Loss to Carlton would be a kick in the guts
Jack Darling says a loss to Carlton would be unacceptable
The Eagles have lost to Port Adelaide and Geelong in the last two weeks and Darling believes another loss at the hands of the struggling Blues at Etihad Stadium would unacceptable.
"It would be a kick in the guts," he said.
"It's the sort of game we should get the job done. Obviously we're going to be a bit sour about the Port defeat and we'll come out really hard."
The 14-point loss to Port Adelaide left a bitter taste due to the Eagles wasting opportunities in front of goal.
West Coast coach Adam Simpson blamed the goalkicking rather than a lack of run in last quarter for the Eagles' demise and Darling was a major culprit.
He and the usually reliable Josh Kennedy kicked 3.8 between them on Saturday night.
But the 21-year-old sharp shooter was not too concerned about the Eagles' goalkicking in general.
"It was just an off night, I think," Darling said.
"It's just one of those things. I hit the post a couple of times and ended up with 2.3 - 4.1 would have been nice.
"I'm pretty comfortable with my routine. I back myself in. Obviously in a game a bit of fatigue could contribute to it, but it's just the way footy goes sometimes."
West Coast faces a nervous wait ahead of the Match Review Panel's findings this week with captain Darren Glass' hit on Port forward Chad Wingard sure to come under intense scrutiny.
The bump has been a grey area in the AFL this season, with some coaches instructing their players not to bump at all.
Darling said Adam Simpson had not mentioned it to the Eagles players, and he sais he doesn't worry about it during games.
"It's not in my mind at all," he said.
"Obviously if I feel like I'm going to give away a free kick or if someone has their head down I try to get out of the way - that's the way I look at it."