WEST Coast may have lost the battle to Richmond in one of the games of the season on Sunday, but premiership coach Adam Simpson believes all is not lost and his side can still win the war in September.

The Eagles missed a golden chance to move into the top two when they fell to a narrow six-point loss to the Tigers and now have to win next week and have other results go their way if they are to host a qualifying final at Optus Stadium.

But Simpson isn't concerned about the permutations and combinations that may occur and said the only thing he is worried about is getting the Eagles' premiership defence back on track against the Hawks.

"We are not thinking about anything else apart from winning next week," Simpson said.

"I am not worried about the machinations and I don't do the ladder predictor.

"We just want to qualify as high as we can and at the moment (finishing in) the top four is our goal."

A victory over the Hawks will clinch a double chance for the Eagles, but a loss could see the reigning premiers drop as low as fifth.
Simpson said the fact so much can change during the final round shows the evenness of the competition, but he knows his side remains in the mix for back-to-back flags.

"I don't know where we can finish, but I do know top four is locked in if we win so we will get on with it as quickly as we can.

"It's been like that all year … you are not sure what is going to happen week to week.

"There have been so many twists and turns this week, let alone this season and that's why we can't ride that wave as there is just too much to do."

The Eagles lost chief stopper Mark Hutchings to a hamstring injury during the opening quarter of Sunday's clash and also had a host of other key players nursing sore bodies after the bruising contest.

Experienced defender Will Schofield – who was a late withdrawal on Sunday – looms as a possible replacement for Hutchings should the tagger miss the round 23 match against the Hawks, while Simpson remains hopeful that his other sore players will be fit.

"We have got a game in six days so we haven't got time to be sore," he said.

"We have just got to get on with it as we are still fighting for that top four spot.

"We will have a crack at the Hawks and see how we go."