West Coast coach Adam Simpson will continue to use Elliot Yeo in defence in a bid to build the veteran up for a future midfield role.
Yeo made his return from a calf injury in Sunday's 63-point loss to Melbourne, tallying 12 disposals, five marks and 338m gained before being subbed out at three-quarter time.
West Coast's defence was so undersized that Yeo was forced to play as a key defender at times on the likes of Tom McDonald and Harrison Petty.
Yeo's poise, strength, and willingness to take the game on and send the ball forward meant he was one of West Coast's best players before being subbed off.
The 29-year-old was restricted to just 27 games across the past three seasons due to a raft of injury setbacks.
When he first came back last year, he broke down in his second game after being sent straight into the midfield.
Yeo had more success when he returned later in the season via defence, and it's a role he's set to continue this year.
"Probably some of the lessons (we learned) from last year of throwing him straight back into the midfield ... where the game is going and the transition piece, it's so hard," Simpson said.
"I thought he was good down back and he'll get better."
Asked about when Yeo might return to the midfield, Simpson said "hopefully the next few weeks".
Emerging star Reuben Ginbey learned a valuable lesson on what it takes to be an A-grade midfielder through a close-up look at Demons stars Clayton Oliver (34 disposals, 10 clearances) and Christian Petracca (29 disposals, three goals).
Ginbey finished with 14 disposals and three clearances, and SImpson said the experience was valuable for the 18-year-old and his fellow young teammates.
"What's today worth - four or five WAFL games?" Simpson said.
"Reuben is learning a lot on the fly at the moment.
"But we don't want to break (young players) either. We've got to keep an eye on that.
"It's great having someone like Tim Kelly around. And when Dom (Sheed) is around, and Luke (Shuey) is around, it really complements what we're trying to chase.
"We'll manage it the best we can. They're not just going to be a linear growth. There's going to be some ups and downs with the kids.
"They've had one pre-season, so we've got to be a little bit patient."
West Coast are hopeful defender Alex Witherden (concussion) will return for Sunday's match against Geelong in Adelaide, but Sheed (fractured larynx) might miss another week.
