Prized West Coast recruit Brandon Starcevich could finally make his club debut this weekend. Eagles coach Andrew McQualter told 7NEWS on Monday night he wants the two-time Brisbane premiership defender in the senior team “as soon as possible” after he made a successful return from injury in the WAFL on Saturday.
West Coast, who will provide an injury update on Tuesday, are hopeful Starcevich has pulled up well enough to finally come into their backline for this weekend’s winnable clash with beleaguered Essendon at Optus Stadium. Starcevich, who moved to the club from Brisbane via trade last year, collected 12 disposals, two marks and three tackles in 75 minutes in the Eagles’ loss to East Fremantle at The Good Grocer Park on Saturday.
McQualter said the dual premiership defender, who hasn’t played a game at his new club due to a stubborn calf injury, had pulled up well from the contest. “Starc has pulled up pretty well, I believe. I haven’t seen him yet, but he got through 75 minutes of footy, which is great,” he told 7NEWS on Monday night. “We’ll just have to see how he goes this week, whether he’s ready for an AFL game or not.”
When asked if Starcevich could feature against Essendon on Sunday at Optus Stadium, McQualter took an excited tone. “I certainly would like him in our team as soon as possible, but there will be a bit of (input) from the medical team,” he said. “We’ll make some decisions to ensure Starc is set up to succeed.”
It would be fitting for the West Australian product to play his first game in blue and gold as the club celebrate WA Day in a golden opportunity to grab a fourth victory in the first half of the campaign against a battered and bruised Bombers who will be without a number of stars, including Andrew McGrath.
The Eagles have found success across the past three weeks employing tags with Brady Hough and SSP recruit Milan Murdock. Hough took down Indigenous star Kysaiah Pickett against the Demons while Murdock restricted damaging winger Josh Daicos to 18 touches and only 239 metres gained as the Eagles gave Collingwood a scare in Scott Pendlebury’s record-breaking match at the MCG in front of 90,000 fans. Murdock also won 22 disposals and four clearances while running with Daicos.
McQualter has flagged the potential for the pair to be handed roles again this week against the likes of midfield ball-winners Zach Merrett and Archie Roberts. “Potentially. We’ll look into that as the week goes on when we scout the oppo,” he said. “We’ve done that, obviously, the last few weeks with a few of our guys and played some good football around it, so we’ll ensure we do whatever it takes to win the game on the weekend.”
