While pressure set up the 17.14 (116) to 12.11 (83) victory, quick and efficient ball movement made it look all the more impressive in an attractive game of football that West Coast controlled from late in the first term.
Three straight Bulldogs' goals in the final quarter gave the home fans a scare, but the Eagles held on and responded to the mid-week warning issued by coach John Worsfold in the best possible fashion.
Just like Port Adelaide a fortnight prior, the Bulldogs were stunned by West Coast's pressure, giving up an early lead they never reined in to eventually record their first loss for the season.
Dean Cox was colossal for the Eagles, with 31 hit-outs and 25 touches – many of which were forward of centre.
Daniel Kerr (29 disposals and eight clearances), along with Matt Priddis (27 and six) and Brent Staker (20 and six) were impressive, while David Wirrpanda was a stabilising defensive presence with 28 classy touches.
Will Schofield played his first game for the season and shut down dangerous Bulldog Lindsay Gilbee.
Shaun Higgins continued his great form with four goals for the Bulldogs, but he was playing a lone hand up forward.
Matthew Boyd (30 possessions) and Jason Akermanis (26) fought hard all day, but the Bulldogs looked tired in their second match at Subiaco Oval in a month.
In the opening term, West Coast rewarded the loyal crowd that turned out after last week's 97-point loss to St Kilda with its best quarter of football for the season.
The Eagles took a page out of the Bulldogs' stoppage play book, working the ball into space swiftly with handball and going inside 50 a massive 21 times to the Bulldogs' eight in the opening term.
They ran harder through the middle, with Adam Selwood driving the early momentum. Adam Hunter, Kerr, Quinten Lynch and Mark LeCras all kicked early goals for the home side.
After being dropped from the side mid-week, Ben McKinley was a late recall for the injured Chad Fletcher, and kicked a long goal from outside 50m after the siren to send West Coast into the first break 20 points clear.
Selwood didn't miss a beat in the second term, booting West Coast's first within two minutes to give his side a 26-point lead.
Boyd and Daniel Cross got involved in the second term to arrest the Eagles' momentum, while Ryan Griffen and Brad Johnson got on the scoreboard.
However, McKinley showed that defensive pressure is indeed part of his repertoire, a great chase on the wing setting up LeCras' second goal, which gave West Coast a 19-point break at half time.
The third quarter saw a further lift in pressure from both sides as the Bulldogs fought to hold on, but West Coast outdid its first term effort to break well clear.
Kerr hunted the football with a killer instinct, racking up 13 third-term touches in a head-to-head battle with Boyd.
Higgins and Boyd booted goals to keep the visitors in touch, but West Coast's big forwards were getting on the end of fine work by the midfielders, and began to assert their dominance.
It was a high-scoring term, but Eric Mackenzie's defensive effort to smother a certain Nathan Eagleton goal late in the quarter was the highlight.
It prevented the Dogs booting two straight goals to see out the term and protected a 34-point three-quarter time lead.
Matt Rosa's long-range effort five minutes into the final term all but sealed the win, and despite the Dogs kicking three straight goals to reduce the margin to 22 points at the 18-minute mark, Wirrpanda and Staker kicked deserved late goals to extend the final margin.
West Coast Eagles 6.4 8.7 14.11 17.14 (116)
Western Bulldogs 3.2 5.6 9.7 12.11 (83)
GOALS
West Coast Eagles: Hunter, Lynch 3, LeCras, McKinley 2, Embley, Hansen, Kerr, Rosa, Selwood, Staker, Wirrpanda
Western Bulldogs: Higgins 4, Boyd 2, Gilbee, Griffen, Hill, Johnson, Lake, Ward
BEST
West Coast Eagles: Cox, Kerr, Selwood, Priddis, Wirrpanda, Staker, Schofield
Western Bulldogs: Higgins, Boyd, Akermanis, Hargrave, Cross, Picken
INJURIES
West Coast Eagles: Chad Fletcher (groin) replaced in selected side by Ben McKinley
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Kennedy, Sully, Hendrie
Official crowd: 37,758 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
