WEST Coast coach Adam Simpson insists the Eagles' season isn't a lost cause despite his team looking set to limp into the finals.
Last year's grand finalists put in a disappointing display against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday, dropping to a 19-point loss in a defeat that could cruel their top-four hopes.
A win would have entrenched the Eagles' spot as top-four contenders and extended their run to six consecutive victories, but Collingwood was far too strong, overcoming West Coast in key areas such as disposals (411 to 322), contested possessions (150 to 117), clearances (47 to 28) and tackles (119 to 89).
WATCH: Adam Simpson's full post-match press conference
Simpson described the loss as a "blow" to the Eagles' year but refused to write-off the club's campaign with another month in the home and away season to play.
"We've got to be confident [we can turn it around]. We've got to be optimistic, but there's also the sense of reality too. We have to work our way through it, [as] individuals and as the collective," Simpson said after the defeat.
"It's all in front of us. Our group's mature, but not to the levels where we're consistently delivering week-in week-out performances that keep us in the hunt with the better sides.
"The excitement of the season and what it presents and where we sit should be still there. It's not a lost cause."
Simpson said it would be too simplistic to say the Eagles' midfield concerns lay solely on the absence of star ruckman Nic Naitanui, saying his team "got exposed" with skill errors and their inability to seize chances throughout the game.
The Eagles fell to a 17-point deficit at half-time but were able to cut that to two points at the final change.
Five talking points: Collingwood v West Coast
A Jamie Cripps goal early in the final quarter saw West Coast hit the lead, but Collingwood's wave of midfield runners was too much to contain for the Eagles, who then conceded five of the last six goals of the game.
Simpson said the loss had probably been coming despite the Eagles' run of five wins preceding the Collingwood clash.
"I'm more concentrating on our mindset and the ability to play our way rather than the ladder position. Obviously we haven't been playing at our best and it was probably on the cards to a certain degree that some of the numbers in the past few weeks were not heading in the right direction," he said.
"Today we got exposed in that area."
Naitanui will be "pretty close" to returning for next week's game against Fremantle after nearly being selected to face the Pies. He has not played since round 12 while nursing an Achilles injury.
Simpson said the Eagles must rebound quickly with their top-eight position appearing a formality but not yet completely locked in.
"The season's still alive, so our ability not to give up and to still fight for the season has got to be as strong as it ever has," he said.
"We spoke about opportunity before the game, and where we're at and where we sit. That hasn't changed, it's still very much alive. But we've got to get our heads around what we need to work on.
"Every game's big for us, we're still fighting for a top-eight spot. We're still excited about what's in front of us but we've got to get going, and today we didn't for anywhere near long enough. That's a fact."
