West Coast star Nic Naitanui is eyeing round two at Optus Stadium to make his first appearance in 2023 as he continues his return from an achilles injury which will keep him out of the season opener.

The Eagles ruckman had been pushing to be fit for their round one clash with North Melbourne after sitting out of the club’s pre-season hit-outs against Port Adelaide and Adelaide.

However, Naitanui told 7NEWS he would rather be safe than sorry in his recovery from the achilles injury, which was restricting his ability to play his natural game.

“There’s a bit of discomfort and it’s just restricting some of the things that I really like to do and if I was just running around the wing or doing something like that, I’d be able to get through,” he said.

“The nature in the way I play, being explosive and being able to tackle and jump and change direction with some speed is something that I really need. I need both of my achilles to be firing to be able to do so.”

The three-time All-Australian said he still had some boxes to tick before he was cleared for action against GWS in West Coast’s home opener and would not rush himself back if he did not feel ready.

“If I’m feeling good by the week’s end, then I’ll look to put my hand up for next week, but if it’s still in the same position, then it could take a number of weeks,” he said.

“The process we’re following is a pretty good one. I’ve been down it before, obviously hurting my achilles a couple of years ago, so I’ve got a pretty good feel on how long it may or may not take depending on how I pull up after each session.”

Naitanui said while he was disappointed to miss West Coast’s opening game, he wanted to ensure he would be available for as many games as possible this season.

“We thought, you know what, everyone talks about round one for six months, but once that’s out of the way, I’ll be able to progress and look forward to the coming rounds after that,” he said.