FINALS are back on the agenda for West Coast with coach Adam Simpson turning his attention to another cutthroat match against Essendon next Saturday at Etihad Stadium.

 

The Eagles have miraculously put themselves back in the race for September with a second consecutive victory over a finals contender.

 

The dismantling of Collingwood by 60 points at Patersons Stadium on Sunday has left the Eagles one game out of seventh spot with a healthier percentage than Essendon, Collingwood, Gold Coast and Richmond.

 

Only Adelaide has a higher percentage of the six teams that sit between seventh and 12th on the AFL ladder with three rounds remaining.

 

If the Eagles win each of the last three against the Bombers, Melbourne and Gold Coast and the Magpies lose just one of their remaining matches, West Coast will play finals barring some extraordinary percentage swings for its rivals.

 

Simpson said finals were not a realistic aim after the Eagles beat Adelaide last week but now it's potentially within reach.

 

"We have just got to keep winning every week," Simpson said.

 

"Every week is our potential last week of being available for finals. So, a six-day break, Essendon on the rebound over there, that is the next challenge for us."

 

Simpson believes his side has played its best football of the season over the past two weeks, partly because the pressure of qualifying for finals had been lifted.

The run home: Who will make the finals? 

"Maybe the pressure valve got released a bit a few weeks ago thinking that the season was over and that released the shackles a bit," Simpson said.

 

"This is the test for our group now, to see how much of this is real. Going into the game I am sure the players were thinking how much of last week was a one off or is it a sign of things to come or is it something we can do consistently.

 

"We will have a good crack at doing the same thing next week."

 

Simpson said the Eagles will have a very light week on the training track as they prepare for the Bombers. 

West Coast already has an extensive injury toll and it may be further compounded with Xavier Ellis (shoulder) and Mark LeCras (calf) unlikely to be available this week.

 

"We're now at the stage where we've got not many coming back in and one or two going out most weeks," Simpson said.

 

"So we're in maintenance. We're a bit sore but there's plenty of energy there. They're really keen to get on with it and recover well and move on."