Willie Rioli's emotional AFL comeback will play second fiddle on Sunday as West Coast attempts to pull off a backs-to-the-wall victory following a summer of pain.
The Eagles enter Sunday's match against Gold Coast in Perth with an incredible 11 first-choice players unavailable.
Dom Sheed, Elliot Yeo, Luke Shuey, Jack Darling, Oscar Allen, Jamie Cripps, Tom Cole and Liam Duggan are all injured.
Star midfielder Tim Kelly and premiership forward Liam Ryan are in the AFL's health and safety protocols, while defender Alex Witherden is suspended.
Mature-age recruit Greg Clark and first-round draftee Campbell Chesser would have been next in line for berths if not for injury, while All-Australian defender Brad Sheppard was forced into early retirement due to concussion.
Former Docker Hugh Dixon and ex-Tiger Patrick Naish will make their West Coast debuts amidst the carnage, while Brady Hough - pick No.31 in last year's national draft - will make his first AFL appearance.
Rioli himself is like a recruit after not featuring on the AFL stage since West Coast's elimination-final win over Essendon in 2019.
The 26-year-old's world was turned upside down days later when he was suspended for twice tampering with a urine sample during two routine drug tests.
Being caught at Darwin Airport with cannabis taped inside his shorts last year put Rioli's career further on the edge.
But the premiership goalsneak hasn't put a foot wrong over the summer and will make an emotional return to AFL ranks when he lines up against Gold Coast.
"It's been a long journey for Willie. There were unique circumstances. He's ready to go," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.
"I don't think he's absolute turbo fitness in terms of what he was at the end of 2019, but he's not far off.
"He's definitely building towards it. He had a few niggles in the last couple of months, but the last six weeks have been pretty clean. I'm expecting a full game out of him this week."
Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew isn't falling into the trap of thinking West Coast are ripe for the picking.
"I think we've all, across the journey of our time in sport or AFL in particular, been bitten pretty badly by looking at who is not in the team," Dew said.
"This club and system won a premiership not that long ago and there'll be a number of those players playing and some pretty handy players coming in."
The Suns will be without star forward Ben King (ACL) for the entire season, but co-captain Jarrod Witts is back from his own ACL reconstruction.
Former Richmond big man Mabior Chol and ex-Blues forward Levi Casboult will make their club debuts.
