West Coast recruit Jack Darling's AFL career is off to a rocky start with the club disciplining him for arriving late to a compulsory training session.

Darling was named to take on Collingwood last week but he was dropped from the pre-season semi-final line-up after turning up late to a beach session.

The 18-year-old, pick No.26 in last year's national draft, has already accumulated his share of troubles.

In 2009, he was suspended from Sacred Heart College after taking alcohol to a school camp, while last year he suffered a fractured skull when punched during a night out in Subiaco.

West Coast forward Mark LeCras said Darling would learn from last week's axing.

"It's no big issue. He was left out of the side just to show that's not what we're after," LeCras said on Monday.

"He's been great - his attitude around the club's been fantastic - he just had that minor slip-up with being late.

"It was a matter of 30 seconds. We're a professional club and it's something that probably takes young blokes a little bit to learn.

"This was probably just bad timing coming into a game."

Having served his penance, Darling is in line to return for Saturday's pre-season clash with arch rivals Fremantle.

But West Coast will be without ruckman Nic Naitanui and defender Mitch Brown after the pair suffered minor shoulder injuries against Collingwood last week.

Midfielder Daniel Kerr, whose last competitive outing was in round four last year when he tore his hamstring, is expected to line up for either West Coast or WAFL club East Fremantle this weekend.

"You watch him run around at training since he's been fit and going and I think he's ready to go," LeCras said of Kerr.

"He's a great player and it'd be handy to have him back.

"He's been working really hard and I can see no reason why he can't get back to his best footy."

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