AFL

Eagles Prepare For Brown & Fevola

Tuesday 26th January 2010

Author: LMSC

Photographer:

Forget the NAB Cup, the West Coast Eagles are already talking about there plans for round one of the premiership season, and how to combat the new power forward combo of the Brisbane Lions.

The Eagles travel to Brisbane for the round one opener this season, on March 27, and in doing so will be the first team to experience the new look Lions forward line with duel Coleman Medallist Brendon Fevola.

No one is yet to see how the former Carlton spearhead will work together with his captain Jonathan Brown inside the Brisbane fifty, but it’s a combination that Eagles’ assistant coach Peter Sumich reckons will yield 150 goals plus a year for the Brisbane team.

"You've got two of the greats, it's a huge challenge (to contain them),” said Sumich this week.

“You know Darren Glass is going to get one of them. We are trying to find a few (extra options). "There'll be some young kids step up.”

Brendon Fevola considers Eagles captain Glass as the best full back in the competition, but while no one can doubt his abilities, Sumich has conceded there will be a need for one of the club’s youngsters to setup alongside Glass.

"(Matt) Spangher's going really well, (Mitch) Brown's going to be back on track this week or next week, Beau Wilkes,” said Sumich of possible choices.

"You've got (Eric) Mackenzie who'll be back up and running. So we've got options."

Sumich conceded the club had been keeping an eye on their Brisbane opponents throughout the summer to get any indication of how Lions coach Michael Voss will use his new forward duo.

"We keep an eye on Brisbane,” said Sumich.

“Not every day or every training session, because it is out of the way a bit, but we have had little updates in between.”

The Eagles are still sweating on the fitness of a few key players, with Dean Cox, unlikely to feature in much of the pre-season as he makes his way back from a debilitating groin complaint that haunted him last season.

Defender Beau Waters will also be put in cotton wool during the pre-season NAB Cup with the fiery hard man nursing a leg complaint this summer.

In other Eagles news, Sumich has weighed into recent banter from new Western Sydney coach said Kevin Sheedy, who has claimed he may attempt to bring all four Selwood brothers to the new NSW team in 2012.

The Eagles have two Selwoods on their list, the more senior Adam, and the youngest Scott, while Adam’s twin Troy is currently playing for Brisbane and Joel is at Geelong.

"The two we've got here are pretty committed and the family loves it here," Sumich said.

"I'd find it hard for them to go, especially Adam.”

The more senior Selwood is currently part of the Eagles leadership group, and was part of the team’s 2006 premiership triumph. Sumich thinks he is a potential captain in the making at West Coast and thinks that will be a factor in any offer from a competing club.

“He is in contention (to be captain) and he will be striving for that over the next 12, 24 months. He will be right in the mix.”