ADAM Simpson's next challenge to his West Coast players after a dominant Western Derby win is to overcome critical injuries on the road and build on their first four-quarter performance of the season.
The Eagles won all four quarters for the first time this season, winning their 11th straight Western Derby despite a raft of backline injuries that required young star Oscar Allen to switch into defence.
A proud Simpson said his players had got back to playing their roles and executing their system, but it would not be enough to only stand up at their Optus Stadium home.
"I'm proud of the players but the challenge is if we can do that consistently home and away and it starts next week against Hawthorn," the coach said.
"It’s not about winning every week … if you’re off a little bit, you can get hurt a lot.
"I’d just love to see us play our best version of what we look like as a team. And if we’re not good enough, that’s fine, that’s football. But trying to play near our best, win or lose, that’s our goal every week."
The move of Allen into defence this week proved critical with Jeremy McGovern (groin) and Tom Barrass (shoulder) sidelined.
With second-game defender Harry Edwards outplayed by opponent Matt Taberner in the first half, Simpson was able to switch Allen to the key Docker and hold him goalless after the main break.
Barrass is "less likely" to return next week against the Hawks, meaning Allen could be set for more time in his secondary role.
EAGLES v DOCKERS Full match coverage and stats
"We were going into this game yesterday with him in the forward line, but just losing Shannon (Hurn) probably tipped the scales," Simpson said.
"We’ve got to weigh up the Hawks and what they can produce with their young forward line. They’ve got lots of talent, and (Jack) Gunston is back in the side.
"We’d love to have 'Ozzie' (Allen) forward, but if we need him back, we’ll play him back."
Hurn is set to miss the Hawks clash after a re-injuring the calf that has kept him unavailable for three weeks in the final minutes of Saturday's captain's run.
"The scans suggest it’s just a recurrence. So very minor. I think he missed three weeks last time, so it will be a two or three-week injury," Simpson said.
For Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir, Sunday's loss was a "reality check" for the young Dockers, who had too many passengers and were outplayed in the contest.
They defended poorly, Longmuir said, and succumbed to West Coast's pressure in a one-sided third quarter.
"It was a bit of a reality check for us to be honest," the coach said.
"I never thought after winning three in a row that we were the end product. We had too many inconsistent players today against a side that just had even contributors all over the ground.
"We need to get better in the contest as a team, we can't rely on too few, and we need players under pressure to execute their roles better."
Longmuir said defender Ethan Hughes, who was substituted out of the match in the second quarter, would require scans to determine the extent of a shoulder injury.
He was confident Heath Chapman would be fit to face Brisbane next Sunday after requiring treatment on his own shoulder complaint, while Luke Ryan would be "touch and go" after missing with a calf injury.
The backline setbacks were no excuse, however, for a performance that would have left supporters frustrated.
"I understand your disappointment. I wouldn’t have wanted to sit there and watch what they would have watched in the third quarter and second half," Longmuir said.
"There's no sugar coating it. We need to get better as a club and a team. That starts Tuesday when we get back to the club."
