West Coast defender Sharrod Wellingham is confident ruckman Jonathan Giles will thrive if given the chance to fill the void left by injured pinch-hitter Drew Petrie.
Petrie will be sidelined for several weeks after breaking his hand in the opening minutes of Sunday's 43-point AFL win over North Melbourne.
The 34-year-old was able to play out the match, but he'll undergo surgery this week to fix the problem.
Petrie's injury comes as West Coast are already without star ruck duo Nic Naitanui (knee) and Scott Lycett (shoulder).
Former Cat Nathan Vardy performed admirably in the ruck in his first game for the Eagles, but he'll need support while Petrie is out.
Giles appears certain to edge out Fraser McInnes for the vacant ruck role.
The 29-year-old is the ultimate AFL journeyman after spending stints at four different clubs.
His opportunities at West Coast were limited last season, but he impressed when called upon in the lead-up to the finals.
Giles would give the Eagles a genuine ruck option, rather than the pinch-hitting powers that Vardy and Petrie offered.
"His pre-season was awesome," Wellingham said of Giles.
"He had one minor hiccup with a hand injury, but other than that he was still able to do all of his running.
"He's in really good nick.
"He was a really dominant ruckman in our intra-club matches. If he continues that vein of form, he'll be really handy for us."
Wellingham said Petrie was in good spirits despite his untimely setback.
"He was just saying how tough he was to play out a game with a broken hand," Wellingham joked.
"He did it in that first couple of minutes. It was an amazing effort.
"He was on the bench and I was there with him. He looked a little bit worried. But for him to get it taken care of and play the rest of the game, it's a really strong effort and I'm proud of him."
West Coast will be aiming to continue their hot form when they host St Kilda at Domain Stadium on Saturday night.
The Saints suffered a 30-point loss to Melbourne in round one and are almost certain to be without star forward Nick Riewoldt (knee).
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