WEST Coast's defence continues to stand tall but it may run out of players after Will Schofield suffered a calf problem in the Eagles' 52-point over the Sydney Swans on Sunday.
Gallery: West Coast's win in pictures
Schofield was subbed out at three-quarter time after he copped a knock to his calf.
The Eagles have covered the losses of Eric Mackenzie and Mitch Brown magnificently so far this year. However, there were grave concerns when Jeremy McGovern injured his hamstring last week against Collingwood.
Schofield's subbing appeared to be a calculated decision given the Eagles' 45-point lead at three-quarter time but coach Adam Simpson said his defence had copped another injury.
"No, that wasn't a plan," Simpson said post-match.
"He got a bit of a knock. He's a bit sore in his calf. So hopefully it's just a corkie but we didn't know whether it was a corkie or a strain so we just took precaution."
McGovern is unavailable to face Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium next Saturday night but may return to play Hawthorn in a fortnight.
Simpson was pleased with the performance of teenager Tom Barrass, who debuted in place of McGovern.
"The last quarter we needed him," Simpson said.
"If Schofield doesn't come up this week we're going to be pretty light on for talls. So it's good to get exposure in such a big game."
Eagles defender Xavier Ellis told AFL.com.au that Barrass was pretty happy pre-game when he heard Lance Franklin was not playing with the star Swan withdrawn due to a back problem.
"I think he did really well," Ellis said.
"As a backline collectively we work together. So we try to keep him out of one-on-ones. But when he was in a one-on-one he was on a dual Brownlow medallist (Adam Goodes) a couple of times and did really well."
Simpson said the players' belief in the defensive structures and game plan is the reason they continue to stand up despite the challenges of personnel.
"If you've got belief in what you do and you see some results I think things can get a bit of momentum and I've seen it over a number of years at different clubs," Simpson said.
"I feel like our players have got confidence and belief in what they do and that just keeps rolling onto itself. I don't think it's about what the game plan is. I think it's just they've got belief in it."
The win over the Swans keeps West Coast a game clear of Hawthorn in second spot on the ladder.
The Eagles are three games and percentage clear of Richmond in fifth and effectively need to win just three of their last six games to seal a place in the top four.
But Simpson said his focus remains firmly on the present.
"Nothing's changed from what we said during the week," Simpson said.
"Obviously our goal now is to finish as high as we can."
