West Coast coach Daisy Pearce says there's no need for Roxy Roux to become a superstar as the former Dockers forward attempts to play a key role in the club's finals bid.
Roux became somewhat of a cult hero at Fremantle when she burst onto the scene in 2020, with the then-18-year-old kicking four goals across her opening three games.
Her powerful contested marking and booming kick led many to predict big things of the 170cm spearhead.
But Roux's career is yet to explode, with a combination of injuries and inconsistent form stalling her progress.
A trade from Fremantle to West Coast during the off-season represented a fresh start, but a broken hand on the eve of round one meant Roux had to endure another frustrating stint on the sidelines.
Roux made her belated Eagles debut in last week's 24-point win over GWS.
Although the 22-year-old went scoreless from just six disposals, her presence in attack gave West Coast an important focal point.
Roux will again be a key figure in Saturday's home clash with Port Adelaide.
"It was just great to see her out there and smiling," Pearce said of Roux's Eagles debut.
"She's not been able to play a lot of footy over recent times.
"Since we got her here, her dedication and commitment to our group, and her preparation has been elite, and I think she'll just keep building."
But can Roux become the superstar that everyone was predicting four years ago?
"I'm sure she can, but we don't need her to be a superstar," Pearce said.
"We just need her to play her role. Give us a really good target ahead of the ball, compete really hard, and then chase and tackle when the ball hits the deck.
"So if that lands her in superstar status, we'll take it, but if she just plays her role, we'll be happy with that as well."
Pearce has masterminded a remarkable change of fortunes for the seventh-placed Eagles, who at 4-2 sit one win inside of the top eight.
West Coast had never won more than two games in a season before Pearce's arrival, and their score of 64 against GWS last week was the highest in the club's AFLW history.
Port Adelaide (2-4) sit 10th on the ladder, but enter Saturday's crunch clash in Perth full of confidence after beating Carlton by 35 points last week.
Friday night's encounter between fifth-placed Adelaide (4-1) and eighth-placed St Kilda (3-2) will also have big ramifications for the make up of the top eight.
Unbeaten North Melbourne will start as the hottest of favourites when they host the Western Bulldogs on Saturday, with Richmond expected to make light work of Collingwood, and the Brisbane Lions tipped to easily topple Carlton later in the day.
Sunday will feature a blockbuster clash between the fourth-placed Dockers (5-1) and second-placed Hawks (5-1) at Fremantle Oval.
The ninth-placed Bombers take on the Suns on the Gold Coast, while the Swans and Geelong will be fighting to keep their finals hopes alive when they meet in Sydney.
