WEST Coast can't afford to get carried away with Saturday's win over Greater Western Sydney as the focus quickly shifts to Friday night's blockbuster against ladder-leaders Hawthorn, defender Sam Butler says.

The Eagles triumphed over the Giants with the last kick of the game, when ruckman Nic Naitanui gathered the footy from a boundary throw in and snapped a left-foot goal as time expired.

The one-point victory lifts the club into sixth spot with a 14-6 win-loss record and keeps alive its bid for a top-four berth and double chance in the first week of the finals.

Butler said having Naitanui back in the team made everyone else better.

"Thank God we've got Nic," Butler said after the match.

"As with all good players, and I've been lucky enough to play with some great players over the years, you always walk a bit taller when they are out there.

"He's got the x-factor, if you want to put it that way, and showed it again today. His pressure when the ball hit the ground around stoppages was immense."

West Coast coach Adam Simpson was also full of praise for Naitanui, who finished with 45 hit-outs and 16 touches in his second game back since missing two months with a heel injury that required surgery.

"We can't rely solely on him but he helps us and his presence around the ball, he is like an extra midfielder for us," Simpson said.

"We are definitely a better team with him in it. I thought he was pretty good tonight."

While delighted with getting over the line against a top eight side on the road, particularly with the finals three weeks away, Butler said the review of the game would highlight plenty of things to work on ahead of the clash with the Hawks in Perth.

"I don't think we can get too carried away with winning, especially the way we won. I think there's a lot of things we need to improve," Butler said.

"They got a few goals out the back of us and sliced us open a few times, but I thought we fought pretty hard to defend.

"The game itself was a great game for both teams in terms of what we will both face in the coming weeks."