WEST Coast's finals hopes are still alive after the Eagles destroyed a floundering Collingwood by 60 points on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles blew the Magpies apart to add further intrigue to the finals race, winning 19.12 (126) to 10.6 (66) in front of 36,458 fans at Patersons Stadium.
The home side produced a blitzkrieg for the second week in a row as their midfield ran riot over a Magpies outfit that allowed them unfettered access to the centre corridor all afternoon.
The Eagles gathered 85 more disposals for the day with five players collecting 30 possessions or more.
Matt Priddis starred with 42 disposals and a goal, while Andrew Gaff (34 disposals) and Luke Shuey (32 and a goal) supplied 12 inside 50s to the Eagles' tall timber up forward as Scott Lycett and Jack Darling benefited with four goals each.
"We wanted to hunt today," Eagles coach Adam Simpson said.
"It was to continue that theme. It is not too complicated.
"It felt like we won the contests that mattered."
The Magpies had few winners with not many four-quarter contributors outside of Dayne Beams (35 disposals), Scott Pendlebury (33) and Steele Sidebottom (31).
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said his side's effort was deplorable.
"We got smashed at contested ball," Buckley said.
"We had some high possession getters, but they were directly opposed to high possession getters from the opposition. It's not all about offence."
Travis Cloke managed just one goal and that came when his conqueror Eric Mackenzie left the ground under the blood rule in the last quarter.
The Eagles bolted out of the blocks and dominated the opening term.
It started at the stoppages with the much-maligned West Coast midfield winning 19 clearances to eight. There was very little pressure applied on the 17 inside 50s and the Eagles talls Josh Kennedy, Lycett and Nic Naitanui supplied four of the six goals.
Xavier Ellis was subbed out of the match in the opening term with a shoulder injury following a heavy hit after he courageously ran back into a pack.
The two midfields rolled the dice in the second quarter paying scant attention to each other. The Magpies star runners started to have an influence with Pendlebury, Beams and Sidebottom combining for 35 touches and two goals to cut the margin to 17-points at half-time.
But that was as close as Collingwood got.
Lycett's third goal came courtesy of the first centre clearance of the second half and he kicked his fourth just two minutes later.
The Eagles' dominance was summed up in a coast-to-coast goal from a kick-in that required just 14 seconds, five uncontested possessions, and the ball never deviated from the centre corridor.
They kicked six goals to one for the term to lead by 48 points at the last change.
The procession continued in the final term with Darling kicking three goals for the quarter and Priddis adding a goal to cap off a best on ground performance.
The Magpies have lost six of the last eight and are in danger of missing the finals with matches to come against Brisbane Lions, Greater Western Sydney and Hawthorn.
On the other hand the Eagles could come from the clouds to feature in September if results go their way. They sit just a game outside the eight, with a healthy percentage, and matches to come against Essendon, Melbourne and Gold Coast.
WEST COAST 6.5 9.7 15.10 19.12 (126)
COLLINGWOOD 2.1 7.2 8.4 10.6 (66)
GOALS
West Coast: Lycett 4, Darling 4, Kennedy 3, Naitanui 2, Shuey, Cripps, Cox, Hill, Brown, Priddis
Collingwood: Kennedy 2, Beams, Sidebottom, Broomhead, Reid, Dwyer, White, Elliott, Cloke
BEST
West Coast: Priddis, Butler, Shuey, Gaff, Darling, Mackenzie, Masten
Collingwood: Beams, Pendlebury, Elliott, Sidebottom, Reid
INJURIES
West Coast: Ellis (shoulder)
Collingwood: Dwyer (hamstring)
SUBSTITUTES
West Coast: Dom Sheed replaced Xavier Ellis at quarter-time
Collingwood: Clinton Young replaced Sam Dwyer during the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Farmer, Schmitt, Hay
Official crowd: 36,458 at the Patersons Stadium
