Doubt has been cast over the playing future of West Coast forward Jake Waterman as the Eagles attacker battles with an inflammatory bowel disease.
Waterman has missed the club's past two matches with ulcerative colitis, a disease that hospitalised the 25-year-old prior to his side's Round 13 clash with Adelaide.
The sharpshooting forward has no clear return timeframe amid continued treatment for the disease, with a second round of infusions to take place this week as Waterman hopes to make a return in the near future.
His father, two-time premiership Eagle Chris, revealed his son was on the mend but plenty of questions remained surrounding his playing chances for 2023.
"I spoke to him last night, he seemed a little bit more spritely in his voice," Waterman told SEN WA on Monday. "It's just a slow burn with him.
"He's having infusions at the moment. He's had one round, he has his next round this Friday. A lot of people ask me, I don't know where it's at right now.
"He's hopefully on the improve, but how long it takes and if it's a full recovery, we're still unsure. It's all just a wait and see and just hope at the moment.
"... There's that small percentage (he doesn't play again), according to the doctors.
"They'll be pulling out every string for it not to happen, they want to get him back to normal health, and that's what they're heading towards.
"Whether he lives on medication for the rest of his life or not, still not sure. It's not cut and clear at the moment."
Waterman senior expressed his displeasure in the Eagles' care for his son, who had not heard from the club days after being admitted to the hospital.
Chris Waterman revealed Jake had put his hand up to play for West Coast against Adelaide three weeks ago despite being "curled up in a ball" as the disease took its toll on the emerging forward.
"I rang him on a Saturday morning in the Collingwood game and he was no good, had a reaction to some more antibiotics," Waterman said.
"He basically said both Saturday mornings, 'Dad, I've got to play, we've just got no numbers'.
"Then, when I rang him Saturday in Adelaide, he was basically curled up in a ball. I said, 'OK, it's got a bit more serious', and they texted me and said they're sending him home ... The club's got a lot going on obviously.
"Family and friends are around the clock checking in on him just to make sure everything's right.
"They could have probably reached out a bit earlier to check on him, I would have thought. To find out when he was in hospital on Monday night was the first time they contacted him, (which is) a bit disappointing."
Waterman is currently off-contract in 2023 and in his seventh season with the Eagles, having joined the club through the 2016 National Draft as a father-son selection to follow in his Dad's footsteps.
Chris warned the Eagles' actions could see the Waterman ties cut from West Coast given the disappointing level of care and his son's contract status.
"They've got to act on it and make sure they keep their eye on him if they want him on the list," Waterman added.
"He's a 25-year-old coming out of contract, so you'd put some time into him I would have thought."
The Eagles responded to Waterman's comments on Monday night, with football boss Gavin Bell speaking withย West Coast Mediaย to reveal the club was in consistent and constant discussions with Jake across his time between leaving Adelaide, arriving in Western Australia and then being admitted to hospital.
"I'd just like to take this opportunity to clarify Jake's situation post the Adelaide game,โ Bell said.
"It was decided during the game that the best thing to do for Jake was to get him home, so we did that with the medical advice.
"Before we left Adelaide I contacted Jake to make sure he got back fine and I received a message that he was back and okay.
"During the course of Sunday our club doctor made contact with Jake on numerous occasions just to check in and make sure he was doing okay.
"In the afternoon his condition deteriorated a little bit, so we got him into a sports GP clinic where he went and there was a consequent follow-up from there.
"Then on the Monday,when our club doctor checked in again, Jake's condition had deteriorated, and the decision was made to contact a specialist in the area and from those conversations we were able to admit Jake straight into hospital and receive the care that he needed.
"In that period of time, including myself, we made contact with Jake just to make sure he was okay and if there was anything we needed, but he was pretty unwell at that period of time too."
The Eagles are currently placed 18th on the AFL ladder with a percentage of 47.3%, having suffered a 171-point defeat on Saturday against Sydney to see their wins tally remain at one victory from 14 matches.
West Coast return home this weekend to host St Kilda at Optus Stadium on Saturday.
