The quarantine ‘quirk’ that could lead to a dream Eagles finals run

For West Coast to give this year’s AFL premiership a shake, a lot needs to go right for Adam Simpson’s men, especially considering their recent injury run.

And dual premiership Kangaroo David King has identified an ideal run that could see the Eagles spend most of the next month at home without having to quarantine interstate.

While the Eagles have missed out on a double-chance, they’ve now returned home to Perth with at least a fortnight to prepare for their home elimination final against either Collingwood or the Western Bulldogs.

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Should the Eagles win that game, King pointed out they could then be in a semi-final against the Power in Adelaide – and that means the Eagles could be in a fly-in, fly-out scenario.

And should they win that game, they could spend a few more days in their own beds before flying to Queensland to play in a preliminary final

“That’s just a quirk in the system that could actually work out well for West Coast … They’ve probably got three weeks at home,” King said.

But while that Eagles finals run looks healthy on paper, the same can’t be said for their injury list, with an array of stars hoping to be available for the elimination final.

Gun midfielders Luke Shuey, Jack Redden, Elliot Yeo and Mark Hutchings will all be in the mix to return, as will rebounding defender Lewis Jetta.

But all eyes will be on All-Australian backman Jeremy McGovern and his hamstring injury.

McGovern suffered the setback against St Kilda on September 10. With the finals to begin on October 1, it means McGovern will be on the cusp of the traditional three-week hamstring recovery period.

Brisbane and Richmond will be facing similar conundrums with Harris Andrews and Tom Lynch respectively.

But St Kilda great Leigh Montagna said the Eagles would be more likely to risk McGovern than the Lions and Tigers would with their own star key-position players.

“The reason why you’ve got the double chance is you can afford to have one loss,” Montagna told First Crack. “So I’d play it safe if you’re in the top four, play it safe with Harris Andrews, play it safe with Tom Lynch – you get another crack if you lose first week.

“Jeremy McGovern? Different story. It’s an elimination final. I think you’ve got to roll the dice and play him.”

NESTING EAGLES – THE IDEAL WEST COAST TIMELINE

September 17: Defeat North Melbourne at Metricon Stadium

September 18: Fly home to Perth and quarantine

October 1-3: Host an elimination final (against the Magpies or Bulldogs) at Optus Stadium after two weeks off – and win

October 9-10: Could fly in to Adelaide to face Port Adelaide in a semi-final – and if they win, potentially fly straight back to Perth to prepare for a preliminary final

October 16-17: Could fly to Queensland for a preliminary final after spending a month at home

October 24: The Grand Final?