Princess Diana famously described her marriage as crowded and West Coast’s army of talls are about to find out how she felt.

The Eagles will aim to get back on the bike quickly when they unfurl their flag at home against Greater Western Sydney next Saturday night.

But before they get to the Giants, the match committee will need to start sorting through their own land of the giants. West Coast’s wealth of tall options should prove a blessing in the long run, but might be the cause of a mild persistent headache for coach Adam Simpson this season.

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The glut of bigs is a legacy of the 2017 national draft, when the Eagles ‘accidentally’ walked away with gun key-position prospects Jarrod Brander and Oscar Allen with picks 13 and 21. There was no plan to take talls; the club simply couldn’t believe the pair were still on the table as rival clubs obsessed over midfielders. West Coast fielded eight talls at the greasy Gabba in their defeat to Brisbane on Saturday night.

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There were two 200cm-plus ruckmen, two key defenders and four marking types in attack when you count hybrid forward Jake Waterman alongside Jack Darling, Allen and Brander.

With Josh Kennedy, Will Schofield and, further down the track, Nic Naitanui all on the comeback trail, the big men will soon know all about the suffocating feeling Diana described.

The reality is a shaking out process will begin at selection this week, with Brander the first one likely to fall out.

The 195cm 20-year-old could be anything. The problem is that potential could be fulfilled anywhere on the field and at the moment he’s little more than a spare parts man.

West Coast prospered last season because they had a wealth of players who flourished in clearly defined roles.

Don’t be surprised to see a sudden about-face with the ruck set-up. If a sole ruckman doesn’t get tried in round two, expect it soon thereafter.

The Eagles’ two-ruck strategy, fairly unique in recent seasons, has served them well.

It even helped carry them to a remarkable flag last season when they persisted with it despite the loss of Naitanui.

Play Video West Coast forward Liam Ryan was reported in the final moments of the loss against Brisbane, a final sting after a terrible night for the Eagles The West Australian Video West Coast forward Liam Ryan was reported in the final moments of the loss against Brisbane, a final sting after a terrible night for the Eagles

But the numbers produced by Tom Hickey and Nathan Vardy against the Lions are enough to tip that thinking on its head. The pair had five disposals and one mark. Between them.

The move to introduce Allen to the ruck craft over the summer already looks like a master stroke.

A promising forward target in his own right, Allen’s ticket to stay in this team in 2019 might be as a third forward who also chops out in the ruck.

Kennedy and Naitanui are automatic inclusions when fit and it’s time to start looking at Schofield in a new light as well.

The next man in or the unlucky omission for much of his 176-game career, the bearded backman’s assured performance in the furnace of last year’s decider surely elevates him to first-choice player when he overcomes his quad injury.