Port Adelaide will be an interested onlooker as West Coast ruckman Scott Lycett attempts to prove he can be a big-game player during this year's finals series.
Reports are rife that Lycett will join Port Adelaide as a restricted free agent at the end of the AFL season.
His departure would leave the Eagles with a massive hole to fill, given Nic Naitanui is no certainty to return from a knee reconstruction next year.
Lycett looms as a key figure for West Coast during the finals, and his credentials will be put to an early test when he confronts Collingwood's All-Australian ruckman Brodie Grundy on Saturday night.
Although Lycett is enjoying the best season of his injury-plagued career, he is still falling well short of the league's best ruckmen.
In West Coast's round 22 loss to Melbourne in Perth, Lycett was soundly beaten by Max Gawn.
Gawn collected 20 disposals, 41 hit-outs, and six clearances that game, compared to Lycett's 11 disposals, 21 hit-outs, and three clearances.
And a week later, Lycett managed just 17 hit-outs, eight disposals and one clearance opposed to Brisbane's Stefan Martin, who finished with 37 taps, 19 possessions and eight clearances.
But Lycett will take some confidence from being able to match it with Grundy after Naitanui injured his knee in round 17.
Lycett's ability to halve the ruck contest in that match allowed West Coast to secure a 35-point win at the MCG, and Eagles coach Adam Simpson hopes the 25-year-old can do the same this Saturday.
"That was a really important game for Lycett," Simpson said.
"That was the game Nic went down midway through the second quarter. Lycett more than held his own for the rest of the day.
"He's still a young ruckman finding his craft. He's carrying the load, along with Vards (Nathan Vardy).
"He won't be the first player to lower his colours against Max Gawn. And (against Martin), he worked his way into the game, and then we got on top around the clearances.
"It's a learning experience still for Scott."
West Coast's midfield were able to be far more attacking when Naitanui was up and going.
But although they need to take a more defensive mindset now, midfielder Luke Shuey said they still backed Lycett to win his fair share of taps.
"I think Lycett has developed a heap," Shuey said.
"Both him and Vards had really good pre-seasons, and it's no surprise to see them both playing pretty well now."
Lycett has only played one final in his 72-game career - a shock elimination final loss to the Western Bulldogs in 2016.
The 203cm ruckman was quiet in that game, but he'll be aiming to make a name for himself this finals series.
2018 STATS COMPARISON FOR SCOTT LYCETT AND BRODIE GRUNDY
Scott Lycett (203cm, 101kg)
Average disposals: 13
Average hitouts: 20.64
Average clearances: 3
Average marks: 3
Average tackles: 3.32
Goals: 10
Brodie Grundy (203cm, 102kg)
Average disposals: 20.82
Average hitouts: 38.50
Average clearances: 5.50
Average marks: 3.64
Average tackles: 5.27
Goals: 8
