Star West Coast midfielder Matt Priddis is expected to be fit to play in Saturday's blockbuster clash with Sydney at the SCG after missing Friday night's encounter with Richmond in Perth.
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The Brownlow medallist has nursed a slight thigh and hip strain for the past week and almost recovered in time to take on the embattled Tigers.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson and his medical staff took a conservative approach in keeping the star ball-winner out from Friday's 68-point win over the Tigers.
West Coast managed without the usual high quality contribution from their champion play-initiator in only the fifth match Priddis has missed through injury over the past five years.
In his absence, the Eagles still establish supremacy around midfield battles as Luke Shuey, Elliot Yeo and nippy winger Andrew Gaff all vied for best-afield.
In the five games Priddis has missed since 2011, West Coast has won every time.
His injury is understood to be minor, with prospects the big possession-winner could probably have played with an extra day's recovery instead of just a six-day break after Priddis was best afield in last week's 33-point derby win over Fremantle with his 31 possessions.
Priddis, 31, will be critical to the Eagles' hopes of cracking a shocking SCG hoodoo in a midfield shootout with star Swans playmakers Luke Parker, Josh Kennedy, Kieren Jack, Dan Hannebery and Tom Mitchell, who have all been in stunning form to start the 2016 premiership race.
West Coast has a shocking overall SCG record with just three wins from 16 visits to the small cricket venue.
Saturday's clash in Sydney marks the return of Swans 2012 premiership winger Lewis Jetta after his switch to West Coast in a trade for big ruckman-forward Callum Sunclair.
The injury plaguing Priddis is similar to a problem he suffered last September that forced the Eagles' top ball winner to miss the Eagles' impressive qualifying victory over eventual premiers Hawthorn in Perth.
Priddis was replaced by hard-nut all-round on-baller Mark Hutchings, who played his first senior game of the season after his full recovery from a nagging hamstring injury.
Rugged forward Jamie Cripps recovered from a serious cork in his left thigh to play against the Tigers and will be monitored in his recovery to take on the Swans in what is likely to be a tight and heavily congested midfield slog.
West Coast could also have gifted follower Sharrod Wellingham available for selection depending on how he recovers from a first match of the season with Eagles alignment club East Perth on Saturday.
Wellingham has overcome a bruised knee he suffered in a training incident and missed the entire NAB summer series and the opening month of the premiership season.
