Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020

The Milan Murdock injury has put a pause on one of the early stories of the AFL season, with West Coast Eagles confirming the mature-age recruit will miss Sunday’s round three trip to face Port Adelaide after scans showed a moderate-grade hamstring issue. Murdock, 25, felt soreness during West Coast’s win over North Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Sunday and now enters a fresh spell on the sidelines just as his rapid rise had started to gather momentum. The setback matters because he had quickly brought energy, pressure and goals to the Eagles’ forward line in his first two AFL appearances. West Coast now heads into a tough away game needing changes at both ends of the ground.

Murdock’s start had been one of the more eye-catching stories at the club. After joining the Eagles only a fortnight before the season, he kicked two goals in each of his first two games and gave West Coast a spark inside forward 50 with his work at ground level and around the contest. The official West Coast Eagles injury update confirmed the hamstring problem, while the AFL fixture shows the Eagles are due to meet Port Adelaide on Sunday in round three. West Coast Eagles injury update and the official AFL fixture both place this week’s selection squeeze in clear view.

For more AFL contract and club pressure coverage, Zac Bailey Contract Pressure Explains Chris Fagan and Ross Lyon AFL Tension also tracks a major off-field story shaping the competition this week. West Coast’s issue is more immediate, with injuries now forcing the Eagles to reshuffle after a strong home win. That challenge looks even bigger because Murdock is not the only player unavailable heading into the Port Adelaide match.

West Coast confirms hamstring setback

West Coast high performance manager Phil Merriman said the club would know more about Murdock’s recovery window as the week unfolded. The wording of the update made clear the Eagles are still waiting for a better read on how long he will be out. That leaves the club without a fixed return date for a player who had made an instant impression.

“Unfortunately, Milan felt some awareness in his hamstring during the match and scans have shown a moderate-grade injury,” high performance manager Phil Merriman said.

“We’ll get a better sense of timeframes as the week goes on.”

That is a frustrating hit for both player and club, especially after the way Murdock had attacked his first two AFL games. His pressure around stoppages and loose balls had stood out, and he had already ranked among the league’s top 10 players for average contested possessions, tackles and ground-ball gets despite not attending a centre ball-up this season. Those numbers underline how much work he had been doing in the front half.

Other Eagles injuries shape selection

West Coast will also be without key defender Harry Edwards, who is set to miss under concussion protocols. That means at least two changes are coming for the trip to Adelaide. The Eagles did get better news elsewhere, with co-captain Liam Baker and veteran Jamie Cripps both cleared of serious injury and on track to play.

“As we always do with concussions, we’ll take the appropriate steps and make sure Harry’s health is the priority,” Merriman said.

There are also a few younger players moving back into the mix. Jack Williams and Elijah Hewett are both expected to be available after short layoffs, while Sandy Brock is set to rejoin the main training group on Thursday. That should give the coaching staff a few more options, even if the loss of Murdock takes away one of the side’s liveliest early-season forwards.

“Sandy will work through this week with the plan to join the main group for training on Thursday,” Merriman said.

Brandon Starcevich still building toward debut

Brandon Starcevich remains a longer-term watch for West Coast. The former Brisbane Lions premiership defender is still working through knee and calf problems, and the club said he will need more time to build his running and fitness. That means his club debut is still not close.

“Brandon has been prioritising strength for his calf and is getting started on some running progressions,” Merriman said.

“It will take some time to build his fitness back up having missed a large chunk of pre-season and games due to his knee and recurrent calf issues.

“We will update his return-to-play timeline as he progresses his workload.”

Tom Gross is also still one to two weeks away from returning from a hamstring injury. Taken together, the Eagles’ injury list shows how much care the club is taking with players early in the season. Readers wanting broader team news can also follow the official West Coast Eagles AFL page, which carries fixtures, squad updates and match coverage through the season.

What it means for Sunday

West Coast heads to Port Adelaide after beating North Melbourne by 17 points, a result that gave the home crowd something to build on after a difficult start to the year. Now the task is backing that up away from home without one of the club’s sharpest early-season stories. Murdock’s rise has been paused, not ended, but the Eagles will need someone else to bring the same pressure and spark against the Power.