Star West Coast duo Elliot Yeo and Nic Naitanui are set to fall short in their bid to play in Sunday's western derby against Fremantle at Optus Stadium.
Yeo (calf) and Naitanui (Achilles tendon) missed the opening two rounds through injury, and Eagles coach Adam Simpson is keen to take a cautious approach with the veteran pair.
Naitanui's issue has dragged on for more than a month now, while the Eagles are extra wary with Yeo given his history of soft tissue injuries.
"He's more unlikely than likely, Yeo. Same with Nic, so we can knock that on the head," Simpson said following his team's 19-point win over GWS on Sunday.
"(Yeo) has done a lot of calves over the last three or four years. It's a long year."
Naitanui's continued absence means Jake Waterman could again play the pinch-hitting ruck role to support Bailey Williams against Fremantle power duo Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson.
Waterman booted a career-high four goals against the Giants, and he also tallied eight hit-outs in a handy ruck cameo.
Simpson will also consider playing Oscar Allen in the pinch-hitting ruck role, while Jack Darling is likely to continue with his part-time ruck duties when the ball is in the forward line.
Fremantle enter the derby 0-2 after suffering shock losses to St Kilda (15 points) and North Melbourne (one point).
The Dockers' need for more X-factor could result in Nathan O'Driscoll earning a recall if he's ready for AFL action following a pre-season foot injury.
Midfielder Matt Johnson could be handed an AFL debut following an impressive pre-season.
West Coast won the clearance and contested battle against GWS, and the Eagles were more daring in their ball movement.
It was in stark contrast to their opening-round loss to North Melbourne.
Simpson liked what he saw at times against GWS, but he also saw plenty of areas to improve.
"Did it feel good? I'm not getting carried away, I'm really not," Simpson said.
"We executed what we wanted to. At stages it looked sharp, and at stages it was poor.
"Win lose or draw next week, we're trying to build a base line, get some talent through our list, expose some kids, and get our leaders to play as good as they can.
"That's what we're working on, that's our plan. Next week is really important, but it's not grand final week."
Fremantle have won the past three derbies, but West Coast still lead the overall head-to-head tally 32-23.
