The 12.18 (90) to 13.4 (82) victory gave the Eagles their third win of 2009 but they didn’t have it all their own way and may have lost Daniel Kerr for an extended period with a groin injury.
The margin never stretched further than the 19-point lead West Coast held early in the fourth quarter and there were periods in the third where Melbourne looked like notching a courageous win.
It took senior Eagles Adam Selwood (22 possessions), Dean Cox (23) and David Wirrpanda (24) to hold the visitors off in an even performance that was more gutsy than accomplished.
The Eagles had plenty of chances in front of goal, but were wasteful. Mark LeCras was the best forward on the ground with 4.6, while Brad Miller booted three for the Demons.
Further up the ground Melbourne was well served by the superb Nathan Jones (27 possessions), Cameron Bruce (33) and Brent Moloney (30), while seven-gamer Jamie Bennell showed the pace and dare that threatened to break open the game at times.
The Demons may still be anchored at 1-6, but the performance of Cale Morton (34 touches) along with Bennell, Addam Maric and Ricky Petterd, who booted two late pressure goals, would also give coach Dean Bailey plenty of encouragement.
The close, entertaining and draining contest that eventuated seemed unlikely 14 seconds in, when Ben McKinley opened West Coast's account.
It proved a false dawn for West Coast fans, with the term producing just three goals: two for the Eagles and one for Melbourne.
The Dees were applying plenty of pressure but couldn't get any reward on the scoreboard; just the one major through Maric.
Jared Rivers didn't help the visitors' cause either when he delivered a kick-in after a behind directly to LeCras 20m out. The savvy Eagle converted and sent West Coast into the first change nine points clear.
The game turned on its head in the second quarter, with Melbourne starting to send the ball inside 50 with more purpose.
Bruce lifted and kicked his first inside a minute, but second-game Eagle Adam Cockie outdid him with a super snap on the boundary two minutes later.
The Eagles kicked on to a 15-point lead and the Demons' senior players needed to lift.
Jones, Moloney and Brock McLean knew it and they started winning the tough footy and sending it forward cleanly to Miller.
The big centre half-forward booted three straight goals in a four-minute period to give Melbourne its first lead of the day.
But while Miller was on fire, Rivers was taken off the ground on a stretcher after running back for a mark in defence and being met front on by Eagle Josh Kennedy.
With James Frawley also nursing an adductor strain, the visitors were two men down, but just four points split the sides at half time.
Russell Robertson, who had been well held by Darren Glass, got away for two goals early in the third term and Melbourne found itself 11 points clear.
However, the Eagles had their own small forward playing tall and LeCras booted two goals of his own in a seesawing term that ended with West Coast 15 points clear but far from home.
Melbourne continued to threaten in the last quarter through Petterd, but Glass stood tall in the crucial contests and the Eagles held on to notch a nervous win.
West Coast 2.4 7.7 11.12 12.18 (90)
Melbourne 1.1 7.3 10.3 13.4 (82)
GOALS
West Coast: LeCras 4, Hunter 2, Cockie, Cox, McKinley, McNamara, Masten, Selwood
Melbourne: Miller 3, Maric, Petterd, Robertson 2, Bartram, Bruce, Bate, Jones
BEST
West Coast: Selwood, LeCras, Glass, Cox, Wirrpanda, Masten, Hurn
Melbourne: Jones, Bruce, Moloney, Miller, Morton, Bennell
INJURIES
West Coast: Eric Mackenzie (calf soreness) replaced in selected side by Will Schofield, Matt Priddis (thigh) replaced in selected side by Scott Selwood, Daniel Kerr (groin), Adam Cockie (ankle)
Melbourne: James Frawley (adductor), Jared Rivers (ankle)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Dalgleish, Schmitt
Official crowd: 35,209 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
