WEST Coast has snapped its 16-game losing streak in thrilling style with a morale boosting five-point win against North Melbourne at Optus Stadium that will ease pressure on the embattled club.

Following a nightmare period for the last-placed Eagles, which has seen scrutiny on the team and its leaders reach fever pitch, the players delivered the circuit breaker that has been desperately needed with a 10.12 (72) to 10.7 (67) win.

It also represented an overdue reward for the 38,231 fans who turned up on Sunday and have remained loyal through the club's lowest on-field period and a record losing run.   

EAGLES v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The result extends North Melbourne's own losing streak to 17 games, with the club's last win coming against Fremantle in round two as they end round 20 equal with the Eagles on two wins but significant percentage ahead of their last-placed opponents. 

The Kangaroos mounted a final-quarter fightback from 32 points down but couldn't kick the last goal needed to snap their own losing run, with premiership Eagle Elliot Yeo winning an important contested ball in the middle of the ground to seal the win.  

It sparked the type of celebrations that have not been seen all season at a West Coast game as the crowd erupted on the final siren.   

It remains unlikely the Eagles will move from the bottom of the ladder without another win or drawn match, leaving them in prime position to secure pick No.1 ahead of a difficult finish to the year.  

The loss for North Melbourne ended coach Brett Ratten's 0-10 tenure in charge of the club – which included several near misses – with Alastair Clarkson set to take charge again from Monday. 

The key to victory for West Coast was an ability to give its forwards the supply that has been missing all season with 60 inside 50s (well above a season average of 43.2), then locking the ball in with a massive 26 tackles inside 50 to North Melbourne's five.  

Cripps laid a team-high five alongside his seven score involvements in a terrific performance, while Tim Kelly (26 disposals and seven clearances) was the midfield leader as the Eagles' senior players stood up.

The Eagles were outstanding early, building a 31-point lead early in the second quarter after a run of six unanswered goals built on confident ball-movement and hard tackling when they didn't have it. 

North Melbourne small forward Paul Curtis reignited the match with four goals in the second quarter to cut the half-time margin to just seven points.

Three unanswered goals in the third term showed the Eagles were up for the challenge as midfielder Kelly took charge in the middle with 10 contested possessions for the quarter and Cripps proved influential.

Kangaroos forward Nick Larkey, who had been well held up until the final term, kicked two goals in the final-quarter fightback before some magic from Harry Sheezel in the pocket set up Luke Davies-Uniacke to move the visitors just seven points behind at the 22-minute mark.

Sheezel and Curtis both missed chances in the dying minutes before Yeo intervened with a defensive mark and a contested ball that sealed an emotion-charged win. 

Darling's hot start
One of the constant frustrations with premiership forward Jack Darling this season has been his lack of impact early in matches. Just twice since round three has he kicked goals in the first quarter, and you have to combine his previous four first quarters to match his 10 disposals in the opening to Sunday's clash against North Melbourne. He was taking marks at full back, linking up through the midfield, and baulking around star Luke Davies-Uniacke to set up teammate Oscar Allen's first goal. It was an emphatic statement that suggested Darling has more to give as a senior presence during the Eagles' rebuild, at least in the short term.

North stoppage domination
The Kangaroos produced their second-best contested-ball quarter of the season in the second term (41-30) and dominated the clearances to get themselves back in the game. It was Davies-Uniacke, Jy Simpkin (five contested possessions) and Todd Goldstein (six) who did the damage, with the ruckman and Simpkin also winning four clearances for the term to get their team back in the game. Davies-Uniacke finished with an equal game-high eight clearances, with the Kangaroos winning the indicator 46-33.

Ratten hands back the keys
Sunday's narrow defeat was the Kangaroos' fourth by eight points or less during Ratten's 10 games in charge in a period that has seen some progress made despite the 0-10 record. North missed from winnable positions against Sydney (three points), Essendon (six) and St Kilda (eight) before Sunday's result. Ratten stepped up from a part-time role in North Melbourne's time of need and finishes on 198 games as a senior coach, having led Carlton (120 games) and St Kilda (68) before landing with the Kangaroos. He has little ambition to get back into the hot seat permanently but was a stabilising presence with the Roos.

WEST COAST                  4.2   7.5   10.11   10.12 (72)
NORTH MELBOURNE      1.1   6.4    6.4      10.7 (67)

GOALS
West Coast: Cripps 2, Allen 2, Hunt, Hewett, Darling, Long, O'Neill, Petruccelle
North Melbourne: Curtis 4, Xerri 2, Larkey 2, Davies-Uniacke, Turner  

BEST
West Coast: Kelly, Hunt, Williams, Cripps, Hurn, Allen, Darling
North Melbourne: Davies-Uniacke, Sheezel, Curtis, Simpkin, Goldstein, Scott

INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
North Melbourne: Goater (knee)

SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Elliot Yeo (replaced Rhett Bazzo in the second quarter)
North Melbourne: Jack Ziebell (replaced Josh Goater in the third quarter)

Crowd: 38,231 at Optus Stadium