Naitanui went under the knife on Tuesday in a procedure to address inflammation the 26-year-old has been experiencing around the area of one of his Achilles tendons.

The club originally said Naitanui would miss the next six to eight weeks.

But there were reports he could be ruled out for the rest of the season after it emerged Naitanui ended up having surgery on both feet.

However, an Eagles spokesman scoffed at talk Naitanui would be sidelined for longer than expected, saying the original 6-8 week timeframe was still accurate.

Naitanui is expected to start walking again in a few days, before slowly building up his workloads from there.

West Coast’s top-four hopes are on thin ice after slipping to 7-5 following last week’s loss to Adelaide.

With the Eagles only taking on one top-eight side over their next seven matches, they have an excellent chance to surge up the table.

However, the side’s ruck woes will continue for this weekend’s clash with the struggling Lions, with coach Adam Simpson telling media at Perth Airport today Naitanui’s obvious replacement Scott Lycett would not make the trip to Brisbane because of a behavioural indiscretion on Saturday night after the Eagles’ loss to Adelaide.

Fraser McInnes, Jonathan Giles or Jeremy McGovern could be called on to offer ruck support.

Meanwhile, Simpson will consider handing Lewis Jetta an AFL recall for Saturday’s clash with Brisbane at the Gabba despite the former Swan’s inept display at WAFL level.

Simpson has promised to wield the axe in the wake of his team’s final-quarter flop last week against the Crows, saying the clock’s ticking in West Coast’s bid to establish themselves as a premiership threat.

The third-year coach revealed Mark LeCras would be given another chance to prove his worth despite a series of inconsistent displays.

But the likes of Jamie Cripps, Jack Redden and Liam Duggan face a nervous wait on the selection front.

Jetta has struggled since arriving at West Coast as a high-profile recruit at the end of last season.

The 27-year-old has been dropped twice already this year.

And the spotlight intensified on him when he managed just eight disposals and two tackles a fortnight ago for WAFL side East Perth.

Last week’s state game meant Jetta didn’t have a chance to atone for that poor display.

But Simpson is heavily considering handing the 134-game veteran an AFL recall this week as part of a wider group of changes.

“He was disappointing a couple of weeks ago, but he’s doing some really good things on the track and during the week,” Simpson said.

“He’s definitely one who’s in the mix.

“Our ball use, I thought, was one of the main factors on the weekend that fell down – our inability to connect – and he’s one guy who can do that… he’s also a player who’s played 150-odd games. I know it (good form) is in there. I know we got him for a reason.”

-AAP