BRISBANE was pushed in the west but drew on its premiership class to win a sixth straight game on Saturday night, beating West Coast by 24 points at Optus Stadium and keeping its grip on a top-four spot. 

The Lions were jumped early and trailed by 21 points in the opening quarter, but they dug in and turned the game in a six-goal third quarter before kicking on to win 13.15 (93) to 10.9 (69).    

EAGLES v LIONS Full match coverage and stats

The important win moves the back-to-back premiers into third temporarily and ensures they will stay ahead of an in-form Adelaide in the top four by the end of the round if Hawthorn beats Richmond on Sunday. 

While the match might have been tighter than the visitors would have liked at times, they largely controlled terms through their uncontested marking and their stars' ability to stand up at big moments, with inaccuracy playing a role in the final margin. 

For the third time in three weeks, West Coast showed it can make life very difficult for a more talented opponent with a gritty, high-pressure game style, but a lack of polish continued to cost Andrew McQualter's young team.   

Midfielders Will Ashcroft (32 disposals and seven clearances) and Lachie Neale (32 and five) were consistent forces, while Josh Dunkley (28 and seven tackles) did a power of grunt work. 

Co-captain Harris Andrews (22 and 12 marks) stood up to take several important intercept marks, while livewire forward Kai Lohmann did maximum damage with four goals, with Charlie Cameron adding two.   

Levi Ashcroft and Cam Rayner stepped up at important moments in the final term when the Eagles were still in striking distance, finishing the game with back-to-back goals. 

Harley Reid was terrific for the Eagles and overcame an ankle scare in the opening quarter, with the young star getting his foot caught awkwardly after Noah Answerth collected him with a late hit in the midfield. 

The Eagles' prodigy then slipped in the dugout and sat out the majority of the opening quarter, returning to finish with 23 disposals and 10 clearances in a hard-working performance that continues his excellent season.  

Spearhead Jake Waterman booted five goals, while Jobe Shanahan was a strong aerial presence with three goals and six marks. Mid-season recruits Oliver Francou and Marcus Herbert continued to impress with 22 disposals each. 

The match got off to a strange start, with West Coast forward Jack Hutchinson suffering a hamstring injury while marking in the forward pocket but choosing to take his set shot, with the 24-year-old missing his attempt and heading to the bench with his night done. 

The Lions looked ominous when they went coast-to-coast moments later for Eric Hipwood to kick the opening goal of the game, but the Eagles' tall forwards rose to get the game on their terms and spark a five-goal run. 

Waterman and Shanahan booted two goals each, while Milan Murdock launched from 50m to add another as the Eagles took it up to the Lions all over the ground, doing it with Reid on the bench for more than half the quarter.  

Lohmann flew over Logan Morris and Rhett Bazzo to take a brilliant mark, cutting the margin to 15 points at the opening break, with inaccuracy otherwise costing the Lions. 

Neither team found much flow in the second term, with the Lions able to control the ball with uncontested marks but again missing chances and booting 2.4 for the quarter as Lohmann and Conor McKenna booted goals. 

West Coast worked hard but lacked polish, with Rising Star contender Willem Duursma providing a burst of class with a brilliant 45m snap after a calamitous build-up that was full of missed handballs, sprayed kicks and fumbles. 

The home team led by seven points at the main break, but there were red flags in the Lions' ability to double their uncontested marks (52-26) and control field position with a weight of inside 50s (35-20).  

The Lions made their move in the third, kicking six goals to two as the gap in skill became clear. Where the Eagles' miskicks cost them chances, the Lions moved the ball the length of the field repeatedly. 

Among their run of goals, Neale found himself unattended at the back of a forward 50 stoppage to snap accurately, while Lohmann launched a set shot from 50m, with Cameron breaking free for two goals in the term. 

The Eagles' key forwards continued to keep them in the game, however, by taking their chances, with Reid racking up 12 disposals and four clearances in a massive quarter that kept the margin to 16 points at the last change.  

West Coast was in the contest when Waterman cut the margin to 11 points at the start of the fourth, but it was the Lions' class again that kept the home team at arms' length, with young midfielder Levi Ashcroft kicking a brilliant goal off two steps. 

Rayner held his ground in an aerial contest and was collected high by West Coast captain Liam Baker, converting his set shot to seal a hard-earned win for the back-to-back premiers.   

Harley floored by the dugout   
Noah Answerth did the initial damage when he collected young star Harley Reid with a late hit in the opening quarter, and the West Coast dugout finished the job. Reid's ankle was hurt in the Answerth collision, forcing the 21-year-old to the bench for assessment after his left foot was caught under Answerth's boot. While he was on the bench, however, he took a fall and looked like doing more damage, spending most of the opening term on the bench as a result. There were long conversations with high performance manager Phil Merriman and some tests on the boundary before heading to the rooms at the first break. It didn't look good for the powerful onballer, but eight minutes into the second quarter Reid returned, to the cheers of West Coast fans. Answerth was placed on report for his late hit, but he didn't appear to collect Reid high. 

WEST COAST                    5.2   6.4   8.7   10.9 (69)
BRISBANE                           2.5   4.9   10.11   13.15 (93)   

GOALS
West Coast: Waterman 5, Shanahan 3, Duursma, Murdock
Brisbane: Lohmann 4, Cameron 2, L.Ashcroft, Bailey, Hipwood, McKenna, Morris, Neale, Rayner 

BEST
West Coast: Reid, Waterman, Shanahan, Bazzo, Francou, McCarthy 
Brisbane: W Ashcroft, Neale, Lohmann, Andrews, Dunkley, Bailey

INJURIES
West Coast: Hutchinson (hamstring) 
Brisbane: Nil 

Crowd: 41,560 at Optus Stadium