WEST Coast might sit 14 spots above Carlton on the ladder, but coach Adam Simpson insists the Eagles will take a siege mentality into "one of the biggest" games for the season against the resurgent Blues.
Caretaker coach David Teague has transformed the one-time wooden spoon contenders since taking over from Brendon Bolton, winning five of his seven matches at the helm.
ALL THE TEAMS Check 'em out
Whereas two months ago the Marvel Stadium clash might have seemed a percentage-boosting opportunity for West Coast, Simpson is now warning of a hostile environment against a hard-edged Carlton outfit.
The Eagles will welcome back skipper Shannon Hurn (calf) and won't rest any stars amid a dogfight to keep hold of second spot and the right to a home qualifying final.
"We're going as hard as we can. We see this game as one of the biggest of the year for us and no doubt for Carlton," Simpson said.
"They’ve won three in a row, there will be 45,000 there, so it's going to be backs against the wall type of stuff for us, so we're really looking forward to it but we're anticipating a pretty heavy contest.
"They'd probably sit top two or three if you had the ladder over that period (from) when David took over.
"We're really clear how good Carlton are going."
Shifting veterans Marc Murphy and Ed Curnow back into the engine room to support superstar captain Patrick Cripps has been one of Teague's key moves.
But the former Eagles assistant has also released the shackles, and Carlton has averaged 87 points – 20 more than in 11 games under Bolton this year.
"I think some of the good work that Brendon has done throughout his tenure is also reflected in some of the performances the players have had with David," Simpson said.
"There are some differences, though. I think he's openly said they're a forward half pressure side, they've opened the game up a little bit with their ball movement, but the biggest thing we've seen is the contest.
"The clearances, contested ball, tackles – all those little things around the contest are the things we've seen.
"More likely than not that it's because they've put their bigger bodied players back on ball, so it hasn't been too complicated, but it's pretty obvious it's worked."
Find In the Game on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify
The Eagles are considering recalling tagger Mark Hutchings from a hamstring strain to combat Cripps, although Elliot Yeo, Jack Redden and Jackson Nelson are other options.
Young defender Liam Duggan will play 80 minutes in the WAFL coming back from a syndesmosis issue, while small forward Jamie Cripps is expected back against Adelaide in round 21.
The Eagles could be back to full-strength next round, except for Nic Naitanui.
The star ruckman is set to test his ankle injury by resuming running in the coming days as he attempts to keep his finals dream alive.
"We haven't had any backward steps at the moment, so that's positive," Simpson said.
