West Coast coach Andrew McQualter has all but confirmed gun recruit Brandon Starcevich will make his long-awaited Eagles debut against Port Adelaide on Saturday.

The dual premiership defender has battled a stubborn calf injury since the early pre-season, but after two restricted-minute hit-outs in the reserves, McQualter said he’s shown he’s ready to take the next step.

“We’ll find out how he pulled up, but certainly we think he’s got enough football into him now that he’s ready to go,” he told 7NEWS on Monday night.

“We’ll see how he goes at training this week. We’re on a six-day break, so we’ve got to ensure that he’s ready to go and fully fit and available.”

It would be a huge boost for the Eagles as they look to do the double over the Power at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

They shocked Port Adelaide on their own deck in round three with a two-point victory, having been 29 points behind, and if they were to topple them again this week, it would be the first time West Coast have done the double since 2019, when they won a pair of western derbies.

Starcevich is shaping up as the only change from the Eagles’ win over Essendon, West Coast having now claimed their second-most wins in a season, four, this decade, with 11 games still remaining.

It means surprise mid-season draftees Marcus Herbert and Oliver Francou will be given at least another week at WAFL level after they both impressed against Peel Thunder on Sunday.

“I was really impressed and probably not surprised,” McQualter said.

“We rated these guys really highly, and that’s why we got them into the football club, and it’s so difficult coming in within two days and playing in a new football team.

“But I thought they did a terrific job, and I’m excited for what they can bring to our team. I think (senior selection) is probably unlikely at this stage.

“We’ve got a team in reasonable form, so they’re going to learn a bit of a new style, but they’ve certainly started well.”

After calling for star key defender Reuben Ginbey to be in the mix for his maiden All-Australian blazer in his post-match press conference on Sunday, McQualter doubled down on his praise for the big man, labelling him a “beast”.

“I continue to say this, and I will vouch for Reubs consistently. I just think he’s a beast,” he said.

“The way he’s competing is a really important piece to our form that’s improving over the last month or so.”

Ginbey is expected to sign a fresh contract in the coming weeks, with the Eagles coach hoping he signs on the dotted line sooner rather than later.

“Hopefully (he signs his new deal soon). He’s such a terrific contributor, and I love the way he goes about his football,” he said.

“He’s a leader of our club.”

He did express disappointment, however, at a fan who lobbed a lemon at the defender after the win over the Bombers, suggesting it could be investigated.

“It was a bit strange,” he said.

“I’m sure the AFL integrity unit and Optus Stadium will look into it. We’ve got to ensure we protect our players as much as possible.

“I’m sure it wouldn’t affect Reuben, but we don’t want to see that.”

Despite the poor act, it was a strong night at Optus Stadium for the Eagles, who carried the expectations of being the favourites well on WA Day eve.

Few more so that rising sensation Harley Reid, who looked near-unstoppable. including during a second-quarter goal that saw him shrug off three tackles.

“It was a massive goal wasn’t it at an important time,” McQualter said.

“We’d had some ascendancy, and to get a little bit of scoreboard pressure on at that time was important. It was a terrific game.”