West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui has been ruled out for the rest of the season after scans revealed he needs surgery on his injured Achilles.
But Eagles coach Adam Simpson is adamant the 33-year-old, three-time All-Australian could make a “full recovery” and hasn’t played his last game in the AFL
Simpson confirmed on Wednesday the dual best and fairest winner had been dealt a fresh blow after failing to play a game this season following Achilles soreness which troubled him over the pre-season.
Alarm bells were raised for West Coast fans on Tuesday when Naitanui’s return timeline was adjusted from six to seven weeks to “TBC” on the club’s injury list, with Simpson later confirming the three-time All-Australian would again be sidelined indefinitely.
“He was tracking okay, stagnated a little bit and we had a follow-up scan recently and it looks like he’s going to need surgery, so it’s time to pull the pin on the season,” Simpson said.
“We’ve got no choice unfortunately, so he’ll get surgery early next week maybe.”
“It’s a long stint out, so the season is out of the question. It’s something you can come back from.
“I’m not fully across the magnitude of the surgery but I know it’s something you can recover from and fully recover.”
West Coast head of health Mark Finucane said Naitanui had been seeing a specialist to treat the injury, “as we attempt to gather as much information as we can to make a decision”.
Naitanui, 33, is contracted until the end of 2024 after signing a two-year deal last September.
He played eight games in 2022 after battling persistent knee issues, but managed to play all 22 games the season before following a frustrating four-year period where he only registered 52 games.
The Eagles will not be able to replace Naitanui on their list for the rest of the season after they were unable to move him to the inactive list before last week’s mid-season draft.
Bailey Williams has taken on the No. 1 ruck mantle in Naitanui’s absence and has enjoyed a steady run of form, averaging 13 disposals, 26 hit-outs and four clearances in his fifth season.
Callum Jamieson (22 years old, 13 games) and Harry Barnett (19, yet to debut) are the only other ruckmen on the Eagles’ list.