WEST COAST reverted to contested, one-on-one football to smother Adelaide’s stars and run out 50-point winners at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night.

The 14.13 (97) to 5.17 (47) victory keeps West Coast’s season alive and snaps a seven-game losing streak.

It was veterans Andrew Embley, Chad Fletcher and Michael Braun who stood up and refused to accept a record equalling eighth consecutive defeat, playing with considerably more vigour than their opponents at every contest.

Embley, recently open about his disappointment at being dropped from the West Coast leadership group, let his actions do the talking when he kicked a running goal from outside 50m late in the third term.

Minutes later he laid a bone-crunching tackle to save a certain Adelaide goal and, from there, the Eagles were home.

In the final term the crowd was also treated to the first free kick resulting from the changed interchange rules. Second gamer Ryan Davis left the holding bay a fraction early as debutant Tim Houlihan came from the field.

Ivan Maric scored from the resulting 50m penalty, but fittingly crowd favourite David Wirrpunda, in his 200th match, cancelled it out moments later with a major of his own.

The Eagles had winners all over the ground with Matt Priddis (34 possessions) prolific while Matt Rosa (35) was able to find the ball and keep Crows star Simon Goodwin to 17 touches.

In many ways West Coast won the game by performing evenly themselves and targeting the Crows stars. Brett Burton was not sighted on Brett Jones while Adam Selwood largely sacrificed his game to destroy Andrew McLeod’s.

Both sides did everything they could to keep the other in the game early, combining to kick seven straight behinds.

Not even milestone man Wirrpanda could break the drought, spraying an open shot wide along the ground from directly in front.

But the 28-year-old made amends with relentless forward-line pressure to set up Chris Masten for his first AFL goal.

The Eagles started much better than the Crows, their forwards pushing hard up the ground while Embley, Fletcher and Rosa were heavily involved in setting up from the back half.

An hour-long heavy shower before the match could partly excuse the low-scoring opening but errors from both teams were telling, particularly for Adelaide, which despite going long and direct could not register a goal in the first term.

West Coast was relentless in the second half, its senior players controlling the ball through the middle while Josh Kennedy and Ben McKinley both kicked impressive goals - the latter an instinctive snap from an almost impossible angle.

The Eagles collected two disposals to each of Adelaide’s for much of the term on their way to a 33-point late lead.

It took a solo effort from Crows ruckman Ivan Maric to get the Crows first in time-on but his efforts there, and indeed around the ground, were in vain as Embley snuck forward to extend the margin to 34 points at the main break.

Both sides had opportunities to alter the margin in the third term but ultimately things would remain the same, both sides booting three goals five.

Nathan Van Berlo and Graham Johncock were opportunistic for the Crows but it was West Coast leaders Embley and Braun who stood up to hold West Coast's advantage.

Brent Staker declared West Coast's intentions to begin the final term, booting his first, and the home side didn't let the interchange muddle and Maric goal shake their resolve.

Wirrpanda's second and a first for Brad Ebert sealed the win with the former just fluffing a fairytale finish to the Indigenous Round clash, his set shot on the siren registering as a behind.

WEST COAST EAGLES 1.4   7.5   10.10   14.13 (97)
ADELAIDE 0.3  1.7   4.12   5.17 (47)

Goals
West Coast: Ben McKinley 2, Andrew Embley 2, David Wirrpanda 2, Dean Cox 2, Chris Masten, Josh Kennedy, Steven Armstrong, Brent Staker, Brad Ebert, Michael Braun
Adelaide: Ivan Maric 2, Nathan van Berlo 2, Graham Johncock

Best
West Coast: Andrew Embley, Matt Priddis, Chad Fletcher, Brett Jones, Matt Rosa, Brent Staker.
Adelaide: Scott Thompson, Nathan van Berlo, Graham Johncock, Ivan Maric.

Injuries
West Coast: Nil
Adelaide: Nil

Reports
West Coast: Nil
Adelaide: Nil

Umpires: L Farmer J Schmitt S Wenn.

Official crowd: 35,348 at Subiaco Oval, Perth.