Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
West Coast midfielder Elijah Hewett is pushing for a final round recall but the Eagles admit he has a ‘few hurdles’ to clear before the weekend.
The 22-year-old has not played at senior level since West Coast’s round 16 loss to Carlton and has played just six AFL games this season having struggled with form and fitness.
Despite his struggles the Eagles opted to re-sign Hewett on a new four year deal in July with the club positioning him as a key part of their future.
Hewett picked up a cork in their WAFL win over Subiaco and missed their win over Peel at the weekend with high performance manager Phil Merriman hopeful he will be fit for this weekend and a possible return against Hawthorn.
“Elijah’s cork wasn’t able to turn around quickly enough for last week’s game, which shows the severity of it,” he said.
“He still has a few hurdles to get over to play this week, but he’s tipping everything he can into being available.”
It comes as veteran forward Matt Owies’ season looks to be over after picking up an MCL strain in the win over the Thunder.
“Matty unfortunately had a player fall across his knee on the weekend and wasn’t able to continue playing,” Merriman said.
“Scans have revealed an MCL strain in his knee.
“We are working through his clinical markers and his timeframe will become clearer in the coming days.”
Owies has played just three games this year the last coming in the loss to Richmond in round eight and is without a contract for next year having failed to establish himself since being traded from Carlton.
With the Eagles heading towards a list crunch in the off-season with more than 50 players on their books it’s looking likely his AFL career could be in jeopardy.
Another Eagle without a deal, Jake Miles-Wrency is pushing to be fit for the final WAFL round with the category B rookie overcoming ankle and calf concerns.
“Jake will complete a normal week this week and be available to play pending getting through the training week,” Merriman said.
Oliver Francou is still recovery from a nasty knee laceration picked up in the derby loss to Fremantle but Merriman is confident it will not affect his pre-season for next year.
“Oli will be building back into running this week,” Merriman said.
“His main restriction is range of motion at the moment, so he’s working hard to restore that.”
West Coast Round 24 Injury List
Elijah Hewett (calf cork) test
Jake Miles-Wrency (ankle/calf) test
Oliver Francou (knee laceration) 2 weeks
Matt Owies (knee) TBC
Sam Allen (knee/hamstring) season
Tyler Brockman (hamstring) season
Harry Edwards (concussion) season
Reuben Ginbey (quad) season
Noah Long (knee) season
Jacob Newton (foot) season
Archer Reid (knee) season
Dev Robertson (knee) season
Tylah Williams (leg) season
