West Coast’s injury list is set to shrink in coming weeks and midfielder Liam Duggan is among the important Eagles pushing to return before the club’s round 13 bye.
The defender-turned-midfielder was ruled out of last round’s trip to face Hawthorn after battling knee soreness in the RAC Derby, with surgical intervention required to clean up the issue.
Duggan is listed as five-to-six weeks from returning but the ever-positive 24-year-old is aiming to be back ahead of schedule before the bye.
“It’s coming along nicely,” Duggan told Sport FM.
“I was a little bit uncomfortable during the Freo game. Wasn’t any pain or anything like that, but enough to get a scan and follow-up with the surgeon later in the week.
“Surgery was the option, so I just had a little clean-out of the knee. It will be a week tomorrow since surgery and it’s really coming along nicely.
“The swelling is coming right down already, walking around pretty normally and hopefully in a week, week-and-a-half’s time, I’ll be back running around at training.”
The Eagles will host Adelaide this Sunday in front of a full house at Optus Stadium following the State government’s decision to remove the attendance cap before meeting the Giants in Sydney, Bombers and Blues (MCG) prior to the bye.
While being sidelined is frustrating, Duggan is a better footy watcher than many other players.
“I am quite lucky there that I do watch footy probably as a fan. I struggle to see what’s going on in the game and picking up trends,” Duggan said.
“You sit next to Shannon Hurn and watch a game of footy and he’s able to pick out what’s happening and tell you all about what the next move might be.
“It’s not good to be injured, but sometime it is nice to see your mates go about their footy on gameday.”
Tom Barrass (shoulder) and Jeremy McGovern (groin) are hoping to be back against the Crows to shore up West Coast’s key defensive stocks, and the Eagles expect Hurn (calf) and Liam Ryan (shin) to put their hands up against the Giants.
Dual club champion Elliot Yeo (groin) is moving well following his long-term osteitis pubis battle and is another who might be able to play some football close to the bye.
Skipper Luke Shuey was running at about half-pace and kicking at Optus Stadium on Thursday following hamstring tendon surgery, but is another taking steps forward, although he will not be back until after the season turns for home.
“There’s a few of us in there (on the injury list) and it’s crept up a little bit, it was only a few weeks ago I realised the names that we were missing,” Duggan said.
“I think that might be credit to hopefully our depth and how we shape up now and into the future with what we’ve got coming through.”
