West Coast Eagles club champion Tom Barrass backed to turn slow start around against Fremantle Dockers

Reigning West Coast club champion Tom Barrass is being backed to turn shaky early-season form around ahead of a potential western derby showdown with struggling Fremantle forward Matt Taberner.

The imposing defender had six goals kicked on him by Coleman Medal-leader Nick Larkey in a round one loss to North Melbourne and struggled against good mate Jesse Hogan — who let him off the hook, kicking 3.4 — in their breakthrough win over Greater Western Sydney.

But it comes as the Eagles experiment with a bold and brave ball movement shake-up, which for all its success, leaves them vulnerable the other way.

The Eagles have conceded a score from more than half of the opposition’s inside 50s through their 1-1 start to the season, with the dash of Jamaine Jones and their daring new style appearing to come at a cost.

The Dockers are poised to spare Taberner the axe, despite intense scrutiny this week, with the out-of-form talisman now poised to attract Barrass.

West Coast’s greatest ever defender, Glen Jakovich, is backing Barrass to steady his wayward form but says the heat will stay on the Eagles’ defence until they can hit more targets up the ground.

“He’s a victim of the new game style, because they’re not going to be as efficient through the middle of the ground,” he said.

“They’re all out attack and then there’s a turnover, he’s the one that’s going to get cooked — not the guy up the ground who created the turnover.

“He lost a couple of one-on-ones, it’s probably not the start he would have liked being the reigning best-and-fairest, but they will re-adjust and his teammates have got to support him as well. He’s the one being cooked.

“You’ve got to make sure you hit that target, because if you don’t, you’re going to get cooked back the other way. That’s critical.

“That will come in time. If you’re going to change, you’re going to be open at some other end.

The Eagles have brought three players into their match-day squad, recalling out-of-favour Brady Hough, Harry Edwards and potential wing option Greg Clark.

Jakovich praised the Eagles, whose running game was matched by a tough performance inside the contest against the Giants.

“There is going to be a lot of trial and error, but the most important thing is a lot of fans walked away going ‘there is some hope, there is some green shoots’,” he said.

“The trend of the game, the way it’s going this year... if the ball hits the ground and you’re not clean, you fumble it, you’re done like a dinner.

“West Coast won the contested possessions, they won the ground-ball war — they won the game of footy. It’s pretty simple.

“Their ability to win it at the source and then go and spread and try and play fast football and go through the middle of the ground.

“Their intent was outstanding last week.”