West Coast Eagles veteran Elliot Yeo produces strong performance in first game since missing 2025 season

West Coast star Elliot Yeo has marked his return from a horror season ruined by an ankle injury with a strong performance in their practice game against Fremantle. The two-time All Australian, who did not feature at all throughout the Eagles’ one-win 2025 campaign after undergoing multiple surgeries on his lower leg, figured among his side’s best performers in a 28-point loss to their cross-town rivals. He spent much of his day as an on-baller, standing out with his trademark ability to extract the ball in contested situations, while having his time in the midfield interspersed with spells resting in a new role as a deep forward. West Coast’s midfield coach Sam Radford said Yeo had achieved his goal to get through the game unscathed and had taken huge enjoyment from his playing return. “I just had a chat with him, he loved being out there,” Radford said. “I know the boys love playing with him . . . he’s an elite contest player and he has been for a long period of time, so to have him back in the team and around the ball will definitely make us better and a lot more competitive. “He’s such a good contest player, whether that’s at stoppage, forward, or behind the ball. We’ll just work out where’s the best fit for Yeoy and for the team — it might be a bit inside, it might be a bit forward, we’ll explore how that looks for us. “Wherever he is, he’s dangerous.” West Coast’s three first-round selections from last year’s draft Willem Duursma, Cooper Duff-Tytler and Josh Lindsay all produced impressive displays in their first time taking on AFL opposition in blue and gold. The highlight in Duursma’s strong showing came early, with the No.1 pick using a strong breeze to slot the game’s opening goal from beyond the 50-metre arc, while Duff-Tytler and Lindsay also pressed their claims for a round one place. Radford said he was not surprised by the trio’s performances, given how impressive they had been over the pre-season. “All the boys who played their first game for the club, we thought they did really well,” he said. “Willem was obviously fantastic. He’s put together a really good training block, as have Josh Lindsay and Cooper. “He’s a pretty laid-back sort of kid . . . we’re really happy with how he went out there. I think he’s got high expectations of himself. I think he’s building nicely. It’s good to see him play against some good, experienced AFL players and hold his own.” An Eagles showing which produced plenty of positives did end on a sour note, with young forward Noah Long suffering what appeared to be a serious knee injury. Long laid crumpled on the turf after having his leg trapped underneath himself in a tackle and was carried from the field by trainers. Radford said the club had not yet made an early determination on the 21-year-old’s prognosis but the incident “didn’t look great”. “Our thoughts are definitely with Noah,” he said. “The coaches have been down with him. He’s obviously pretty disappointed, without knowing exactly what’s wrong. “Noah’s put in a fantastic block of training, he’s been one of our best performed over the pre-season, so we’ll put our arms around him and support him, whatever the result.”