West Coast midfielder Liam Duggan has joined star onball duo Luke Shuey and Elliot Yeo on the sidelines following a knee operation.
Duggan was sent for surgery on Friday and is expected to miss at least a month of football.
“He has gone in for a tidy up of a cartilage area in the knee," General Manager – Football Craig Vozzo told ABC Sports Talk.
"We were hoping we could avoid the surgery but unfortunately there was a risk that he continue to have a clicking and locking feeling in the knee, and we didn’t want to be in the same position with conservative treatment four weeks on.
“So we decided to bite the bullet yesterday and he went in for surgery for a clean-up.
“They’re suggesting it’s going to be a four-to-six-week return to play period.”
Duggan’s setback adds to an extensive injury list for the Eagles, who are also without the likes of Jeremy McGovern (groin), Liam Ryan (shin), Shannon Hurn (calf), Nathan Vardy (foot) and Tom Barrass (shoulder).
In-form fullback Barrass was hoping to be available to face Hawthorn at the MCG but will miss a second match.
“I’ve got to say when I was asked that Wednesday I was probably 60-40 that he would be playing,” Vozzo said.
“We’ve ended up swallowing our medicine somewhat and taking a more conservative approach so that we do get it absolutely right for the next game and hopefully for the balance of the year.
“He was really close to playing but we decided not to risk it.”
Coming off a convincing 59-point RAC Derby triumph, the Eagles are aiming to produce another four-quarter performance against the Hawks.
“It’s more around the consistency … of performance, rather than whether it’s here (Perth) or away, understanding the road form hasn’t been where it needs to be,” Vozzo said.
“It’s more been around producing consistent performance week on week, irrespective of personnel.
“We’ve obviously had a fair bit of personnel change over the season so far unfortunately due to a fair bit of injury.
“It’s settling into our system and bringing that whether we’re home or away.”
