WEST Coast coach John Worsfold is putting no blame on his younger players for the five-point loss to the Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night.

After trailing all game, the Eagles had the sniff of victory when they took a slender lead at the 20-minute mark of the fourth quarter only for some poor decisions in the final minutes to see the Swans fight back.

An error by defender Eric Mackenzie gifted Kieren Jack possession and the Swans midfielder kicked the goal that put his side back in front.

Instead of dwelling on the negatives, Worsfold said he was pleased with the continued emergence of his younger players.

"I thought Eric played a good game and it was a good effort from him to get up for this game," he said, referring to the 20-year-old's calf injury.

"And his progression has been outstanding. So we’ll wear the fact that young players do make errors and it’s certainly one of 100 things in the game that we want to do better at, and we’ll keep working on that."

Worsfold hinted at some frustration at letting a season-defining victory slip but praised the side's efforts against hardened opponents playing a pressure game.

"We were behind most of the night but the boys never gave up," he said. "It’s disappointing but the effort in the last quarter to want to win the game was outstanding.

"It (the pressure) was there all night but in the end there was a kick in it.

"[I'm] pretty pleased with a lot of the efforts of a lot of our players and where we’re at in terms of what we’re working on and where we can get better."

Worsfold also acknowledged the contribution of Scott Selwood and Adam Cockie, as well as the perseverance of midfielder Matt Priddis (thigh) to emerge from an injury cloud during the week.

"When those young players that we talked about get to 30 or 40 games, we've already seen the massive difference that makes in the likes of Rosa, Hurn and LeCras," he said.

After three wins from eight games, Worsfold added that his team was measuring itself harshly on its ladder position but would be "awesome" once a number of players gained more experience.

Asked whether the finals were still his aim, Worsfold was unequivocal.

"Of course it is. We don’t give up. We’re going to keep fighting."

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