West Coast speedster Lewis Jetta faces an uphill battle to win back his spot for Saturday night's derby against Fremantle despite the club's growing injury list.
Jetta hasn't played since being dropped following the round-three loss to Richmond at the MCG.
The former Swan had tallied just 23 disposals and one goal in his two AFL games before being axed.
Jetta responded strongly with 36 disposals for East Perth a fortnight ago, but he was quiet last week with just 19 possessions and a goal.
The 141-game veteran was dropped three times last year in his first season at the Eagles, and he has again struggled for consistency this campaign.
West Coast will make at least two changes for the derby after Jackson Nelson (wrist) and Jamie Cripps (ankle) were ruled out for extended periods.
Former Hawk Sam Mitchell (ankle) is no certainty to return, meaning the Eagles may need to dig deep into their reserves.
But Jetta's inconsistent form means he is unlikely to earn a recall, with coach Adam Simpson hinting the winger will spend at least another week in the WAFL.
"His form has been reasonable. But we want to get him into a good block of form," Simpson said.
"We've probably tried to get him in a bit too early on occasions and not really getting him to earn his spot to a degree where we know he can get some consistency.
"So we are going to give him a bit of a run to try to get that good solid form up."
Simpson faces another selection dilemma in regards to how best to counter the influence of Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands.
Nathan Vardy struggled as the sole recognised ruckman in last week's loss to Hawthorn, and Simpson is weighing up whether to add Jonathan Giles to the ruck mix.
If Vardy is again chosen as the lone ruckman, defender Jeremy McGovern and forward Jack Darling will again have to offer assistance.
Dockers midfielder Lachie Neale is almost certain to play despite needing a cortisone injection in his knee after last week's win over North Melbourne.
Coach Ross Lyon said Harley Balic, Nick Suban, and Danyle Pearce were among the contenders to replace injured midfielder Stephen Hill (hamstring).
Share
