West Coast recruit suffers injury setback as forward set for surgery

West Coast will miss handy recruit Brandon Starcevich for the next few weeks after the club confirmed he suffered a low-grade calf strain.

Starcevich was withdrawn from Saturday's State of Origin, with the Eagles putting him in cotton wool ahead of the 2026 season.

The former Lion has a history of concussions and was previously battling a minor strain in his ACL before his latest calf setback.

Starcevich is in a race against the clock for the club's season opener on March 15 against Gold Coast.

Forward-turned-midfielder Tyler Brockman has been sent in for surgery after an ITB issue that has plagued his pre-season.

Brockman's return timeline is around six weeks.

West Coast co-captain Liam Duggan has entered concussion protocols, and will miss at least the Dockers' clash after a knock from Tom Gross in last week's intra-club.

Duggan, like Starcevich, has a history of concussion problems, including copping a knock in 2024.

Gross sustained a high-grade hamstring injury and will miss the start of 2026.

Midfielder Jack Graham is also working through a hamstring strain he sustained in last week's intra-club match, and will start to build his loads on Tuesday, with doubts around his availability for Round 1.

Elijah Hewett is expected to face Fremantle on limited minutes after being held back from the intra-club, while defensive recruit Tylar Young also didn't take part due to a shin issue.

The former Tiger will rejoin main training this week.

The much-improved Brady Hough is back in full training after an ankle injury, and will put his hand up for the official practice match against Port Adelaide.