WEST Coast ruckman Scott Lycett dislocated his shoulder in his comeback game from a knee injury today, in a blow to the club’s ruck stocks.

Lycett, a key figure in the Eagles’ plans this season given the long-term absence of Nic Naitanui, was trying to push his case to play in the round one clash with North Melbourne.

However, his return from a posterior cruciate ligament injury, for East Perth against East Fremantle in a WAFL practice match this afternoon, was over before half-time when he hurt his left shoulder in a tackle.

The big man cradled his arm in his guernsey, using it as a sling.

Camera Icon Lycett inspects his shoulder. Credit: PerthNow, Paul Kane

West Coast football operations manager Craig Vozzo confirmed Lycett’s shoulder popped out, but it was quickly put back in. The 24-year-old’s recovery period will depend on how much ligament damage is revealed by scans.

“We’ll get some X-rays done and some scans and then we’ll know the extent of the damage, but we’re not sure,” Vozzo said.

If Lycett has not sustained major damage, he could still be available to play during the first month of the season.

But the injury blow all but confirms recruits Nathan Vardy and Drew Petrie will carry the ruck for the Eagles against the Kangaroos and star big man Todd Goldstein in round one.

Petrie is likely to be elevated off the rookie list to enable him to take on his old side at Etihad Stadium in a fortnight.

Jonathan Giles, who made his own return from a hand injury with the Royals, is another option for coach Adam Simpson to consider.

Giles is likely to play for East Perth again in Saturday night’s WAFL season opener against Peel to increase his match minutes and push his own case for inclusion.

Speaking at the club’s fan day this morning, Vardy said while neither he nor Petrie were dominant tap ruckmen, he was confident they could use their mobility to have an impact.

“Obviously Drew and I give away a few centimetres to those bigger guys,” he said.

“Drew’s been the ultimate competitor for years now, so he’s going to bring that every week and if I can do the same and just try and nullify those big guys’ influence around the stoppage, then that’s a win to us.

“If we can sneak forward and get a couple of goals and get a few kicks around the ground, that’s a win.”

Will Schofield and Tom Barrass also played for the Royals as the battle for key defensive posts intensifies ahead of the season.

Jeremy McGovern appears to be the only tall defender guaranteed a start, with Schofield, Barrass and Eric Mackenzie fighting for either one or two other spots.

The Eagles played three talls in defence for most of last season, but experimented with returning to only two in Thursday night’s JLT Community Series win against Melbourne.

West Coast successfully employed a zone defence based around two talls on their way to a grand final appearance in 2015.