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Coach Adam Simpson has backed West Coast to cover the expected loss of Nic Naitanui, saying resiliency has been a hallmark of their AFL season so far. The Eagles went a long way to burying their MCG hoodoo on Sunday with an outstanding 35-point win over Collingwood. But the 15.12 (102) to 9.13 (67) win most likely has come at a massive cost, with the Eagles fearing that scans on Monday will show that Naitanui needs a right knee reconstruction. The All-Australian ruckman did not play last year because of a left knee reconstruction. Emotions ran high in the Eagles rooms post match, given the importance of the win and the devastating realisation about Naitanui's injury. Nevertheless, West Coast also welcomed back star forwards Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling and Mark LeCras from injury on Sunday.  They have now taken second spot from Collingwood and are equal on points with top side Richmond. "That's a question you might ask, but I'm not going to entertain it," Simpson replied when asked if the Eagles can keep winning with Naitanui. "We've had players come in and out of our side all year. "We have to keep finding a way. "As long as they keep playing with that spirit, we'll be okay." It was West Coast's first win over Collingwood at the MCG since 1995 and their best win at the grand final venue since they beat Richmond there three years ago. "But it's never been a big issue for me. You guys (media) have been bringing it up every second minute," Simpson said of their MCG issues. "We've played here twice this year and we've won twice - let's move on, hey?" It looked like the hoodoo might continue when Collingwood kicked three goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. Simpson said the Eagles were caught off guard initially with how the Magpies started. But defender Jeremy McGovern was outstanding with a succession of intercept marks and spoils. He was best afield, while Mark Hutchings shut down Steele Sidebottom. Scott Lycett also stepped up when Naitanui went off and broke even with Magpies star Brodie Grundy - effectively a big win for the Eagles. After settling in the first half, West Coast broke clear in the third term and Collingwood could not peg them back. The loss broke Collingwood's seven-game winning streak and after grinding out a win over Essendon last week, this time coach Nathan Buckley said West Coast ground them down. "We had plenty of boys today who just lowered their colours on their expectations and where they've been," Buckley said. "It's the old maxim - when you lose more positions than you win, it's pretty hard to win the game."
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