Mediocre days at an end: Hurn
Shannon Hurn says West Coast are better than their "middle-of-the-road" record suggests and they intend to show it against top-four contenders Collingwood on Saturday week, even if Mark LeCras is suspended.
The Eagles defender made the call as LeCras was offered a one-match ban for his head-high bump on Greater Western Sydney's Will Hoskin-Elliott during the first quarter of West Coast's 111-point demolition at Patersons Stadium on Sunday.
The ill-judged hit was deemed reckless conduct, high contact and low impact. LeCras' good record in the past six years and an early guilty plea would be enough to reduce the penalty from two matches to one.
West Coast are expected to accept the ban despite losing LeCras for the Magpies clash at the MCG. Hurn admitted the lesser suspension was a "good result" for the club.
Hoskin-Elliott recovered to play out the match, so the lack of ill-effects limited the severity of the punishment.
Hurn said the Eagles would miss LeCras' flexibility and football smarts, but would otherwise be at near full strength to challenge Collingwood.
He backed up teammate Matt Priddis' claim West Coast needed to take a top-four scalp.
All four of their victories this season have come against last year's bottom four teams, with an average winning margin of 74 points.
"We are middle of the road," Hurn said.
"I suppose we've just probably been a touch inconsistent. That's what's probably been a little bit annoying, that we've put some good performances in, but then we'll put a couple of poor ones in.
"That'll be the thing going forward that we'll want to play consistently good football.
"I think we should be better than 4-4.
"Games have momentum. If you can make the most of momentum, put some good scoreboard pressure on, then things can change, things can happen.
"I'd like to think out of the four we lost we should have won one, possibly another one."
Hurn said he would have preferred playing this weekend rather than having a bye.
He acknowledged the month ahead - when they face Collingwood, North Melbourne (home), Hawthorn (away) and Gold Coast (home) - was hugely important.
West Coast have a terrible record against the Magpies stretching back to the 2007 second semifinal - a match that ended the Eagles' premiership defence that year.
The Eagles have lost nine of their past 10 meetings and all six of their games against Collingwood at the MCG in that time.
"You don't want to go along in your football career or as a team and just be happy with beating middles sides or bottom sides," Hurn said.
Andrew Gaff was substituted out of Sunday's big win during the third term with ankle soreness, but is expected to recover in time to face the Magpies.
