WEST Coast has climbed off the bottom of the ladder in thrilling style, surviving a late charge from Essendon to win a rollicking Friday night shootout at Optus Stadium by 10 points to snap a nine-game losing streak.
Led by five-goal star Josh Kennedy, the Eagles flicked a switch offensively and kicked their highest score for the season, winning 16.11 (107) to 14.13 (97) and saluting in front of their home fans for the first time in 2022.
The match looked settled when Kennedy booted his fifth goal 21 minutes into the final term, but back-to-back goals from the Bombers left them with a fighting chance late.
Key defender Tom Barrass took a clutch mark in defence in front of Bomber Peter Wright to steady his team, with the crowd of 40,933 erupting on the siren after a season starved of that winning feeling.
Equally disappointing this season, the Bombers undid the ground made up in an impressive win against St Kilda last week with a worrying performance in which they were picked apart.
After breaking away to a 22-point lead early, they fell victim to a West Coast team that had nothing to lose and played on at every opportunity, with their forwards feasting as a result.
Kennedy bagged his best return since 2020, while Willie Rioli and Jamie Cripps had excellent games with three each, and Jack Darling booted two, with the Eagles kicking 100 points for the first time since round nine last year.
They wound the clock back with their incredible efficiency, losing the inside-50 entries 58-42 but kicking accurately, including a 10.0 run through the middle stages of the match.
As accurate as the Eagles were through periods, the Bombers wasted their chances, with the dangerous Wright booting 4.4.
It meant their advantage in the midfield, where Dylan Shiel (26 and nine clearances) and Zach Merrett (28 and seven inside 50s) fought hard, was wasted after a strong start.
The Bombers' forwards looked like being match-winners early, with Jake Stringer booting two long-range goals, while Wright did as he pleased in the first quarter, finding the many gaps in the Eagles' backline.
Late goals to spearheads Darling and Kennedy, in what was turning into a tall forward shootout, gave the Eagles some momentum though and they kept it going in the second term.
Their efficiency inside 50 and accuracy was most pronounced in the second quarter, going into attack 12 times for 6.0 compared to the Bombers' 16 entries for 2.5.
Essendon controlled the stoppages and dominated contested ball, but it couldn't convert that advantage on the scoreboard and allowed the Eagles to bounce too easily out of defence.
It was the tale of the night, when one bottom four team enjoyed a pressure release and another left with an unwanted spotlight now on it.
WEST COAST 3.3 9.3 13.6 16.11 (107)
ESSENDON 5.5 7.10 10.13 14.13 (97)
GOALS
West Coast: Kennedy 5, Cripps 3, Rioli 3, Darling 2, Ryan 2, Waterman
Essendon: Wright 4, Stringer 3, Guelfi 2, Martin 2, Jones 2, Perkins
BEST
West Coast: Kennedy, Rioli, Cripps, Yeo, Shuey, Darling, Duggan
Essendon: Shiel, Merrett, Stringer, Wright, Kelly, Martin
INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Essendon: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Alex Witherden (unused)
Essendon: Brayden Ham (unused)
