FALCONS EXCITED FOR SIX PLAYERS IN WAFL TEAM

WEST Perth coach Bill Monaghan is fully supportive of his six players taking part in Saturday's state match against Tasmania despite the five-day break especially on-fire midfielder Shane Nelson who was the last player cut from last year's WAFL team.

Andrew Strijk will represent Western Australia for a fifth time, Jay van Berlo a third, Aaron Black a third, Shane Nelson a second, Nick Rodda a second and Luke Meadows the first as the WAFL representative side takes on Tasmania at Steel Blue Oval on Saturday.

West Perth only just played against East Perth on Monday with the Falcons winning the Channel 9 WA Day Derby by 31 points for a sixth straight win, but despite that Monaghan has no concerns over his players backing up to play for WA on Saturday.

Having coached the WAFL state team to a win against the NEAFL in Sydney in 2014 and being involved closely on other occasions, Monaghan is fully aware of what an honour it still is to represent your state.

That's why he would never stand in their way of playing when selected.

While he is happy to see the form of Meadows reward with his selection for the first time, he wasn’t sure whether or not van Berlo would get picked after not playing on Monday for work reasons.

But when WA needed an extra key defender in the absence of East Perth's Kyle Anderson, Subiaco's Declan Jackson and South Fremantle's Blayne Wilson, he wouldn’t have been surprised if either Rodda or Tyler Keitel got picked, and it was Rodda who got the nod.

"We've got six in the squad and VB is an interesting one to see if he plays because he'll be reasonably fresh. Black and Nelson I think deserve to play, Luke Meadows' form over the last five or six weeks means he could play and Strijk has been in good form as well," Monaghan said.

"It wouldn’t surprise me if all six play and it wouldn’t have surprised me if either Nick Rodda or Tyler Keitel were the ones added. 

"We welcome them playing state footy and I would never want to deny that opportunity. If they are fit and declare themselves fit, then I'll let the state selectors decide who plays and if they want to pick our guys, they do it with my blessing."

As for Nelson, Monaghan isn’t sure whether or not he would have any added motivation coming into the game this year after being the last player cut from the side that defeated South Australia last year at Lathlain Park.

But what he does know is that Nelson enters the clash on Saturday against Tasmania in remarkable form averaging 34 possessions a game over the past six weeks after missing the opening five games of the year with a fractured finger.

"That's something you would have to ask Nelly. The hard part is, and I've been fortunate enough to coach a state side as well as being assistant coach a couple of times, that when you have the best players from nine clubs available sometimes it's difficult to leave people out," Monaghan said.

"One of the hardest things is that the balance of getting midfielders who just hunt the footy and play, and getting a balance of sizes and styles.

"I'd be very surprised if Shane's form doesn’t warrant him playing but I reckon there'll be eight, 10 or 15 blokes who will be unlucky not to play across the competition. We wish Nelly and all our other players the best.