) is looking good, Bailey is a youngster that is really building and (Nathan) Vardy has a lot of experience and is tracking well."

Simpson said the squad was getting in some early practice with the new man on the mark rule adjustments.

This includes players on the mark being unable to move laterally, while also being unable to swap on the mark; and the new 5m ‘protected area’ around the player on the mark.

“I feel like at the moment everyone is training speed with the man on the mark rule. I think there will be some teething problems as always," Simpson said.

“The umpires we have had down here have been tremendous in explaining everything.

“It feels like this one may change the game a bit, but I could be wrong.”

And with the season edging closer, West Coast will be in action during coming weeks for a pre-season match-up against Fremantle.

“There’ll be some sort of scrimmage, not sure if it will be a 'derby'," Simpson said.

“There’s also an opportunity to train against local sides, so, we’ll do that in the next few weeks.

“What we’ve been going through over the last two weeks with lockdown and getting back into training, and trying to find out where both of our lists are at, really.

“We’ll communicate with Freo and come up with something that suits the both of us in the next two weeks.”