Eagles rookies to be rested
West Coast will leave first-round draft pick Liam Duggan and father-son selection Alec Waterman at home despite naming the pair for Sunday's NAB Challenge match against Port Adelaide at Norwood Oval.
The 2014 draftees were included in the Eagles' 29-man squad yesterday to take on a near full-strength Power.
But _The West Australian _understands West Coast will take a conservative approach with both teenagers rather than expose them against one of the hardest-running teams in the competition.
Duggan, the No.11 selection in last year's national draft, is coming off an interrupted pre-season after rolling an ankle at training last month.
The Eagles have also been forced to back off the training loads for Waterman - the son of dual premiership defender Chris Waterman - in recent weeks as he battles soreness.
Both are instead expected to play for East Perth against Claremont in a pre-season game at Medibank Stadium tomorrow.
The Eagles will rest Nic Naitanui (back) for a second straight week, while fellow ruckman Callum Sinclair is unavailable because of a broken thumb that is expected to sideline him for a month.
West Coast football manager Craig Vozzo said the make-up of the squad hadn't been finalised.
But he did confirm the hit-out was a good chance for Scott Lycett and key-position prospect Fraser McInnes in the absence of the club's two other recognised ruckmen.
"Fraser has been training with our ruck group, which is coached by Dean Cox, for the entire pre- season," Vozzo said.
"He's done a bit of ruck work for East Perth in the past. He'll work in tandem with Scott this week."
West Coast are still expected to play some inexperienced players, with third-year midfielder Brant Colledge and young talls Rowen Powell and Tom Lamb named.
Port Adelaide selected 20 of the 22 players who went within a kick of toppling Hawthorn in last year's preliminary final. Only forward Chad Wingard (knee), defender Jackson Trengove (shoulder) and former Essendon pair Patrick Ryder and Angus Monfries (provisional suspension) are missing from the club's first-choice starting line-up.
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