West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern is hopeful the team won't have to dig into its top-up players just yet, but concedes the club is "scraping it" following an unprecedented injury crisis.
The Eagles are down to just 25 available players ahead of Sunday's AFL clash with Gold Coast, and that number could dwindle even further if more players are ruled out with COVID-19 or are deemed close contacts.
Star midfielder Tim Kelly has already been ruled out of round one with the virus, while goalsneak Liam Ryan has entered the health and safety protocols.
Dom Sheed, Tom Cole, Elliot Yeo, Oscar Allen, Jack Darling, Jamie Cripps, Campbell Chesser and Greg Clark are among the walking wounded, while Alex Witherden is suspended.
Captain Luke Shuey is a chance to play against the Suns after recovering from a hamstring injury, but a call on him won't be made until closer to game day.
The mass injuries have opened the door for Brady Hough to make his AFL debut, while former Tiger Patrick Naish and ex-Docker Hugh Dixon are also set to play after earning rookie deals.
West Coast selected their 20-player top-up list from the WAFL pool on Monday and may need to dig into it straight away.
"Hopefully we don't have to go to that and our list is still capable of fielding a team, but if we do it's still exciting," McGovern said.
"You just have to help them as much as you can and probably try to keep it simple for them.
"They do know how to play footy. It is a different level, but it will just be the understanding that they have been rushed into the side."
McGovern said the team remained optimistic about what they could achieve this year despite the numerous setbacks.
"As much as you do get injuries and it can flatten you for a couple of hours, really that's all it is," he said.
"You're back on the horse and you're moving forward. You've got a list of 45 for a reason, and this is the reason.
"We are scraping it but this is a great opportunity. The motivation is definitely still there.
"Writing us off for wooden spoons - we haven't even played a game yet."
Darling, who only returned to the club last Friday after initially refusing to be vaccinated, will miss the early rounds with a foot injury.
McGovern said the team had welcomed back the star forward with open arms.
"He had some stuff that he had to deal with personally and the boys respected that. No hard feelings with the boys," McGovern said.
