The sizeable difference between West Coast’s best and worst football this season must be narrowed with more consistency across four quarters, starting in Sunday’s RAC Derby, according to gun forward Jack Darling.

After dissecting what went wrong in a nightmare loss in Geelong, the Eagles’ attention has shifted towards facing an in-form Fremantle side.

The Dockers (4-2) sit in seventh spot on the AFL ladder after notching three-straight victories, while West Coast has slipped outside the top eight to 10th with a 3-3 record.

Both teams are undefeated in their three games at Optus Stadium this season, setting the scene for a ferocious contest between the crosstown rivals.

“Our best is pretty much the best in the competition but our worst at the moment is the worst in the competition,” a candid Darling told 6PR.

“By the sound of things, Freo has been pretty steady, putting up pretty consistent performance.

“We’ve got to be at our best this week for four quarters and it will be a great match.”

The 52nd RAC Derby could see the return of champion bookends Josh Kennedy (ankle) and Shannon Hurn (calf), in what would be the latter’s club record-breaking 291st appearance in blue and gold.

In his 16th season, Hurn remains at the top of his game, which is of no surprise to Darling given the 2018 premiership captain’s diligence with his preparation.

But in the twilight of his stellar career the 33-year-old defensive stalwart has also turned more attention to helping develop the Eagles’ next generation.

“’Bunga’ has been great. He’s a great leader. He leads by example during the week,” Darling said.

“No shortcuts with ‘Bung’, he does all the work and makes sure he builds that barrier of confidence during the week so when he goes out on game day he knows he’s giving himself the best chance to perform at his highest ability.

“He’s a great example for all the young guys coming in and he keeps everyone accountable really.

“He’s a fun guy. Since he lost the captaincy his jokes have improved, he’s just really enjoying his time and he’s pretty funny to have around the club.”