West Coast are set to name rookie midfielder Elijah Hewett as their tactical sub for Round 2, handing the teenager his AFL debut against the Giants at home on Sunday.
Hewett was among the eight Eagles players listed on Adam Simpson's extended bench ahead of this week's clash, with Round 1 contributors Jayden Hunt, Callum Jamieson, Jamaine Jones and Xavier O'Neill also listed alongside Hewett.
Forward Jake Waterman, ex-Blue Sam Petrevski-Seton and second-year onballer Greg Clark round out the Eagles' emergencies, with the list of eight interchange players to be halved on Friday evening.
One name that will be present on Sunday will be Hewett, with Simpson confirming the Swan Districts product will make his debut as the tactical sub.
"Elijah will be our sub this week," Simpson told media on Friday.
"He is AFL ready but not full game levels just yet. If he had to come on early we would back him in.
"I'm looking forward to seeing him play."
Hewett joined the Eagles as the 14th overall pick in last year's National Draft and the club's second selection of the count, following fellow Western Australian Reuben Ginbey to land at West Coast on the opening night of the draft.
Ginbey was one of three players to make their AFL debuts in the club's season opener against North Melbourne, with 2021 first-round pick Campbell Chesser and first-year forward Noah Long also blooded for the match.
Hewett was well-rated through his junior years as an explosive midfielder that can drifty forward and have an impact on the scoreboard, with teammate Liam Duggan recently drawing comparisons between the 18-year-old and star midfielder Elliot Yeo.
"Elijah sort of has glimpses of 'Yeoy' at a young age," Duggan told Zero Hanger earlier this month
Yeo is among several key names for the Eagles set to miss Round 2, with a calf issue sidelining the midfielder, while Nic Naitanui will again remain sidelined with an Achilles injury.
Onballer Jai Culley was seen to be in the frame to play earlier this week, but will instead remain outside of the selection picture as he continues to recover from a calf issue.
"Jai has missed three weeks of football, it will be good to get him back in but he's not ready coming back from a little calf," Simpson said.
West Coast will host GWS at Optus Stadium on Sunday at 6:20pm (AEDT), with their final squad to be confirmed one hour before the bounce.
