West Coast is set to reward a trio of players for young WAFL form in its game against GWS on Sunday.
Elijah Hewett, Rhett Bazzo and Jack Williams will all enter the line-up, with Hewett returning at a time where he is considering his future as he comes out of contract at the end of this year.
Primarily a midfielder, he has spent time across half forward in 38 AFL games for the Eagles, with coach Andrew McQualter indicating there has been transparent communication about where he sits.
“Elijah played well. It was a step in the right direction for sure,” McQualter said.
“Our midfield has been pretty consistent in the last few weeks so we've got a good mix in there at the moment so it was just hard to change that so we've been working with Elijah and clear with that and a weekend off for the WAFL which provides a great training block for him as well.”
Hewett's recall comes as he weighs up interest from multiple Victorian clubs. The Eagles have put forward a deal that would take him until the end of free agency, but he is in no rush to sign.
Bazzo comes into the backline for his first game of the season to replace Harry Edwards having had a consistent block of games after an injury-interrupted start to his career, mostly due to foot injuries.
“He's a key defender playing in our back three consistently. He's been able to defend well and get involved in offence which is important,” McQualter said.
“He's a smart player who understands the defensive system we're implementing and he'll complement the other guys down there…we just want him to defend as hard as he can and help our team defend and stop scores.”
First year tall Cooper Duff-Tytler will be managed after what McQualter called his best game for the club, finishing with 10 disposals and four scoring shots.
The game was earmarked as one he would miss to manage his loads.
McQualter also praised second-year forward Malakai Champion, who has six games under his belt, including featuring in the last three.
“He's a great story. He's really grown this year. He's a really intelligent young man,” McQualter said.
“He really understands our game plan inside out, he understands his role, he works hard, he's got some AFL traits we like.”
