It was a heartbreaking result, but Jeremy McGovern says the Eagles hardly feel down and out following their six-point loss to Richmond on Sunday.

Speaking to the media at Mineral Resources Park this afternoon, the three-time all-Australian defender said the team was feeling upbeat after its finals-like contest with the Tigers.

“Obviously (we didn’t) get the result, but we played well; we played hard,” McGovern said.

“It was a contested brand and we’re proud of the way the boys were cracking in all day. We take those sort of things out of it. There were a few minor hiccups here and there, but other than that I think we played pretty well.

“Even when we do win, it’s more about how you played. We look at it pretty consistently every week. I think our performance was pretty good, we just didn’t get the result.”

McGovern believed Sunday’s bout with the 2017 premiers would hold them in good stead for this year’s finals campaign and, more imminently, their crucial round 23 fixture against Hawthorn.

Both the Eagles and the Hawks will have plenty to play for at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

West Coast will be striving to secure their place in the top four, while Hawthorn are still a chance to feature in the September action with a win over the reigning premiers.

McGovern said he couldn’t wait for the contest to get underway.

“They’re a very good side,” McGovern said about the Hawks.

“We haven’t looked too much into them yet. We’ll be looking into them in the next couple of days, obviously their strengths and weaknesses.

“We want to finish as high as we can. For us to do that we need to win as many games as we can.

“We’ll be having that same mindset this week, of just worrying about trying to get the result against the Hawks, preparing for them at their best and whatever comes of that will come.”