Having been tipped by the vast majority to miss the eight, West Coast are homing in on a grand final berth.
Their defeat of Richmond on Sunday has the club a game clear on top of the ladder with their current eight-game winning streak the best since 2005.
Before the season began, when Champion Data (the AFL’s official stats supplier) crunched all its projected numbers, it had the Eagles finishing 12th.
It has been a remarkable, pundit-defying turnaround.
With eight wins already in the bank, a top-two finish is within reach, and with it the possibility of a qualifying and preliminary final at Optus Stadium.
Across the past five seasons, the average number of wins for the second-placed team at the end of the home-and-away season has been 16.8.
The Eagles’ remaining six home games – against St Kilda, Essendon, Greater Western Sydney, Western Bulldogs, Fremantle and Melbourne – all look highly winnable, as does the Round 23 encounter against Brisbane at the Gabba.
That would give the club 15 wins, with further away games against Hawthorn, Sydney, Adelaide, Collingwood, North Melbourne and Port Adelaide.
Strangely, West Coast’s only loss has come at home, Sydney winning the opening round encounter by 29 points.
The Eagles have posted away wins at Etihad Stadium, the MCG and the Sydney Showgrounds, albeit against a trio of teams that were struggling or injury riddled.
The club’s gameplan has undergone a dramatic change this season.
Last season, the club averaged 214 kicks and 163 handballs per game. This season, the numbers stand at 231 and 129 respectively. It has become a game of meterage this season with a more direct style and increased urgency in getting the ball inside 50.
And it is within that arc that the club has had its most stark improvement.
Jack Darling has been a revelation and would be one of the first chosen if an All Australian side was selected after nine rounds.
Slightly too young to qualify for the 2009 draft, he was touted early as a prospective number one pick the following year, however some off-field incidents saw his currency drop.
The Eagles ended up taking him at number 26. The talent was always there but consistency, despite over 150 games, was lacking prior to this season.
Currently, he sits second behind Nat Fyfe in the AFL Coaches Award voting and in a similar position in the race for the Coleman Medal, three goals shy of North’s Ben Brown’s 31 goals.
Darling’s hard lead-up footy and pack marking has been a feature of his game. He leads the league in contested marks (30), is third in the competition for total marks (74), and ranked second in score involvements (77).
With dual Coleman medallist Josh Kennedy sidelined until Round 4, Darling was the primary go-to big man inside 50 at the start of the year, a fact that the coaching staff would have been focusing on through the pre-season.
He relished the opportunity, kicking 9.1 through the first three weeks against a career average of 1.9 goals.
On Sunday, against the Tigers, he kicked a career-high six goals.
Immediately upon his return, Kennedy kicked five goals against Gold Coast and has kicked 18 in his six games to date, although in recent weeks he does not appear to be as smooth in his movements.
Mark LeCras, who looked well past his best for the bulk of last season, has rebounded in style, booting 18 goals through nine games. If the 2010 All Australian continues to average two goals a match it will be an invaluable contribution alongside the two power forwards.
Livewire rookie Liam Ryan had an immediate impact, slotting seven goals in his first three games before going down with injury.
Two other first-year players, Willie Rioli and Jake Waterman, have also contributed up forward, while Jamie Cripps continues to combine goals with solid defensive pressure.
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The slicker ball movement and greater reliance on kicking has seen West Coast increase their inside-50 entries – last season the club was ranked 13th while this season they sit fourth.
Down back, Jeremy McGovern continues to rule the air, with his 23 contested marks bettered only by teammate Darling across the league.
Skipper Shannon Hurn is heading toward a potential maiden All Australian guernsey. He is repeatedly used as a link coming out of defence – he has the second highest number of marks in the league – with his accurate long-distance kicking providing a springboard into the forward half.
The defensive unit also looks to transition through Lewis Jetta, whose pace and effectiveness by boot can also hurt the opposition.
Interestingly, despite the return of Nic Naitanui, the Eagles are barely in front of their clearance count from last season – 38 vs 37 – but the disposal efficiency is superior.
The team’s leading clearance players are reigning club champion Elliott Yeo, Luke Shuey (currently sidelined with injury) and Jack Redden, who in his third season with the club, and tenth in the AFL system, is having by far his best season.
Andrew Gaff has become more of an inside player and leads the side in disposals.
The midfield is being overseen by four-time Hawthorn premiership player, Sam Mitchell. After one season on the ground with the club, he has transitioned into the coaches’ box and his impact on the players at the coalface cannot be underestimated.
Around the ground, the likes of Dom Sheed, Liam Duggan, Tom Barrass and Tom Cole have all continued on an upward trend.
Heading into Round 10, the Eagles are chock-full of confidence and self-belief and they have every right to be. They have laid a launching pad that can quite conceivably take them to the last weekend of September.
Jungle Jim
Guest
Whaaaat? they just played the Tigers and Hawks, what does being challenged properly even mean? The Eagles are now playing out full quarters and come home hard in 4th quarters. They've been challenged in most ways already - The Tigers 2nd qtr, they withstood the repeated inside 50 waves for an entire quarter then came back and dominated. They're hardened to playing tight scrappy ugly games away, close games yet controlling them and pulling away in last qtr. They've played many good games with full pressure for 4 quarters - that's footy, how footy should be played and how most teams should be playing, expect nothing less.
Jungle Jim
Guest
Exactly Mattician6x6! = a lot of punters just wheel out the same tired cliches about Eagles and don't seem to have adjusted to this team. I'm not saying or crowing that Eagles will win premiership, I am saying this is the team that can do it, the team most likely of Eagles teams! also this will be a sustained run from this club.
Jungle Jim
Guest
apologies MR.X...post was intended for GLENN!
Jungle Jim
Guest
Jonboy you missed my point, they don't need their best 22, Eagles have good depth, have covered top names out against good teams. without NN, Gov, Kennedy, Shuey, whatever-another steps in and plugs the gap.
Jungle Jim
Guest
MR.X - I didn't mention winning a flag. you're making presumptions and you generalise, do your homework. that's exactly why most punters and media speculators got it so wrong this season, lazy journalism and cliches, no research. I'm fully aware of the other contenders, we can only play the team in front of us each week regardless of position or injuries. We just beat the Hawks away=9 wins straight. 6 wins to go, how many home game left = 6, say we win 2 from 6 away games. do the maths, it's not hard. Injuries can derail a finals run, but we have good depth and the names I mentioned are tier 3 players, most have upside. Contenders? = Tigers, Demons, Swans, Crows are all tough gigs. Cant' win at the G? We've won 4 away games including the Hawks. This is a different team. You're not seeing it? no sweat...
Jungle Jim
Guest
Mckinnes came in and played his role well recently. Am talking about Oscar Allen, has much upside-wait and see. Brander and Vardy are very good. Rotham and Bayok are underdone. Karpanny could be on the outer. my point is that these are are tier 3 players. Our tier 2 players have all gone to another level and played their roles.. and would get a gig at other clubs. We have arguably 10 elite players distributed evenly amongst forward, mid and back. We have very good depth now.
JellyCup Jim
Guest
Mckenzie is returning after the bye..
JellyCup Jim
Guest
they just beat the hawks and are 2 games clear now..
Don Freo
Guest
Now that's the case.It wasn't last time you were rabbiting on. You wanted Strnadica and Hughes. It surprises me but it is a good selection. Great that Hill's calf is good again. Freo has been too young. Nyhuis was lost last week so a bit of experience, reinforcing instructions is really important. Pearce's game two weeks ago was good. Should see a solid Freo win.
Jonboy
Guest
Wrong again Don.....your Quote 'Pearce won't play unless Hill doesn't come up' Well Hill is up and in and so is the old bloke Pearce and Giro is out.
Doctor Rotcod
Guest
Mackenzie may be back after the bye...
Don Freo
Guest
There is so much of which you are unaware. Giro is named too. It is a squad of 25. Ross has already said that the only change is likely to be Hill in for Crowden. If Hamling doesn't come up, there will be one more. Pearce won't play unless Hill doesn't come up.
Jonboy
Guest
Wrong again Don ,check the lists today D. Pearce Is named for Freo..... North is named for Peel...... You just miss the most simplest things. H.B. could not run out of sight in a week
Don Freo
Guest
Hughes is not tall enough to do Johnson's job. North can't replace Pearce, Pearce is playing at Peel. Strnadica is fast and Ballas is slow? Well...that says it all.
Jonboy
Guest
You are really clueless it is quite simple Giro to replaceBallantyne Hughes to replaceJohnson Hill to replace Crowden North to replace D.Pearce. Strnadica could even come in for slow H.B. We need another tall up front. Plenty of smalls to go through there, Anon is 100% right Lyon history is pumping games in to old non performers and he is still doing it. Lyon is stagnating the club.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Don Freo
Guest
No games being 'pumped' into Pearce. He has filled in once. Giro has only been available for 3 games in his career and he has already been named this week. An 18 year old having only played 3 games at WAFL level is already getting an AFL game. You might be missing something there. You want tall, hulking ruckman, Jones, to play ahead of Ballas in a forward pocket or running around in defence in place of Johnson? Maybe you want defender, Hughes, to play in the midfield or up forward. Hughes' spot is taken by Ryan, Wilson and Stephen Hill. Which would you drop? Know your team, JonBoy. I am certain this isn't your team...you just don't know anything about its players.
Jonboy
Guest
Anon. Your right, and Lyon is still pumping games into Ballantyne,Johnson and D. Pearce this year at the expense of Youth Noteably Giro, Jones and Hughes who should come in this week.Even Sheridan and Sutcliffe experienced and young are better options.
Doctor Rotcod
Guest
Easy has turf toe? They've certainly stocked up on forwards,but their next batch backs,Nelson Watson and Cole to carry them onward.Might pick up a decent pick from Carlton or Saints for Allen. And on that,it looks like their trade period won't be as lucrative to other teams as previously thought
User
Roar Rookie
You'll have to wait deep into September, thing you might find is like all good sides wce used the match against blues to fine tune and adjust certain things, I'll happy stand by two things, game was over a 3 quarter time and regardless of accuracy 29 scoring shots is representing of a side dominating play, now you are obviously a Carlton fan and Vic and think its part of some cliché narrative when its far from that and if you research a little deeper you will notice the victory was comprehensive.