HAVING to rely on other round 23 results to have a shot at playing finals is a "crap position" to be in for West Coast, but star utility Elliot Yeo concedes the Eagles only have themselves to blame.
The ninth-placed Eagles are still a mathematical chance of finishing in the top eight, although their finals hopes could be dashed by the time they farewell Domain Stadium against Adelaide on Sunday afternoon.
West Coast's best opportunity appears to hinge on Collingwood knocking over Melbourne on Saturday, which would give the Eagles a chance to leapfrog the Demons on percentage with a big enough win over the Crows.
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Otherwise it could come down to crosstown rivals Fremantle, which is coming off consecutive 104-point floggings, springing a massive upset against Essendon in Sunday's early game at Etihad Stadium.
Either way, the Eagles almost-certainly need to beat the League-leading Crows in the last AFL game at the old Subiaco Oval.
"I think most of the boys know what we need to get into the eight," Yeo said.
"It's one of those things that we'll just have to wait and see and it's a crap position to be in.
"But I suppose that's how it all unfolds and we've got ourselves to blame in terms of dropping games that we probably should've won throughout the season."
The Eagles' season could be over by the time they run out to face Adelaide, in what would then be the farewell matches for retiring Brownlow medallists Matt Priddis and Sam Mitchell.
If West Coast's final match is meaningless, Yeo doesn't want to know.
"I wouldn't like to have any idea at all, purely based on the fact that regardless of that (Essendon-Fremantle) result I'd still go into the game wanting the win," Yeo said.
"I'm a pretty competitive bloke and I hate losing.
"To come away after the game before us thinking about and knowing the outcome might have a bit of a negative effect."
West Coast hasn't won consecutive games since round eight and nailbiting losses to the Giants, Demons, Saints, Gold Coast and Collingwood look like costing the club dearly.
But if fortune favours them and the Eagles sneak into the top eight, Yeo insists they wouldn't just be making up the numbers.
"If we beat the Crows and we do end up getting into finals we'll go in pretty confident in the finals series knowing that we've taken it up to GWS," he said.
"All the boys are pretty up and about and ready for the fight this week.
"I think we are strong enough to be able to match it to the top teams, it's just that we've fallen away in the dying stages of the last quarter.
"Our consistency has probably been why we're in the position we are on the ladder now."
