IT WASN'T pretty, but West Coast has solidified its spot in the top eight with a 49-point win over the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon. 

The Eagles booted seven goals to one in the second quarter to fuel the 20.11 (131) to 12.10 (82) victory, with Josh Kennedy (five), Mark LeCras (four) and Jack Darling (four) amongst the goals.

They now enter next week's bye with an 8-5 win-loss record and face Essendon after their week off.

Talking points: Brisbane Lions v West Coast

The under-siege Lions are now 1-12 and only percentage off the bottom after their ninth straight loss. 

They were more competitive than last week's embarrassing loss to Fremantle – not a difficult feat – but never really troubled the Eagles.

Running defender Ryan Harwood went off with a knee injury in the first quarter and did not return.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson said he was pleased to escape with the premiership points, despite conceding the final three goals of the game.

"It's been a big block of games, and we'll enjoy the time off," Simpson said.

"We were all a little bit nervous about where we're at, and what we need to work towards, and we've got real confidence in our players, but that last quarter last week took a hit, and that's just honest.

"So where we go from here, and where we go in the second half of the year, we can control that.

"We're not banged up, we're just tired. That's no excuse, but that last quarter we were a bit heavy-legged. And the week before (against Adelaide), we just got outplayed."

The absence of Nic Naitanui (Achilles) and Scott Lycett (discipline) in the ruck made little difference, and despite losing the clearances (44-32), the Eagles were able to negate any Lions midfield influence. 

They generated a number of goals directly from stoppages, including the three in three minutes to start the decisive second quarter.

In an often dreary game, Andrew Gaff (28 disposals), Luke Shuey (26) and Elliot Yeo (21) were full of run, while livewire half-forward Jamie Cripps not only kicked 2.3, but set up three other goals in a terrific performance.

His four-bounce goal from 45m in the second quarter was a highlight, as was his running effort in the first term before calmly delivering the handpass for LeCras' first. 

The Lions were frustrating to watch.

They had 110 more disposals (445-335), but chipped the ball sideways, lacked conviction and invited the Eagles to exert pressure, which they gladly did.

For the second week in a row, the Gabba crowd of 12,777 voiced its disapproval of the slow-moving play. 

It wasn't so much a lack of effort this week as a lack of confidence. 

Coach Justin Leppitsch said errors killed his team.

"The positive is the guys in the second half didn't give up," Leppitsch said.

"(We were) Beaten for skill and a little bit of class in the end, but stoppages was our real issue.

"We won clearances, but it was the scores from clearances, they did it too easy.

"Most of them came from our fumbles, our-cough ups, and our inability to complete play, or missed handballs.

"It's alarming how many basic handball errors we made today."

Mitch Robinson busted his guts, keeping Brownlow medallist Matt Priddis to 16 disposals and having 38 of his own. 

Pearce Hanley (37 and two goals), Tom Rockliff (38), Dayne Zorko (31) and Ryan Bastinac (29) all had nice numbers, but very little impact on the game.

MEDICAL ROOM
Brisbane Lions: Defender Ryan Harwood was taken from the ground in the first quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Coach Justin Leppitsch said it appeared to be a PCL problem, but Harwood would get scans on Monday to confirm and give a timeframe. Tom Cutler also briefly left the field with hamstring tightness but returned, while Leppitsch also confirmed Tom Bell – who missed the match – would have knee surgery and could miss the rest of the season.

West Coast: It was a tough day for Matt Priddis, with the Brownlow medallist not only being worn like a glove by Mitch Robinson, but also copping a broken nose. He returned to the field with his head swathed in tape, but played the game out.

NEXT UP
Fresh off their win, the Eagles will spend the next three weeks in Perth, starting with the bye next weekend. They then host Essendon and North Melbourne in successive weeks in a stretch that could set-up a run to the finals. The Lions meanwhile travel to Melbourne to play Richmond at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

Lions debutant Eric Hipwood fires off a handball against the Eagles. Picture: AFL Media

BRISBANE LIONS 4.2   5.6    7.8   12.10   (82)                  
WEST COAST 4.3   11.6    14.11   20.11   (131)          

GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Walker 4, Hanley 2, Schache 2, Taylor, Robinson, Bastinac, Hipwood
West Coast: Kennedy 5, LeCras 4, Darling 4, Cripps 2, Giles, Masten, Hill, Shuey, Yeo 

BEST 
Brisbane Lions: Robinson, Zorko, Hanley, Rockliff
West Coast: Gaff, Kennedy, LeCras, Shuey, Hutchings, Yeo, Sheppard 

INJURIES 
Brisbane Lions: Harwood (knee)
West Coast: Priddis (broken nose)

Reports: Nil 

Umpires: Schmitt, Hay, Meredith

Official crowd: 12,777 at the Gabba