Eagles battle on injury front

West Coast's injury concerns have compounded as they strive to avoid a late season collapse, with ruckman Dean Cox and defender Brad Sheppard joining the list of casualties.

Coach Adam Simpson has all but ruled Cox out of Saturday's clash with Adelaide because of the concussion he suffered when hit by Ty Vickery last Friday.

Sheppard will miss at least this week with a recurring ankle injury and is no guarantee to play again this season. Sharrod Wellingham is out for the season after knee surgery and doubts are growing that midfielder Scott Selwood will return this year because of his ankle problem, which would sideline him for at least four of the club's remaining five games.

While Simpson said the club had "moved on pretty quick" from the controversy surrounding Cox's concussion and Vickery's four-week suspension, Cox's concussion has lingered.

Asked if the big man was cleared to play against the Crows, Simpson said: "Not yet. You can do that test a few times and it didn't go very well on Monday. He will travel to Adelaide but more than likely as a coach."

Simpson said the list of Eagles players who were unavailable for the rest of the season had now swollen to "eight to ten".

And Luke Shuey (ankle) and Sam Butler (calf) are also in doubt for this weekend after emerging from last Friday's loss to Richmond with injuries.

"It does happen. It is also providing opportunity for others as well so we are pretty excited about what we can do over the next five weeks regardless of position on the ladder," Simpson said. "We can still test a lot of things out. We would like to finish the year off on a positive note and give us something to challenge for in the pre-season."

"It is a tremendous opportunity for a lot of our young players. It is also a chance just to keep growing together. I don't think we have played in front of 50,000 this year. It is a sell out. It is a hostile environment. It is another test for me as a coach but also for our players - how they can stand up under adversity."