West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson knows as competition for spots in his side increases, deciding between younger and older players will become harder.
2022 has quickly turned into a lost season for the Eagles, as the club has battled COVID issues and a multitude of injuries, resulting in a lack of on-field competitiveness.
However, veterans Dominic Sheed, Elliot Yeo, Jeremy McGovern, Liam Ryan and Willie Rioli are all expected to be available for selection this week, as West Coast prepares to face Geelong at Optus Stadium.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Simpson acknowledged that there will have to be some tough decisions made with regard to the club's ageing players.
"We've got a few guys on the back nine and respecting their careers and where they're at and exposing our younger players is what we'll work through in the back half of the year," Simpson said to media on Tuesday.
"There's 10 games to go and I'm hoping to get the balance right where some weeks we'll get a different look with the youth and some weeks we'll get a different look with the players who deserve to play or have been around and been champions of the game."
Simpson explained his thought process for deciding between a younger and older player at the selection table.
"When you're looking at team selection and you've got a young player coming in and it's a 50-50 call with an older, experienced player, you probably lean to youth a little bit," the premiership coach said.
"But form has got to play a part. We've probably got a couple more to come this year, so we'd like to do that through form, and hopefully, we get that at WAFL.
"That'll be a balancing act for the rest of the year because the path we're on, it's not a quick fix and we do need to expose them."
The Eagles have just come off the bye, sitting in dead last position on the ladder at 1-11.