West Coast's Adam Selwood faces an uphill battle to be fit for Saturday's AFL blockbuster against Collingwood after the Eagles confirmed the defender was battling an infection.
The 28-year-old suffered an arm infection following Thursday's win against Carlton, an ailment that saw him sent to hospital and placed on a drip.
A club spokesman said Selwood, who missed the Round 7 game against Essendon with a hand injury, would be assessed later on Wednesday and that he was now out of hospital and recovering well.
The potential loss of one of their more experienced players would be a significant blow ahead of the top-of-the-table clash against the Magpies against the MCG, with fellow defender Will Schofield already ruled out through a hamstring injury.
But coach John Worsfold said he had a wealth of options to replace Schofield and potentially the elder Selwood brother as well.
"We've got Beau Waters back available, Sam Butler should be available and Mitch Brown is pushing up as well. They're the main three," he said.
"Beyond those guys we've got Lewis Stevenson in really good form and Ash Smith trying to prove his fitness."
The game carries plenty of weight for West Coast as victory would consolidate their top-two spot with a four-point buffer, while Collingwood's Sharrod Wellingham added to the intrigue by reigniting the 'ducking' debate on Tuesday.
Wellingham rubbished the Eagles' denials that they use the tactic to earn free kicks for high tackles, joining Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson and Kangaroos mentor Brad Scott to publicly question it, but Worsfold stood by his assessment.
"We don't have any issues with how we play the game," he said.
"I interpret it as though they're getting frustrated their tackling technique wasn't quite right.
"It's not going to change our attack on the footy, that's been exceptional this year."
Despite West Coast's stellar 9-2 record on the back of a preliminary final appearance last year, they enter Saturday's game as only third premiership favourite with most bookmakers.
But Worsfold insisted there was no point to prove against the Magpies and that the game was only important for ladder positions.
"We copped the same sort of questions in 2006 and I didn't feel vindicated when we won the premiership," he said.
"It is (important to win) if you want to finish high up on the ladder and win 17 or 18 games throughout the year. Where they come is not a massive issue. "