THE Eagles will have no trouble surviving life without Ben Cousins and Chris Judd, according to new captain Darren Glass, who believes the club's midfield adjustment is already almost a season under way.

Glass believes that while the likes of Matthew Priddis, Matt Rosa and Shannon Hurn will attract more opposition scrutiny this season, their nine months of effectively filling in for the champion departees has prepared them well to cover for them on a permanent basis.

The suspended Cousins played only six matches before tearing his hamstring in the first week of the finals and subsequently being sacked by the Eagles and expelled from the AFL for 12 months. While Judd played in all but five games, missing the Eagles' losing semi-final against Collingwood, Glass believes his lingering groin injury forced teammates to take some of his work.

"I really don't think it's bleak. We didn't have Chris Judd for the second half of last year basically," Glass said. "He was on one leg, and we didn't have Ben Cousins for the majority of the season, so it's not going to be as drastic a change as people fear.

"Last year guys like Matt Priddis got terrific experience, Matt Rosa will step up again and we've got a lot of young players with a lot of upside that will help us cover those losses."

Glass, appointed captain after Judd was traded to Carlton last October, said the challenge for his young midfield was to cope with added opposition attention. He hoped Hurn, Sam Butler and Jamie McNamara would also absorb more midfield minutes alongside Daniel Kerr and Chad Fletcher, and expected draftees Brad Ebert, Chris Masten and Scott Selwood to push for early-season games.

"Matt Priddis is someone that may have snuck under the guard of a few teams last year and that may not happen this year, but he's a terrific footballer who leaves no stone unturned so I'm very confident that he and other players can stand up again and have a good year," Glass said.

"I think the club's drafted exceptionally well. Scott Selwood is a ready-made AFL player, he plays just as you'd expect a Selwood to, and Brad Ebert is going to be a very impressive player. Along with Chris Masten you could see those three getting some experience, quite possibly in round one."