West Coast recruit Jack Graham set to miss Brisbane clash as Liam Baker a chance to move into midfield

West Coast recruit Jack Graham will miss the clash against Brisbane with a hip injury, with young midfielder Clay Hall answering an SOS from the club. It comes as the Eagles look likely to unleash fellow dual Richmond premiership hero Liam Baker in the midfield to try to rectify their early-season problems. Graham was withdrawn from the squad after failing to recover from a knock received against Gold Coast. Second-year midfielder Hall, who was pulled from the Eagles’ WAFL pre-season clash against Peel Thunder and flew to Brisbane on Saturday, was not among the emergencies listed on Friday but will play after making the cross-country dash. The former Tiger was spotted walking around the Gabba and helping out with drills and was not in his training kit like the rest of his teammates. Graham’s omission is a massive blow for the Eagles after he was one of their best performers in round one with 23 disposals and 10 tackles — the sixth best ranked player on the ground. Hall will come in for only the fourth game of his career after being drafted with pick No.38 in 2023. He made his debut in round 21 of last year and played the final two games, including picking up 15 disposals in their round 24 loss to Geelong. Baker joined the Eagles on a lucrative five-year contract from the Tigers in last year’s trade period to add leadership as well as drive off half-back. The 27-year-old had 21 touches in his debut for the Eagles against Gold Coast last Saturday out of defence. But the two-time premiership player was spotted working alongside the midfield group on Saturday with assistant coaches Jarrad Schofield and Luke Shuey working through centre structures. The Eagles are trying to turn around their midfield belting at the hands of the Suns, losing the contested possession count by 43 and the clearance count 50-33 in an 87-point loss to the Suns. The Eagles had already made three changes with ruckman Matt Flynn dropped in favour of Bailey Williams, while Jake Waterman (back and calf) and Jack Hutchinson (hamstring) are out with injuries and replaced by Jack Petruccelle and premiership forward Liam Ryan. In better news, co-captain Liam Duggan looks set to play after showing no ill effects of an ankle injury that sidelined him for the final quarter of last weekend’s loss to Gold Coast. Harvey Johnston and Flynn remain emergencies.