Battered and bruised Collie Eagles fight for South West Football League finals lifeline against Bunbury

Crippled by an injury crisis which threatens to derail their season, the Collie Eagles are clinging to increasingly slim finals hopes, and need to beat Bunbury on Sunday to stay alive. The Eagles haven’t beaten the Bulldogs at Payne Park since 2017 and enter the clash with another three crucial players on the injury list after their loss to South Bunbury on Sunday. A hyper-extended elbow forced Kyle Shanahan off the ground against the Tigers, while Liam Reuben and Talan Michael will both miss the rest of the season with injuries. The Eagles will also be without star wingman Matt Hunt for a second straight week, while already missing Joe Scafidi, Joel Houghton, Matt Blackford and Declan Jackson among others. Coach Seth White said it might be time to turn to the reserves for reinforcements, to add some experience to his side already propped up by colts players. “We are under no illusion it will be a pretty difficult task with the troops we have got unavailable now, but we are still pretty keen and it will be a real challenge for our younger guys against the benchmark of the competition,” he said. “We lose a few more and not many come back. “We might look at bringing some of the ressies in, because we probably have too many kids at the moment to bring any more in.” The Eagles are the first hurdle on what will be a tricky path to the finals for the Bulldogs — requiring a near perfect last three weeks against finals-calibre opposition to hold top spot. The Bulldogs have steadied the ship again in the last fortnight after a loss to Busselton on the road, and unlike Collie, are welcoming back some players for the back end of their premiership defence. Earlier this week, Bulldogs coach Jamie Nani said he was likely to face some headaches at the selection table, as his club’s depth continued to improve. “There were a couple of guys who got dropped back from the league last week to the twos and performed well,” he said. “Spots are tough when there are three players from last year’s premiership running around in the twos. “There are a few guys coming back from injury as well, so there are plenty of options.” The ladder-leaders will also welcome back high-flying forward Patrick Farrant after he served a one-week suspension. The game will be available to watch live and on demand at thewest.com.au/sport/live from 2.10pm on Sunday.