West Coast Eagle Josh Kennedy to miss another week with knee issue but Andrew Gaff says he wants to face GWS

West Coast legend Josh Kennedy has ruled himself out Sunday’s clash with Greater Western Sydney, admitting his knee injury has plagued him all season. But fellow Eagles veteran Andrew Gaff is adamant he will do everything in his power to face the Giants, despite coach Adam Simpson all but ruling him out. Simpson told 7NEWS on Monday night it was likely captain Luke Shuey would be the only player to return from injury, declaring Gaff, Elliot Yeo and Shannon Hurn “not quite ready”. He said Kennedy was “doing everything he could” to face GWS on Sunday, but admitted an immediate return from the knee injury which saw him replaced by Hugh Dixon on game day was unlikely. Kennedy said a number of surgeries had meant his knee was now irritated by bone-on-bone contact, which also effects his mobility and will be a week-by-week proposition. “It’s pretty sore, it’s been pretty sore all year, but it just sort of hit that threshold which is why I wasn’t able to get up for the game,” he told 6PR. “I have had a few surgeries over the last 17 years on the old knees so it has got to a point where it is a bit bone-on-bone and a bit of irritation.” Kennedy was a late withdrawal from the 74-point loss to the Demons at Optus Stadium on Sunday, replaced in the selected side by Hugh Dixon, but is confident he will return to face the Western Bulldogs in a fortnight. “I will probably miss this week as well, just to give it a bit of a rest, and we will bounce back towards the Bullies,” he said. “Sometimes with team selection you can’t miss or you’re feeling really good that week and you don’t need to miss. “We are just managing it at the moment and hopefully I can play as many games as I can.” Meanwhile, Gaff says he wants to face the Giants and would expect to be available, should he “tick a few boxes” at the club’s two main training sessions. The 29-year-old winger missed the Demons clash with a calf injury. “It’s probably a little bit too early in the week to tell, I think I would be a good chance of getting through today’s training and Thursday’s training,” he told SEN WA. “I think if I got through training on Thursday I would definitely be right to go. “I have obviously got to tick a few boxes at training. “It is a combination of a player’s gut feel — and I have been around long enough to know when my body is good to go and when it’s not — and then a chat with the doctor and you assess the risk of all that sort of stuff. “Hopefully I’m good to go, I’d love to be out there.” Gaff also confirmed that club captain Shuey will face the Giants, after Simpson flagged his return on Monday night. “We will definitely get Luke back, he has probably been ready to go for the last week but just with his recent history he will get a little bit more training, a little bit more fitness under his belt,” Gaff said. “We are losing guys here and there at the moment and it is frustrating.” The Eagles’ injury crisis left them with just 23 fit players to pick from against Melbourne and saw them having to borrow players to field a WAFL team. And the news has only gotten worse with Liam Ryan suspended for a week, on top of a hamstring concern, and Luke Foley entering the AFL’s concussion protocols after a heavy tackle from Demon Kade Chandler.

West Coast Eagle Josh Kennedy to miss another week with knee issue but Andrew Gaff says he wants to face GWS

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