WEST Coast will enter its first finals series since 2007 on the back of seven consecutive wins, demolishing Adelaide by 95 points at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night in a match that at times resembled a training run.

With fourth spot on the ladder already secured, the Eagles didn't back off in their final September tune-up, building a 54-point half-time lead and eventually winning 22.13 (145) to 7.8 (50).

Coach John Worsfold refused to rest key players or let his team flirt with form, despite the match being inconsequential to final ladder position, and his midfield fired.

Ruckmen Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui, who shape as key players against Collingwood in the first qualifying final at the MCG next Saturday, combined to give West Coast a 59-46 edge in hit-outs.

At ground level a long line of midfielders capitalised, with Andrew Embley the pick of a big bunch with 33 possessions (12 contested), eight inside 50s and a goal.

The Eagles had eight multiple goalkickers, and at the other end of the ground captain Darren Glass, who has barely been beaten in a fine season, held Taylor Walker to two goals, both of which came in the final quarter. 

The only injury concern to come out of the match was to versatile defender Ash Smith, who was subbed off late in the second quarter as a precaution with a hamstring complaint.

In that context, half-back Sam Butler made a timely return to the team, winning 18 possessions and displaying his customary poise distributing the ball out of the back half, particularly early. 

If the Eagles were hoping to fine-tune their forward ball movement, they had plenty of opportunities, building a 59-36 edge in inside 50s against a listless opposition.

The home team's run, superior ball-use and relentless defensive pressure were all features and it would be hard for Worsfold to pick faults in his team, which is still to welcome back star midfielder Daniel Kerr.

Adelaide midfielder Scott Thompson finished a strong season with 40 possessions, but he had no support as the Crows ended their worst ever season with seven wins. 

The crowd of 36,062 didn't want the celebrations to end as their team prepares for a remarkable finals appearance, but the final siren couldn't come quick enough for the Crows, who conceded eight goals to three in a final-quarter rout.

Influential players
Having a long line of midfield contributors will be key to West Coast's finals chances and there were up to nine Eagles who spent regular time in the centre on Saturday night to great effect.

Embley stood out, but Chris Masten (27 disposals and two goals) who produced his second straight strong game, Luke Shuey (26, eight clearances and two goals) and Matt Priddis (12 clearances and 12 tackles) weren't far behind.

You can add Scott and Adam Selwood to the mix too, with the latter spending more time in the midfield for reasons Worsfold preferred to keep in-house.

With finals spots on the line, the Eagles simply didn't have passengers on Saturday night, while no Crow other than Thompson could assert himself on the match.   

What it means
West Coast enters its first final in four years on the back of a 95-point win, while Collingwood prepared with a 96-point loss to Geelong on Friday night. Still, the Magpies will be heavily favoured in next Saturday's first qualifying final.

The Eagles form in winning 12 of their last 13 games, however, deserves closer scrutiny. In that period they have won the clearances in 10 matches and the inside 50s and contested possessions in nine. 

With Naitanui in devastating centre square form and providing regular game-breaking heroics forward of centre, the Eagles cannot be discounted against the Pies. 

Selection for the club's first final in four years will be intriguing, with an unlucky player bound to make way for Kerr, who is recovering from back soreness. Matt Rosa is also on the verge of returning from a knee injury and Worsfold was confident the much-improved midfielder would be available for selection against Collingwood.  

For Adelaide, caretaker coach Mark Bickley, who declared his intentions to apply for the senior job, didn't help his chances on Saturday night. The current favourite for the position, West Coast midfield coach Scott Burns, had a big say in that with his line responsible for orchestrating the heavy defeat. 

The Crows won three of their last six games for the season under Bickley, and they improved their stoppage operations significantly in that period after ranking last in the competition for clearance differential between rounds one and 18.

Still, the club's ninth heaviest defeat was a rotten way to end a forgettable season.

QUARTER BY QUARTER
FIRST QUARTER
Despite heavy rain during the first few minutes, West Coast was applying large amounts of pressure. But it couldn't make its opportunities count on the scoreboard until Mark Nicoski kicked the first goal of the game 17 minutes in. The Crows struggled to clear the ball from their defensive half and were made to pay when Brad Ebert booted the Eagles' second. Adelaide was scoreless at quarter-time after lacking intensity and struggling with its disposal.
West Coast by 17

SECOND QUARTER
Nic Naitanui continued the Eagles' strong start with an easy goal just a minute into the quarter. But the Crows responded when Kurt Tippett finally registered their first score of the game after three minutes. That rare bright spot for Adelaide started a West Coast onslaught, as the hosts kicked seven of the next eight goals. The Eagles dominated the first half, with 31 inside 50s to 18 and 45 marks to 29. Nicoski went to the break with three goals while Adam Selwood had 20 disposals.
West Coast by 54

THIRD QUARTER
The Crows showed more intensity to start the quarter and were rewarded when Bernie Vince kicked an early goal. An incredible goal off the ground from Naitanui and majors to Mark LeCras and Scott Selwood shortly afterwards saw West Coast recapture its dominance. Graham Johncock's goal briefly halted the Eagles' momentum but Luke Shuey provided a quick response. Despite an improved quarter from Adelaide, the Eagles went to the final change in total control.
West Coast by 65

FOURTH QUARTER
LeCras booted his second goal just 20 seconds into the quarter. A free kick to Taylor Walker then saw the Crows get just their fifth goal for the game soon after. Scott Selwood quickly responded with his second before a pair of majors to Dean Cox and Quinten Lynch took the margin beyond 80 points. Adelaide couldn't compete in the final term but Scott Thompson's goal provided a rare highlight. Late goals to Lynch, Selwood and Chris Masten capped off a commanding win.
West Coast by 95

Next week
West Coast: Collingwood (MCG)

DREAM TEAM HIGHLIGHT
West Coast: Midfielder Andrew Embley ($312,700) was one of several Eagles to impress and had 126 points. Ruckman Dean Cox ($367,700) also performed well with 125.
Adelaide: Scott Thompson ($415,800) was one of few to stand out for the Crows, finishing with 128. The next highest was Nathan van Berlo with 98.

West Coast       2.5   10.6   14.9     22.13 (145)
Adelaide   0.0   2.0   4.4   7.8  (50)

GOALS
West Coast: Nicoski 3, Lynch 3, S Selwood 3, Naitanui 2, Shuey 2, LeCras 2, Cox 2, Masten 2, Kennedy, Embley, Ebert
Adelaide: Walker 2, Tippett, Petrenko, Vince, Johncock, Thompson

BEST
West Coast: Embley, Shuey, Naitanui, Cox, Priddis, Masten, Glass
Adelaide: Thompson, van Berlo, Douglas, Johncock

INJURIES
West Coast: Smith (hamstring)
Adelaide: Armstrong (ankle)

SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Ashley Smith replaced by Andrew Gaff in the second quarter
Adelaide: Tony Armstrong replaced by Matthew Wright at half-time

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Farmer, Dalgleish, McInerney

Official crowd: 36,062 at Patersons Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs