Ellis injury boost for Eagles
West Coast's Xavier Ellis appears to have escaped another serious injury, with the former Hawthorn utility taking part in full training at Patersons Stadium today.
Ellis lasted less than 20 minutes in the Eagles' loss to Port Adelaide at the weekend before being substituted off with a calf injury.
It was the same issue which restricted him to just two games in his final season at the Hawks.
The 26-year-old wore a compression bandage at training today but ran freely.
His history with injury may still see the club take a cautious approach and rule him out of Saturday's game against Carlton at Etihad Stadium, but he is unlikely to be sidelined for long.
Fellow injured Eagles Shannon Hurn (knee) and Mark LeCras (broken arm) also took part in training today in a sign the club are inching closer to being able to field their best 22.
Hurn was wearing a sizeable brace on his knee, while LeCras had a bandage over his right arm rather than a cast.
Speaking after the loss to the Power at the weekend, coach Adam Simpson said the Eagles knew the risks associated with Ellis when they recruited him as a free agent at the end of last season.
"It was a risk to pick up 'X'. He knew that, we knew it," he said.
"It's a low-grade so we've got to manage him the right way.
"He'd be disappointed, but it's not the end of the world.
"He'll be back pretty soon."
