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West Coast coach Adam Simpson hopes returning stars will see team work win Eagles AFL games

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Craig O'DonoghueThe West Australian
VideoWest Coast sing the song after their win over Adelaide.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson hopes the return of injured stars in the coming weeks will mean the team won’t have to rely on individual brilliance to win games, after key forward Jack Darling booted five goals in one quarter to lift the Eagles to victory over Adelaide.

Darling changed the game with a stunning second quarter where he had nine disposals, three of his five marks were contested and he booted five majors.

West Coast trailed by seven points as he lined up for his first goal. They led by 29 points after he kicked his fifth and maintained that buffer to win 16.10 (106) to 11.10 (76).

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West Coast forward Jack Darling was the hero against the Crows with five goals in the second term.
Camera IconWest Coast forward Jack Darling was the hero against the Crows with five goals in the second term. Credit: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos
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It was the second time this year where Darling kicked four goals in one quarter and Simpson said he’d prefer his team to be more even.

“It’s great when we have players that can do that and we’ll take it because I thought Nic and Tim Kelly were very, very good that quarter as well,” Simpson said.

“Getting him the ball more often is priority number one when he’s in that vein of form. It was great that he did that. But having to rely on someone to get us back in the game single handedly - it’s fantastic to have someone like him there - but we’d like to do it more evenly if we could.

“We made the most of it through a bit of talent and a bit of system. We think we can play better than that.”

Having battled injury all year, the Eagles are now set to receive some welcome relief after moving to 6-3.

West Coast brought Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass back against the Crows and should have Liam Ryan and Shannon Hurn available for Sunday’s clash against Greater Western Sydney.

Simpson said Hurn (calf) completed the requirements to be available for selection on Saturday and Ryan (leg) had been swimming, in a sign of desperate he is to play.

“It’s been great to get some exposure into our younger players. But it’ll be good to get those guys back,” Simpson said.

“The depth of our list has been challenged like every other club this year. Us probably more than most with our experience.

“We’ve got quite a short list with Willie and Dan Venables (not playing). We only had 40 available players at the start of the year.

“Trying to manage that and give our younger players some exposure has been good for us.”

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