3 minute read
West Coast defender Shannon Hurn has injured his calf at training, and will join fellow stars Tom Barrass, Jeremy McGovern, and Liam Ryan on the sidelines.
Shannon Hurn's record-breaking day at West Coast has been put on hold after the former skipper was ruled out of Sunday's AFL western derby against Fremantle with another calf injury.
Hurn was due to return from injury to notch game No.291 - eclipsing the previous games record at West Coast of 290 set by Dean Cox.
But a recurrence of his calf injury at training on Saturday brought those plans to a halt, with Hurn now facing another stint on the sidelines.
West Coast were dealt a further blow when Tom Barrass was ruled out due to a shoulder injury, with the star backman joining Jeremy McGovern (groin) on the sidelines.
It means in-form forward Oscar Allen will likely have to plug a hole in defence.
Tall defender Harry Edwards has been recalled for his second AFL game, while Josh Kennedy and Jack Petruccelle return from injury.
Fremantle were also dealt a setback when All-Australian defender Luke Ryan was ruled out with a calf injury.
Out-of-form forward Josh Treacy was dropped, with defender Tobe Watson and midfielder Darcy Tucker the two inclusions.
Meanwhile, Eagles coach Adam Simpson is pondering whether to tag star Fremantle midfielder David Mundy.
Mundy's stunning start to the AFL season has thrust him into the frame for the Brownlow medal, with the 35-year-old already potentially posting four best-on-ground displays.
Simpson has a major decision to make about who to send tagger Jackson Nelson to on Sunday.
Andrew Brayshaw has been successfully tagged out of games this year, while Nat Fyfe, Caleb Serong, and Mundy are other match-winning midfielders who need to be curbed.
Simpson has been blown away by Mundy's hot form.
"Two years ago I was thinking he's just about done and would be a good coach, and now we might be tagging him on the weekend," Simpson said.
"He's in great form and hopefully he has a stinker on the weekend."
West Coast are aiming to make it a record 11 derby wins on the trot, but they enter the match in horrible form after copping a 97-point loss at the hands of Geelong last week.
They will be without All-Australians Hurn, McGovern, Elliot Yeo, and Liam Ryan, along with skipper Luke Shuey and Barrass.
Dockers coach Justin Longmuir had a 4-9 derby record during his playing days, and he's desperate to end West Coast's current dominance.
"It's disappointing, but the Eagles have been a really good side while we've bottomed out a little bit," Longmuir said of the 10-match derby losing run.
"We feel like we're on the up (now), but West Coast are still a really good side."
