WEST Coast's rebuilt midfield faces its biggest challenge yet on Saturday at the MCG, but the group will enter the first qualifying final against Collingwood with confidence after a year of dramatic improvement under assistant coach Scott Burns.

Burns, a 264-game midfielder with the Magpies, took over the Eagles midfield at the start of 2009, inheriting a talented but unproven group of youngsters, with a handful of senior players around them.

Two tough seasons followed, but Burns' faith in the group mirrored that of senior coach John Worsfold and West Coast's rapid rise up the ladder this year has catapulted the 36-year-old into the senior coaching market.

Ruckman Dean Cox believes Burns has been a crucial factor in the Eagles' emergence as a leading stoppage team, also having a "massive influence" on the team's broader game plan.

"I don't think he'll mind me saying he wasn't blessed with pace, he was just a really hard worker, and I think that's what he's tried to bring to our midfield group," Cox told afl.com.au this week.
 
"His vision and the amount of time that he spends looking at the opposition, he does a very intense job with that.   

"He's probably the reason we're doing quite well at stoppages.

"He certainly loves watching vision and passing on information and probably just trying to break down opposition strategies. He's got a great footy brain."

Burns is seen as a leading candidate for the vacant Adelaide coaching position, but he has baulked at declaring his intentions while the Eagles are involved in this year's finals series.

Undoubtedly the Eagles' overall improvement and top-four finish has led to Burns' quick emergence as a prospective senior coach, but his work with the club's midfielders must also have played a big role.

Of the senior players, Andrew Embley, Matt Priddis and Cox have been named in the 40-man All Australian squad after terrific seasons.

Meanwhile, Scott Selwood has emerged as a respected run-with player and Luke Shuey, who finished runner-up in the NAB AFL Rising Star Award, has enjoyed an outstanding season.

Burns, however, has drawn most satisfaction from Matt Rosa's development this year, with the 24-year-old taking his game to another level and playing an important role at stoppages. 

Cox said it was players like Rosa, who will miss Saturday's clash with Collingwood as he recovers from a knee injury, who had prospered in clear roles under Burns.   
     
"He (Burns) recognises players who are really attacking and damaging and then players just to play their role," Cox said. 

"Every player has specific stoppage roles that they've got to perform through a game, and then they change from week to week as well.

"There's been a heap of work put into these young kids and now they're seeing the rewards for all of Burnsy's knowledge that he's passing on.

"I think he's been a huge asset."

The ruck combination of Cox and Nic Naitanui has been a major reason behind the Eagles' rise this year, but 2009 and 2010 were seen at West Coast as crucial grounding seasons for the midfielders when injuries forced the club to use key forward Quinten Lynch in the ruck.

Burns declined to be quoted on the development of his midfield, but he did say that the defensive stoppage set-ups learned in those years out of necessity had been important in 2011.

Against star Collingwood midfielders Scott Pendlebury, Dane Swan and Luke Ball, they are strategies that will surely come into play on Saturday, but Cox said the Eagles would not take a negative mindset into the game.

"I think what we've done this year is perform well at clearances and score from stoppages, so I don't think we can solely focus on what Collingwood do," he said.

"We spent a lot of time over the pre-season trying to work through a heap of strategies and set-ups that we thought would work come finals.

"That's what you build everything on through the home-and-away season, making sure that they do stand up when finals come. 

"We've got a great blend of attacking midfielders and defensive-minded midfielders, and that's what you're going to need, especially against Collingwood."

Nathan Schmook covers West Coast news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_NSchmook