THEY referred to it a "business trip", but whatever way they looked at it, it worked.
West Coast arrived in Melbourne prior to its week three clash with the Western Bulldogs and returned home to Perth a week later following its week four match against the Magpies.
And over that week, the Eagles went to work, returning home with two wins.
"We called it a business trip," West Coast coach Daisy Pearce said after the Eagles' 17-point win over Collingwood.
"Come over here, enjoy connecting and spending time together, and the unique opportunity it presented.
"But the biggest thing we were coming to do was go after two wins. For them to deliver on that, we're really proud of them."
It's the first time the Eagles have won consecutive games, while it's also the first time they've had three wins in a season.
Pearce was impressed with her young side's ability to perform on the road, considering it was their first interstate trip together.
"Their ability to work through their first interstate trip of the year, a young group on the road for the week, (it was a) different week. They took it all in their stride and went out and performed tonight, which was the most important thing," she said.
So what does an AFLW team do when they have a week in a hotel together in a different state?
"Had our horoscopes read, many times. That was the daily ritual in the morning," Pearce said. "Just hearing all the good or bad things, or both, that were going to happen to us.
"They're abnormal weeks. To go after it and try to create 'normal', we didn't think that was the best approach.
"We used the opportunity to spend time together, but respect that everyone prepares differently, and some will want to be yelling and screaming in the team room the whole time, and others need their personal space ... just trying to kind of strike that balance."
The improvement among the Eagles' playing group can be seen across the board, from young stars like Ella Roberts and week two Telstra AFLW Rising Star Beth Schilling, to mature-aged recruits Alison Drennan and Jess Hosking.
Pearce credits her team's growth to increased training standards.
"I think the biggest thing this year is the amount of people prepared to kind of put the work in and the consistency of our training has really improved," she said.
"Bringing experienced people in that kind of lift your overall training standard, and not waiting until round one until we kind of work out how to compete.
"Maybe in the past that's been left up to your 'Swannys' (Emma Swanson), and Dana Hookers, Kellie Gibson - experienced people driving that. Whereas now, we've added a few more in around them, and it kind of teaches those younger, really talented players how to work.
"I think that's probably been the biggest thing - the gap between those that always trained at a really elite standard, and those that are still finding their way in the environment, that's really closed.
"The penny's sort of dropping in that sense."
