ESSENDON was dragged into a Saturday night scrap by a dogged West Coast but still found a way to bust the game open at Optus Stadium and return to the top eight with a 50-point win.

The Bombers were a long way from their best for the first three quarters and couldn't completely shake a rejuvenated Eagles team that responded to last week's horror performance against Hawthorn.

But the visitors broke their opponents in the final term and got to the line comfortably in the end, kicking five of the last six goals to win 14.12 (96) to 6.10 (46).  

EAGLES v BOMBERS Full match coverage and highlights

It puts Essendon back in the top eight for the first time since round six and firmly in the finals race at 6-5, underlining the significant improvements made under new coach Brad Scott after hitting the halfway point of last season at 2-9.

The Eagles, meanwhile, lost a club-record ninth game in a row for the third time in two seasons and will be up against it to stop that run and avoid a new record against Collingwood next Saturday.

It was also the Eagles' heaviest loss to the Bombers on home soil since 2001 and a fifth straight loss at home this season.

WA-product Nic Martin was brilliant against the team he trialled with three years ago, starring for the Bombers with 31 disposals, six inside 50s and 10 marks. 

Captain Zach Merrett continued a hot run of form with 32 touches and five clearances, while defender Mason Redman delivered exceptional dash with 31, four score assists and a goal.

Kyle Langford was the team's leading goalkicker with three, including back-to-back goals in the third quarter that put a gap in the game after the Eagles cut the margin to 21 points.

The Bombers found themselves in a contest through the first half and were dragged down a level as a result, dominating clearances in the first quarter (12-3) but failing to get the rest of their game in motion.

West Coast's pressure was a feature early and it was typified by Connor West's chase down tackle on Ben Hobbs late in the first quarter when Essendon was in a position to go inside 50.

Still, the Eagles let themselves down with skill and decision-making errors at critical points, while the Bombers were able to edge their way to a 23-point lead at the main break when Jake Stringer converted after the siren.

A six-goal-to-two second half made the win appear more comfortable than it was, but winning ugly is necessary on the path to September and the Bombers have better performances they can point to.

West Coast star Oscar Allen was terrific in attack with four goals, while defenders Liam Duggan (35 and four rebounds) and Jayden Hunt (34 and seven) worked hard to create.

The stability provided by returning senior players Shannon Hurn (27 and 10 marks) and Elliot Yeo (24 and five clearances) was obvious and, combined with the improved effort, should raise hopes that there are better days still ahead this season for the Eagles.

Martin delivers his annual reminder to Eagles
Essendon midfielder Nic Martin trained under the nose of West Coast's coaches and list team during the 2020 pre-season, but the club opted not to give him a chance as a supplemental selection. Three years on and the Subiaco product is stacking quality performances together, including two against the Eagles. The 22-year-old had 20 disposals and kicked 2.2 in last year's clash against West Coast and he was even better on Saturday night, finishing with 31 and six inside 50s.   

What to do with McDonald-Tipungwuti?
Essendon forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti's return to the game this season was one of the feel-good stories of the year, and he was always going to take time to rediscover his brilliant best after a year out. The question for the Bombers is how do they help him achieve that, and can he do it while in the senior team at the moment? McDonald-Tipungwui has kicked four goals from six games this season and went goalless for the second straight week on Saturday night. A game-changer at his best, he finished with six disposals and the Bombers will be looking for ways to get more out of the 30-year-old.  

The wheel starts to turn for Eagles
If last week's 116-point loss to Hawthorn was the low point, this felt like the start of the recovery for West Coast as senior players returned and non-negotiables were met. The ability of Hurn to hit contests hard and stand up in tackles made the Eagles look more stable, and Yeo was able to rotate in centre bounces, winning five clearances. It gave Adam Simpson the confidence to even throw his best defender, Tom Barrass, into attack briefly as an experiment. The move was aborted after three quick Essendon goals, but expect it to happen again once Jeremy McGovern returns. 

WEST COAST        2.3   4.5    5.9    6.10 (46)
ESSENDON           4.1   8.5   11.6   14.12 (96)

GOALS
West Coast: Allen 4, Waterman, Petruccelle
Essendon: Langford 3, Hobbs 2, Snelling 2 Menzie 2, Redman, Stringer, Perkins, Draper, Guelfi  

BEST
West Coast: Allen, Hunt, Duggan, Kelly, Hurn, Yeo
Essendon: Merrett, Martin, Redman, Draper, Langford, Ridley 

INJURIES
West Coast: Edwards (concussion), Sheed (leg)
Essendon: Nil

LATE CHANGES
West Coast: Callum Jamieson replaced in selected side by Xavier O’Neill
Essendon: Dylan Shiel replaced in selected side by Nick Bryan

SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Greg Clark (replaced Luke Edwards at half-time)
Essendon: Massimo D’Ambrosio (replaced Nick Bryan in the third quarter) 

Crowd: 39,269 at Optus Stadium