West Coast midfielder Tim Kelly has labelled Jeremy McGovern as irreplaceable and says he has his “fingers and toes” crossed the star defender can return for the club’s finals campaign.

McGovern injured his right hamstring during Thursday night’s 15-point win over St Kilda.

The four-time All-Australian underwent scans on Friday morning, but Eagles coach Adam Simpson is bracing for bad news.

Barring a positive turn of events it seems unlikely McGovern will be seen until the semi-final at best.

If it turns out to be a six-week injury or more, it will be curtains for the year.

Kelly conceded it would be hard to fill the hole left by McGovern, whose marking power and intercept prowess is the most crucial part of West Coast’s backline.

“What he brings to the table in a lot of ways is probably irreplaceable,” Kelly said.

“Our backline doesn’t quite function the same without him I believe.

“It’s going to be challenging. We’ve definitely got some guys who are no slouches. They can come in and perform and give us what we need.

“But I’ll be having my fingers and toes crossed that he’s not out for too long.”

Veteran defender Will Schofield is set to be handed more responsibility as the Eagles try to find a way to cover McGovern.

Schofield’s appearance against the Saints was his first AFL match since round four and his ability to play on both talls and smalls will give West Coast vital flexibility.

“We absolutely love Schoey and what he brings to the table,” Kelly said.

“He looks really hungry at the moment. He’s a heart and soul player of the team and I’ve got no doubt he’ll relish a bit of extra responsibility and come in and give us what we need.”

Dom Sheed (hamstring), Elliot Yeo (osteitis pubis), and Brendon Ah Chee (finger) are all a chance to return for next week’s clash with North Melbourne.

But Luke Shuey (hamstrings), Mark Hutchings (hamstring), Jamie Cripps (personal reasons) and Lewis Jetta (calf) remain unavailable.

West Coast’s win over St Kilda capped a period where the Eagles played five games in 19 days.

Kelly said the crammed schedule took its toll.

“We haven’t had a proper training session since we’ve been up here,” Kelly said.

“I feel like we’ve got a lot of our guys going into games not feeling 100 per cent fresh, probably at about 80 per cent, 70 per cent, playing sore.

“All these little things add up. The quick turnarounds haven’t been our best friend.”