WELCOME BACK: Eagles skipper Darren Glass and fellow defender Beau Waters are in line to return against Hawthorn. Picture: Paul Kane Source: Getty Images
WEST Coast Eagles coach John Worsfold is set to welcome back a host of crucial stars for Friday night's big clash with premiership favourites Hawthorn in Melbourne.
And the decorated Eagles coach and dual club premiership captain brushed off any connection with prospects of continuing his career beyond this season with embattled Melbourne, after Demons coach Mark Neeld was sacked on Monday.
The Eagles 2006 premiership coach was immediately installed as a Demons candidate behind priority choice Paul Roos and reigning Hawks boss Alastair Clarkson.
"I haven't thought about it at all. I have no say in markets around the world," Worsfold said on Channel Seven last night.
Worsfold revealed that he expects defensive trumps Darren Glass, Beau Waters and Will Schofield to resume from injury lay-offs, with vital scoring sources Josh Kennedy and Mark LeCras also in races against time to be fit to play.
They all missed the Eagles' last-gasp win over St Kilda in Melbourne before taking last weekend's bye to prepare for a defining sequence of games to potentially decide West Coast's finals prospects for this season.
"We hope that they're all available," Worsfold confessed.
"If they're available they will certainly all be pushing into the side."
Worsfold declared he would have no hesitation to ring up to five recalls to a side that won at their last outing.
"I never really thought about it," he said.
"They're pretty good players. So I reckon we could squeeze them in if they're all fit."
Worsfold, who continues to declare he will decide his coaching future at the end of this season when he will be out of contract, has anticipated a return from a host of his key components to approach the Eagles best strength of the season ahead of the defining bracket of engagements.
West Coast has appointments with power units Hawthorn and then rising premiership threats Essendon, Adelaide at AAMI Stadium before hitting Fremantle and then Sydney over the next month.
"I think the players are saying that they feel that they're in a position now to play their best footy," Worsfold said.
"I approach our season from Round 1. We want to try and do our best all the way through."
Worsfold did not concede which of his experienced troop of stars possibly returning were most likely to ultimately take on the classy Hawks.
Glass, Waters and Schofield are all crucial defensive commodities in any West Coast hopes to curb the potency of Hawks scoring guns Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Luke Breust.
Consistent West Coast big defender Eric Mackenzie is most likely to start Friday night's big stage outing on the dangerous Franklin, who has booted 31 goals from his 11 engagements this season.
LeCras, 26, is considered only a 50-50 chance to take on the Hawks as the 2010 All-Australian sharp-shooter continues to recover from a broken right arm that he copped in the season-opening clash with Fremantle and carried the injury for two months as his form and goal-scoring powers fluctuated.
Kennedy, 25, tweaked his calf during a short training session in Melbourne a day before the Eagles' clash with the Saints and was a late withdrawal.
He will have to prove his fitness at Wednesday's training before the Eagles travelling party heads to Melbourne for Friday night's showdown.
Kennedy shares second spot on this season's Coleman Medal goal-kicking list with Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt and Colingwood powerhouse Travis Cloke with 34 goals each, behind North Melbourne small forward Lindsay Thomas on 35.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Big guns set to return for Eagles
Dengan url
http://seputarberitaku.blogspot.com/2013/06/big-guns-set-to-return-for-eagles.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Big guns set to return for Eagles
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Big guns set to return for Eagles
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar