Eagle says stars must be risked
West Coast's Luke Shuey says the Eagles don't have the luxury of putting star players in cotton wool during the pre-season and must continue selecting them if fit, if they want to be primed for round one.
The Eagles were rocked when club champion Eric Mackenzie ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament during the NAB Challenge win over Carlton at Bendigo Bank Stadium on Friday, ruling him out for the season.
West Coast must now rely on Mitch Brown, Will Schofield and Jeremy McGovern to cover the hole left by Mackenzie, one of the premier key defenders in the competition.
The Eagles' round-one opponents, the Western Bulldogs, also took a cruel hit when midfielder Tom Liberatore injured a knee against Richmond, requiring a season-ending reconstruction.
Shuey said the Eagles could not afford to alter their approach to the rest of the NAB Challenge because of Mackenzie's injury.
"It'd be ideal to play every game. If you miss a game, there is a bit too much downtime and you might lose a bit of match fitness," he said.
"Ideally you play every game and get through injury-free.
"That way you're primed for round one."
The Eagles' next match is against Port Adelaide at Norwood Oval on Sunday.
It will be the Power's first match of 2015 and will give West Coast the chance to test themselves against a team expected to contend for this year's flag.
Port Adelaide boast one of the best midfields in the competition but West Coast's on-ballers were in great form against Carlton. Shuey, Matt Priddis and Andrew Gaff combined for 73 disposals in West Coast's 31-point win.
