A three-pronged tall forward line was a threat in round one but West Coast will likely tinker with its mix of big men throughout the season, according to coach Adam Simpson.

The Eagles’ size in attack troubled Gold Coast on Sunday, with Oscar Allen (four goals), Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling (two apiece) combining for eight of the side’s 12 majors.

Back-up ruck Nathan Vardy also chipped in with an important juggling mark and goal in the final term.

The Eagles pulled down 14 grabs inside 50 to the Suns’ five, and controlled the aerial battle with 15-8 contested marks – including a game-high three for full-back Tom Barrass.

While Allen had a career-best day in front of goal, the versatile youngster was still used in defence and could continue to pinch-hit in the ruck this season as Simpson works through the side's best balance every week.

“Last year he spent a lot of time second ruck and that takes a lot of energy as well, and we know we can go to that if we need to and we’re still working whether three talls will work every week,” the coach told Channel Seven.

“But he’s definitely holding up his end, he’s a genuine threat up there.

02:38

We'd knew they'd have a go: Simpson

Senior coach Adam Simpson joins Channel 7's Basil Zempilas to discuss the aftermath of round one

“It was a pretty open game. I think both sides used the ball pretty well.

“I’m not sure if every game is going to look like that but I think both teams took around 130 marks and I think we had 33 tackles.”

A crowd of 38,493 fans braved the heat to attend at Optus Stadium in round one – the biggest home attendance for the Eagles since the 2019 elimination final win over Essendon – and Simpson said the coaches and players relished the atmosphere.

“We had 38,000 yesterday which was fantastic, you could really feel the difference,” he said.

“Really enjoy playing in front of our crowd and I’ve said it before, the home ground advantage is nothing without our supporters, so appreciate everyone turning up.

“Hopefully we get more next time we play.”

Jack Darling soars for a mark

The Eagles travel to face the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium this Sunday in their first away trip to Melbourne since the 2019 semi-final loss to Geelong.

Skipper Luke Shuey could return for the following round’s blockbuster home game against Port Adelaide following a slight hamstring strain.

“It’s a very, very minor hamstring,” Simpson said.

“It’s how we bring him back in, when we bring him back in. it will be in the next week or two.”