WEST Coast coach Adam Simpson has praised the Eagles' players and the home crowd for their handling of an extremely emotional night at Domain Stadium.

No one quite knew how the occasion was going to play out, given it was Adelaide's first match since the death of Phil Walsh.

The 38,000-strong crowd gave the Crows a standing ovation when they entered and left the arena, and observed the pre- and post-match moments of silence in impeccable fashion.

WATCH: Simpson pleased with Eagles' attack

Simpson said the night was "bigger than football" and that the crowd made it even more special.

"It was emotional," he said.   

"The crowd, the WA people, were first-class with the way they handled the night and I am sure the Adelaide Football Club would appreciate what they did too.

"You could tell it was different. In the post-game (circle) it was very emotional out there and that will live with everyone for a long time."

Emotions run free on a night when there were no losers

Eagles captain Shannon Hurn said it was a match that he would remember forever.

"What the crowd did, to have 40,000 people maybe, there was no noise. Normally there's a little bit of a murmur, but there was no noise," he told AFL.com.au.

"It's just one of those things that was really well done and hopefully it was a pretty good game in the end."

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West Coast remains second on the ladder after the 56-point win over the Crows, with a vital clash looming against Collingwood at Etihad Stadium next Saturday afternoon.

However, Simpson said he hadn't thought about the Magpies yet. The Eagles are three games clear of Collingwood and two games clear of Richmond

The Eagles have equalled the 11 wins they achieved last season but the coach said they would not discuss finals until they had locked away their place in September.

"Our original goal was to improve on last year and we haven't done that yet," Simpson said.

"So we'll set the agenda when we need to but at the moment we haven't guaranteed a spot in the finals. We won't change our course until we need to."

Crows and Eagles players and coaches observe a moment's silence after the game. Picture: AFL Media