FLAT-TRACK bullies.
It was a crude tag thrust upon West Coast last season - and it does not sit comfortably with coach Adam Simpson.
The Eagles were simply ruthless against the league's minnows last year.
A 65-point win against the Western Bulldogs, a 93-point trouncing of Melbourne, a 111-point flogging of GWS and another 12-goal win against the Demons all demonstrated the Eagles' firepower.
However by the end of the season there was one glaring stat - West Coast had failed to beat a side that finished in the top eight.
That record proved costly, with the Eagles falling just one win short of a finals berth.
Simpson says his team shouldn't be ashamed of putting lesser lights to the sword, but he does want to see improvement against the competition's heavyweights.
"I don't get the flat-track bullies concept," Simpson says.
"I'd love us to win heavily against teams we should beat, and really challenge and push teams in the top half of the ladder.
"Definitely we've got to beat teams above us - that's our goal.
"But flat-track bullies - it's an irrelevant statement in my eyes."
Another area West Coast is desperate to improve is its home record.
The Eagles managed only six wins from 12 games at Subiaco Oval in 2014, a far cry from two years earlier when they were near unbeatable at the Perth venue.
Two years without finals action has left the Eagles twitchy, and hopes are high their barren run will end in 2015.
The retirement of premiership veteran Beau Waters was a big blow, but the loss of key defender Eric Mackenzie to a season-ending knee injury is disastrous.
Mackenzie has been a rock in defence for the past few seasons, and his absence will leave a major hole the Eagles will struggle to fill.
Another big concern is the fitness of forward Jack Darling, who could miss the opening month of the season because of a lingering foot injury.
Swingman Jeremy McGovern was initially set to fill the void left by Darling, but he might be needed down back instead following Mackenzie's injury.
Will Schofield and Mitch Brown will also need to step up massively.
The retirement of Dean Cox means Nic Naitanui will be thrust into the lead ruck role.
With a long-standing groin injury now behind him, don't be surprised if the 24-year-old displays the kind of form that saw him win an All Australian jumper in 2012.
Simpson's first year in charge of the Eagles was a topsy-turvy one.
A white-hot start to the year was followed by a mid-season slump.
West Coast finished the year strongly, but Richmond's upset win over the Sydney Swans in the last round killed off the Eagles' finals chances.
Simpson feels his group is better prepared to make a mark on the competition this year.
And he has put more responsibility into the players' hands to ensure success comes their way.
"It's interesting finishing ninth. You've got to talk improvement, you've got to talk finals," Simpson says.
"But there's no guarantees. There's probably seven or eight teams in the exact same spot as us.
"I think the difference between sixth and 14th is minimal. It could be one win.
"Just because we finished ninth last year, it doesn't mean we are next in line to play finals."
West Coast's midfield has bulked up over the summer in a bid to exert more influence around the stoppages.
And if they can turn Subiaco Oval back into a fortress, finals action beckons.
