West Coast coach Adam Simpson is confident grand final hero Jeremy McGovern will recover from rib surgery in time to play in the AFL's pre-season series.
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McGovern wrote himself into AFL folklore by playing through the pain of broken ribs in the five-point grand final win over Collingwood.
The 26-year-old was already nursing the broken ribs when he took a crucial high mark late in the match that set up the winning goal.
McGovern was also in hospital in the lead-up to the grand final with internal bleeding after copping a separate hit to the body in the preliminary final win over Melbourne.
The three-time All-Australian was initially hopeful of avoiding surgery on the ribs he fractured in the grand final, and he returned to pre-season training in good shape after the Christmas break.
But the ribs continued to cause him pain, with McGovern undergoing surgery last week to address the issue.
"He damaged his ribs, different ribs, in the grand final and it just hasn't recovered as well as we would have liked," Simpson said.
"So just a little plate put in to help recovery. It's a two or three week thing, and then back in full training.
"We're anticipating he'll be fine for the JLT (pre-season) series.
"It's not ideal for him. But he hasn't missed a beat really since he came back, so he's got some credits in the bank."
Goalsneak Jamie Cripps, who had surgery on his injured toe during the off-season, is an unlikely starter for round one.
With Mark LeCras (retired) and Scott Lycett (Port Adelaide) no longer on West Coast's list, the Eagles' attack will take on a very different look early this season.
Simpson said the likes of Jack Petruccelle and Jake Waterman were already pushing their cases for inclusion into the premiership squad.
West Coast host Geelong on March 1 in their first pre-season hit-out, before facing off against Fremantle on March 10.
Midfielder Andrew Gaff is free to play in the pre-season fixtures despite having two more games to serve on his eight-match suspension for punching Fremantle's Andrew Brayshaw last year.
Simpson expects Gaff to play at least one pre-season game, and he won't necessarily opt against playing the midfielder in the Fremantle clash despite the interest and potential retribution it would generate.
Australian Associated Press
