West Coast is still searching for a four-quarter performance but coach Adam Simpson was pleased by his side’s resilience after another come-from-behind victory.
For the third-straight game the Eagles had to fight back from a significant margin to achieve victory, this time from 19 points down early in the third quarter against Carlton.
A withering second half burst of eight goals to two ensured West Coast’s sixth-straight triumph, an 11.6 (72) to 7.8 (50) victory over the plucky Blues, whose pressure and intensity was outstanding in the early going.
“We knew Carlton were going to come out and play like they did,” Simpson said post-match.
“They’re very good in the contest. Their pressure was elite and we struggled to stay in the game. Probably lucky we didn’t concede. We did at the start of the third. We didn’t handle their heat. But our backs did stand up, I think they kicked the first goal in 30 seconds (in the second half).
“We probably spent eight minutes defending and then it clicked a little bit. We won a few contests in front of the ball and we went into a pretty good space for probably half-an-hour and put the game out of reach.
“We’re a good side, but we’re no different to anyone else in terms of bringing intensity and playing four quarters – we’re still searching for that.
“It shows good resilience doesn’t it that we can come back, but I don’t know if we’re waiting, the teams we’re playing are playing really tough, hard footy so we’re getting hunted every week – just like we should be – and there’s no easy games.
“We’ll take this game and cherish it. It’s a win. We walk away really happy but … we need to get better.”
Simpson praised midfielder Dom Sheed after he broke the game open with two sizzling majors in the final term, with the Grand Final hero also racking up 26 touches and nine clearances.
“He was a reflection of our side. In the second half in particular our leaders stood up and he’s one of our leaders,” Simpson said.
“He’s developing well, he’s complementing our midfield well and he’s a midfielder who hits the scoreboard, which they’re gold.
“We’d like to get more goals out of our mids. Our forwards found it quite difficult at stages today.”
The Eagles are back in the top four after their seventh win for the season and face nemesis Hawthorn back at Optus Stadium next Sunday.
Star defender Jeremy McGovern (thumb) will be assessed again this week after missing the past three matches.
“Hoping this week. It’s a lot on how he’s feeling. He’s one of the bravest players I’ve ever coached, so if he’s not right, he’s not right,” Simpson said.
“When he feels comfortable he’ll play.”
