Star Eagle almost cooked for 2025 after ankle struggles
Yeo injured his knee and suffered a syndesmosis injury to his ankle at training in the pre-season.
Although the 31-year-old recovered from the knee injury, his ankle required a second round of surgery in May, and it still hasn't progressed as hoped.
Until last week, it was expected Yeo would make a playing return within the next month.
But those hopes now appear to have gone up in smoke, with West Coast all but resigned to being without Yeo for the rest of the season.
"He just hasn't progressed as well as we'd hoped when integrating back into training," Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said on Thursday.
"We're running out of weeks, there's no question about that.
"We're just going to do a bit more research, and we'll know more in the next week or so.
"It's to do with the original injury. It's had some complications along the way, which is not totally unusual.
"It's been one thing on top of the other unfortunately this year for him. It's a bit of a shame for him. It's been a really challenging period."
Yeo is West Coast's best clearance player, and his younger midfield teammates such as Harley Reid and Elijah Hewett have struggled without him this year.
The amount of injuries suffered at West Coast in 2025 has been the lowest in years.
Unfortunately, the ones who have copped the injuries have been their star players.
Yeo is unlikely to play at all this year, while Jake Waterman (shoulder) and Oscar Allen (achilles/knee) are out for the rest of the season.
Five-time All-Australian defender Jeremy McGovern was forced to retire early due to repeat concussions, while premiership hero Dom Sheed has also hung up the boots after tearing his ACL in the pre-season.
West Coast (1-15) appear destined for their second wooden spoon in three years, and face a tricky task against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
The match will mark Jamie Cripps' 250th game for the Eagles, following on from 16 games across two years at St Kilda at the start of his career.
"I played with 'Crippa' at the start. I was actually his mentor," said McQualter, a former tagger at St Kilda.
"It's crazy how the world works. He was such a hard worker. We did a time trial and he won it in his first year as an 18-year-old kid.
"It was a 1km time trial and he ran the fastest time anyone had run for years there.
"He had the makings of always being what he is now."
Star West Coast midfielder Elliot Yeo is set to miss the entire AFL season after making a slower-than-expected recovery from his second bout of ankle surgery.
Yeo injured his knee and suffered a syndesmosis injury to his ankle at training in the pre-season.
Although the 31-year-old recovered from the knee injury, his ankle required a second round of surgery in May, and it still hasn't progressed as hoped.
Until last week, it was expected Yeo would make a playing return within the next month.
But those hopes now appear to have gone up in smoke, with West Coast all but resigned to being without Yeo for the rest of the season.
"He just hasn't progressed as well as we'd hoped when integrating back into training," Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said on Thursday.
"We're running out of weeks, there's no question about that.
"We're just going to do a bit more research, and we'll know more in the next week or so.
"It's to do with the original injury. It's had some complications along the way, which is not totally unusual.
"It's been one thing on top of the other unfortunately this year for him. It's a bit of a shame for him. It's been a really challenging period."
Yeo is West Coast's best clearance player, and his younger midfield teammates such as Harley Reid and Elijah Hewett have struggled without him this year.
The amount of injuries suffered at West Coast in 2025 has been the lowest in years.
Unfortunately, the ones who have copped the injuries have been their star players.
Yeo is unlikely to play at all this year, while Jake Waterman (shoulder) and Oscar Allen (achilles/knee) are out for the rest of the season.
Five-time All-Australian defender Jeremy McGovern was forced to retire early due to repeat concussions, while premiership hero Dom Sheed has also hung up the boots after tearing his ACL in the pre-season.
West Coast (1-15) appear destined for their second wooden spoon in three years, and face a tricky task against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
The match will mark Jamie Cripps' 250th game for the Eagles, following on from 16 games across two years at St Kilda at the start of his career.
"I played with 'Crippa' at the start. I was actually his mentor," said McQualter, a former tagger at St Kilda.
"It's crazy how the world works. He was such a hard worker. We did a time trial and he won it in his first year as an 18-year-old kid.
"It was a 1km time trial and he ran the fastest time anyone had run for years there.
"He had the makings of always being what he is now."
Star West Coast midfielder Elliot Yeo is set to miss the entire AFL season after making a slower-than-expected recovery from his second bout of ankle surgery.
Yeo injured his knee and suffered a syndesmosis injury to his ankle at training in the pre-season.
Although the 31-year-old recovered from the knee injury, his ankle required a second round of surgery in May, and it still hasn't progressed as hoped.
Until last week, it was expected Yeo would make a playing return within the next month.
But those hopes now appear to have gone up in smoke, with West Coast all but resigned to being without Yeo for the rest of the season.
"He just hasn't progressed as well as we'd hoped when integrating back into training," Eagles coach Andrew McQualter said on Thursday.
"We're running out of weeks, there's no question about that.
"We're just going to do a bit more research, and we'll know more in the next week or so.
"It's to do with the original injury. It's had some complications along the way, which is not totally unusual.
"It's been one thing on top of the other unfortunately this year for him. It's a bit of a shame for him. It's been a really challenging period."
Yeo is West Coast's best clearance player, and his younger midfield teammates such as Harley Reid and Elijah Hewett have struggled without him this year.
The amount of injuries suffered at West Coast in 2025 has been the lowest in years.
Unfortunately, the ones who have copped the injuries have been their star players.
Yeo is unlikely to play at all this year, while Jake Waterman (shoulder) and Oscar Allen (achilles/knee) are out for the rest of the season.
Five-time All-Australian defender Jeremy McGovern was forced to retire early due to repeat concussions, while premiership hero Dom Sheed has also hung up the boots after tearing his ACL in the pre-season.
West Coast (1-15) appear destined for their second wooden spoon in three years, and face a tricky task against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
The match will mark Jamie Cripps' 250th game for the Eagles, following on from 16 games across two years at St Kilda at the start of his career.
"I played with 'Crippa' at the start. I was actually his mentor," said McQualter, a former tagger at St Kilda.
"It's crazy how the world works. He was such a hard worker. We did a time trial and he won it in his first year as an 18-year-old kid.
"It was a 1km time trial and he ran the fastest time anyone had run for years there.
"He had the makings of always being what he is now."
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